CCNA / CCNP
Also written as CCNA, CCNP, CCIE, Cisco Certified Network Associate, Cisco Certified Network Professional, Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert
Cisco's networking certifications, in three steps: CCNA (associate, the entry level), CCNP (professional) and CCIE (expert, with a hard hands-on lab exam). The certifications most often seen on network engineer resumes and asked for by name in JDs. They expire after three years unless renewed.
Think of it like
A learner's licence, then a commercial licence, then a racing licence: each step proves you can handle more on your own.
Junior or senior?
CCNA proves the basics and is common among freshers, so on its own it says little about real experience. CCNP plus years on live networks is a solid mid-level signal; CCIE is rare and highly valued.
Senior sounds like
Can describe the network they ran, not just the exam.
Ask them
“Which Cisco certifications do you hold, and when did you pass them? What size of network have you configured and supported yourself?”
Reading CCNA / CCNP on a resume
- Common
- CCNA / CCNP narrows the field but doesn't prove depth on its own. The junior-versus-senior contrast above is what separates one candidate from another.
Sourcing for CCNA / CCNP
Every way it's written
("CCNA" OR "CCNP" OR "CCIE" OR "Cisco Certified Network Associate")Paste into LinkedIn Recruiter, Naukri or your ATS. Combine with a job title and location.
Wider net, with accepted substitutes
("CCNA" OR "CCNP" OR "CCIE" OR "Cisco Certified Network Associate" OR "Cisco Certified Network Professional" OR "Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert")Includes skills a hiring manager would usually accept instead. Use it when the exact search runs dry.
Job titles to search alongside it
Network Engineer · Network Administrator · System Administrator · IT Infrastructure Engineer · Network Security Engineer · NOC Engineer · Windows Administrator · Linux Administrator
Where this talent works in India — Networking & IT Infrastructure
Target companies that build networking gear or run large networks and data centres themselves: equipment makers, telecom operators, data-centre operators and infrastructure-services firms. Help-desk-heavy outsourcing contracts use the same titles with far less design work, so ask who designed the network, not just who kept it running.
For example: Cisco, Juniper Networks (HPE), HPE Aruba Networking, Arista Networks, Extreme Networks, F5, Infoblox, Nokia.