VMware Careers Blog

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VMware University Relations Connects With Future Female Innovators

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Price Smith

At VMware, we actively attract, engage and celebrate our people from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. By doing so, we foster a culture and environment where great people want to work and thrive. Today we hear from Alicia on the VMware University Relations team’s outreach initiatives for female interns and future innovators.

As another year of UR (University Recruitment) comes to a close, those of us on the VMware University Relations team are now looking forward to welcoming our summer 2013 intern class. We have a ton of great events in store for our interns on-boarding over the next few weeks. We are especially excited for our initiatives around our female interns and future female innovators.

One program that we want to highlight in particular is our WCW (Women Connecting Women) Mentoring Program. The WCW program matches each U.S. – based female intern with another female employee at VMware during her internship. The Mentors may hold roles in similar or vastly different functional areas of VMware in comparison to their Mentees, which helps in offering a unique perspective of life at VMware. Mentors and Mentees usually meet at least once a week in person throughout the summer to connect and catch up on projects, upcoming events and VMware experiences.

In addition, the UR team organizes a few events for WCW members to attend together. This year we’re exited to host a speed networking themed kick-off event in June, which enables members to greatly expand their network. We are also busy planning VMware Foundation Service Learning activities for the WCW group. Last year, our WCW interns had the opportunity to give back to InnVision in Palo Alto, LifeWorks in Austin and Cambridge Women’s Center in Massachusetts. Another event that we are very excited about organizing will be a networking mixer for WCW members and our newly on-boarded female new college graduates who have taken full-time positions with VMware. We’re very exited to introduce these two groups to one another and expect that long-term connections will be developed.

Helping inspire and ignite a passion for technology with future innovators is another initiative that we are proud to support here on the University Relations team. We have just about finalized the details to host a WCW job shadow day in July for Berkeley Foundation for Opportunities in IT (BFOIT) at VMware headquarters. During this event, middle school and high school students from BFOIT will have the opportunity to experience a day in the life of an intern and full-time employee. They will also be provided with a tour of our expanding Palo Alto campus and will get involved in a panel discussion about careers in tech.

On a related note, VMware is once again looking forward to sponsoring “VMware Day” at the University of Texas, Austin’s First Bytes Summer camp. First Bytes is a one-week residential camp for female high school students in Texas that are interested in studying Computer Science in college and/or pursuing a career in the technology industry. We are currently hard at work on an exercise that we will conduct with the First Bytes students, which will help introduce the concept of a virtual machine.

Lastly, we are also proud sponsors of the MIT Women’s Technology Program (WTP) this summer. WTP is a four-week summer academic and residential experience where female high school students can explore engineering through hands-on classes, labs and team-based projects. Employees from our Cambridge site will be getting involved in activities with WTP participants in July.

Overall, we are extremely excited about being involved in these initiatives, camps and programs. We look forward to sharing these experiences with you further as they unfold. If you will be interning with us this summer, we’re excited to meet you very soon and get you involved in one or more of the highlighted efforts. If you would like to intern with us, we still have a few positions available. Visit our career site here to learn more!

Network on!

Alicia Montesa, Sr. University Relations Specialist, VMware

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VMware Interns Drive What’s Next Through Meaningful Projects

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Price Smith

VMware interns contribute their intellectual curiosity, innovative ideas and refreshing enthusiasm to the company every day. Interns make an impact from day one. Matt Wendorf, Technical Recruiter for University Relations shares how interns can bring their innovative ideas to life and professionally develop at VMware through meaningful projects that are driving what’s next in IT.

You will not find interns at VMware fetching coffee or answering phones this summer. No, interns from across the globe will find themselves traveling to VMware office sites for the opportunity to work on meaningful projects with tangible business implications. VMware interns are seen as capable extensions of their product engineering teams. These individuals are the future thought leaders in the systems software industry and are highly regarded with such prestige. Many of the 200+ R&D interns that join VMware every summer already come with a proven track record of success, but an internship at VMware will give them the opportunity to take this success to the next level.

It is not surprising to see an intern’s work during a 12-16 week internship show up in a product’s source code. We have products shipping today that still rely upon code created by an intern many, many moons ago. If an intern is looking for the necessary product development experience to compete in the hyper-competitive systems software industry, those skills are often honed during a VMware internship. From design to technical specs to prototype to product, our interns will have the opportunity to master this domain while contributing to the bottom line.

An Intern at VMware might also find themselves in the thick of the software patent application process. These interns will learn what it takes to work alongside their product team and IP lawyers to prepare and submit a patent application. The valuable experience with the challenging and complicated patent application process is also great experience to add to their CVs. There are numerous occasions where an intern knowingly and surprisingly found their name on a VMware patent. This gives the intern’s work incredible visibility both internally and externally.

While some VMware interns are attracted to product engineering projects, other interns are more concerned with research-based internships. VMware has plenty of research-based internship opportunities that go through a rigorous approval process with graduate students in mind. These intern projects tend to be more exploratory and have a larger scope. Our research interns forgo opportunities with prestigious research labs and often come back each summer to intern at VMware. Their intern projects often serve as the foundation for their degree research and thesis. They can also gain special access to invaluable systems and resources not available to all researchers.

Sometimes these interns find themselves rubbing elbows with the top engineers in R&D and working on the most advanced research projects happening within the company. These projects are often forward looking and strategic, but can serve as a foundation for future product roadmaps. Our Horizon Mobile product was essentially created out of a summer internship project. The VMware Horizon Mobile team now boasts more than 20 engineers and a successful position in the mobile virtualization space. A summer internship at VMware can get you in on the ground floor with such product teams.

Research interns also have opportunities to publish papers and submit them to the best technical journals and conferences. Our mentors and managers empower the interns to go above and beyond the original project scope. Not only might an intern’s paper be published in our internal publication, the VMware Technical Journal, but papers could and have been accepted by outside journals, systems software conferences and technical workshops alike.

We on the University Relations team are trying to create an intern program that is conducive to both personal and professional growth. Giving our interns a sense of value through product engineering, publishing, patent applications and advanced research makes VMware one of the most attractive internship opportunities in today’s software industry.

Do you want to envision what’s next in IT and for yourself? Learn how you can bring your innovative ideas to life and watch them grow here.

Matt Wendorf, Technical Recruiter for University Relations at VMware

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A New College Grad’s Advice on Landing a Job After College

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Price Smith

Let’s be honest, looking for a job, no matter where you are in life, can be tough. Looking for that first job after graduation can be even more daunting. However, the nice part about looking for a job while in school is that the amount of resources available to students is vast. Most universities have really embraced becoming a valuable resource to students in their job search.

To get a students perspective on how you can leverage career services at your university and land a job after college, I connected with Anuprem, a recent graduate from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and new member of the Nicira team at VMware Palo Alto.

Kim How important was having an internship prior to starting your full time job at VMware?

Anuprem While I don’t think that it would have been the end of the world if I didn’t have an internship in college, I do think that it helped my chances of obtaining a job. A good internship will attract the attention of recruiters, the first people that come into contact with job applications at a company. It will also give you a sense of what you can expect from a full-time job and what will be expected of you from your teammates.

Kim Do you think you picked the right college courses for what you’re doing now full-time?

Anuprem Yes, I do believe that I picked the right course for what I am doing full-time. While I had a rough idea of what my interests were at the beginning of my Masters Program in Computer Science, I ended up not being wrong which was helpful. Having said that, courses are mostly an introduction to a topic and a foundation for an individual to build upon once they start a career. It is a lot more different at work and personally, to me; it might not have mattered a lot.

Kim Do you feel that you used your university’s career services well?

Anuprem Yes. My university’s career services had valuable information around interview behavior, resume tips and upcoming career fairs, which was quite useful for me. I utilized the career service’s internal website that highlighted available job opportunities from employers that were interested in hiring students from Georgia Tech. I also leveraged this tool to find my opportunity at VMware. The Georgia Tech career services center also worked with a lot of companies that were interested in hiring and connected them with students at on-campus career fairs. Every internship and job offer that I received was because of the assistance that I received through career services at Georgia Tech.

Kim When did you begin looking for a full-time job?

Anuprem Prior to obtaining confirmation that I received a full-time offer at VMware, I occasionally browsed through my university’s career center job portals to see if any opportunities looked appealing for me to pursue.

Kim What advice would you give a student looking for their first full time role?

Anuprem Make use of the career services center at your university. I would recommend that you start working with them at least a year before your graduation so that you can have a clear understanding of what you’re interested in pursuing and also have enough time to search for that opportunity. Outside of your university’s career center, you could also leverage your friends who have already graduated and get their insight on the job search process. LinkedIn is also very useful as you can learn about an employer from their company profile and get connected to the recruiters that help hire for their organizations. Lastly, try to figure out what an employer is looking for in a potential candidate. You can do this by reviewing skills and requirements are for a job opportunity that you are interested in pursuing. Take this information and highlight those pieces in your resume.

Kim Share what you are looking forward to with your new role with Nicira.

Anuprem Nicira has an outstanding team. I am looking forward to working with them and learning as much as I can.

And Anuprem’s thoughts on this matter are very true. As a University Relations Recruiter, I know that VMware is not the only company that utilizes career services at certain universities to post job openings for new college graduates. We also work with them to schedule on campus events. For example, this year at Georgia Tech, we hosted virtual interviews for selected students where they had the opportunity to code virtually with some of VMware’s top engineers. Ultimately, my team at VMware finds our relationship with university career services to be invaluable, so as a student it will only help you to make friends with the people in that department as you get closer to your graduation date.

Best of luck!

Kim Hollenshead, VMware University Relations Recruiter

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20 Tips to Help Job Seekers Prepare for an Interview at VMware

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Price Smith

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Alison Scott on Volunteering with the National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy’s Veterans Program

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Price Smith

VMware employees contribute their best work to imagine, define, and deliver the future of IT through transformative products and solutions that enable customer agility, efficiency, security, and fault tolerance in the Cloud era. And this is only possible through the dedicated, dynamic and inspiring people that make up our company. Take a look at Alison’s story on how she gives back to her community.

Name: Alison Scott

Job title: Executive Search Recruiter

Years at VMware: 3

Office Location: Palo Alto, California

Finish this statement: Giving Back Together means… looking at the bigger picture but knowing that whatever one does, in whatever small way, counts. It is about finding a starting point and not thinking that it is too small to count.

What is life at VMware like for you?

Every day is different. I get to lead and/or work on different senior level executive searches with many different groups here at VMware. I get the opportunity to talk to and meet very interesting and talented people and help position VMware as the best technology company to work for in Silicon Valley.

What is your favorite VMware memory?

Paul Maritz, our former CEO, standing up at an all hands meeting and telling us all that there are so many smarter, hard working and more deserving people out there than us but we, VMware employees, happen to have been lucky enough to have been (born) in the right place at the right time and to have been hired and given the opportunity to work at VMware. It was such a humbling and true statement that has stayed with me ever since.

Do you have a favorite group, hobby or interest that you are active in at VMware?

The Executive Search team – Anu, Luann, Mike, Linda and JR! It has been one of the most fun teams that I have ever been part of in my career. We are challenged on a daily basis, but are supportive of one another and want to succeed as a team.

Among other values, Giving Back More Than We Take is a core part of VMware culture. How has this value come to life for you at VMware?

I left Russell Reynolds Associates in 2006 to, in theory, take 6 months off. During my time off, I started volunteering at the National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy (NCEFT) in Woodside, California. NCEFT works with horses and their movement as part of a wide range of therapy programs offered to aid children and adults with physical and mental disabilities. Because of my horse experience, NCEFT offered me a position as a Horse Handler on their barn staff which was a dream come true for me. I was able to have a second, although brief, career which I would never have thought possible. I got to exercise, train and then work with their horses and patients during therapy sessions. After a couple of years though I really missed my former career and in 2010 I was hired by VMware to join the in-house executive search team here in Palo Alto. I am now volunteering again with NCEFT this time on their Veterans Program. This program is offered to active duty personnel and veterans from the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. This program is completely funded by donations — no cost to the participants or the federal government. My volunteering now involves helping the veterans learn how to handle, groom and ride in seven to eight week rotations. The camaraderie and confidence, which is built even in such a short period of time, is wonderful to be part of and many of them intend to continue riding having discovered something new to explore going forward.

Share the biggest lesson or take-away from your volunteer experience with the National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy – Veterans Program. Is it what you expected?

My biggest takeway from my service learning experience was that veterans from all wars need help sometimes and even on an on-going basis long after they’ve returned and the welcome parades have ended. They have served for their country and deserve this help and gratitude, not just when they return wounded. Project Healing Horse has a video on its site, which describes some of NCEFT’s work with veterans. And yes that is Sebastian my favorite Norwegian Fjord in the video. I have included my favorite pictures of Sebastian with this story.

What does Giving Back mean to you? What advice would you give to someone looking to give back in the community?

Being able to share something that I am so inspired and enlivened by and see that immediate pleasure and enjoyment spread across someone else’s face. Find a cause that you are personally passionate about and a group of people who share your passion.

What are you inspired to do in 2013 and beyond?

Continue to find ways that I can help and inspire others to find a starting point in their own small way.

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Meagan Shannon,VMware’s New Intern Program Manager Gears Up for the VMware 2013 Intern Season

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Price Smith

The VMware University Relations team fosters relationships with universities, executes on recruiting strategies and develops programs that enable VMware to acquire the best university talent around the globe. We connected with Meagan Shannon, former University Relations Specialist and VMware’s new Intern Program Manager to get her take on her new role and the exciting things in store for VMware’s summer 2013 interns!

For the past two years I have been a VMware University Relations Specialist based out of our Cambridge, Massachusetts site. This role allowed me to travel to many of the top universities on the East Coast, learn about their degree programs and connect with talented students. I recently moved across the United States to Palo Alto, California to take on the role of Intern Program Manager for the VMware’s Americas (AMERS) sites. Like many of the 200+ interns that will be joining us at VMware headquarters this summer, I have spent the last few weeks learning to navigate the 100 acre (bigger than Disneyland) Palo Alto campus, testing out the different café daily specials (and gelato flavors) and getting used to the sunny California weather. For the interns that are joining us in Cambridge, Massachusetts you are going to love the city and the open innovative culture that the Cambridge office provides- both locations really do have their perks!

The entire University Relations team is currently preparing for the interns that will be starting this summer at our Americas sites. We have TONS of great social events planned, including a weekly speaker series with senior leaders and intern specific trainings so that interns can dive into our company culture and see how our employee community works together to drive what’s next in IT.

To learn more about our student programs and the internships that we still have available for summer 2013, check out our University Relations Website here. You can also learn about our program and past Intern experiences on our social media channels too!

-Meagan Shannon, VMware Intern Program Manager

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An Inside Look at the VMware Yerevan, Armenia Site

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Price Smith

With over 50+ locations throughout the world, VMware is truly a global community made of passionate employees who thrive on collaborating together to bring industry-changing IT innovations to life. Each site also carries its own uniqueness, which is why we are highlighting office stories through our VMware Office Spotlight series. Get a flavor for what the VMware Armenia office in Yerevan is like today!

About Armenia

The VMware Armenia office is located in Yerevan, the capital and largest city of Armenia with over one million inhabitants. Armenia represents one of the oldest world civilizations with its footprints over the entire land. Yerevan (formerly Erebuni), a city which history goes back to 782 BC, is situated in the Ararat valley and has a breathtaking view of the Holy Mount Ararat, which brings its kind presence to every corner of the city, as well as to the Forum Business Center, where our office is located. Yerevan is home to dozens of museums, art galleries, libraries and Universities. It is also a major educational center in the region as more than seven thousand foreign students and fellows study in the higher education institutions of Armenia.

The Information Technology industry is one of the most successful and fastest growing industries in Armenia, which promotes technological innovation and productivity for the nation-state. The sector is comprised of both local and foreign companies like Synopsys, Microsoft, Be2, Mentor Graphics, Synergy International Systems.

Areas of Opportunity

VMware established its R&D site in Armenia in 2010 through the acquisition of Integrien Corporation, the leader in real-time performance analytics. After the acquisition, VMware changed the name of Integrien’s core product from Integrien Alive Enterprise to VMware vCenter Operations, which later became the key component of vCenter Operations Management Suite. This product provides a new and much simplified approach to operations management of physical, virtual and cloud infrastructures, which helps enhance VMware vSphere, thus realizing a new technology transform.

The vCenter Operations team has seen growth in the past year bringing on roughly 40 highly qualified and experienced engineers and researchers. The team is composed of PhDs and Engineers who are in charge of the overall development of the product.

Culture in action at the Armenia office

Teamwork is an important part of our office culture. We promote a dynamic environment where employees can collaborate globally, helping enrich our culture and capability. The Yerevan office effectively works together with the other vCenter Operations teams located in Bulgaria, Palo Alto, Irvine and Bangalore by having regular video and phone conferences to allow for global collaboration and thought share.

Creating an environment where people enjoy coming to work in is another important value at our site. Our Human Resources and Site Management teams are committed to driving equal opportunity and fostering a culture where great people want to work and thrive long term. We believe that building a family-like and positive atmosphere are very important elements to providing this environment for our employees.

John, Quality Engineering Manager shared his thoughts on our employee environment,

“When I first met the team I was impressed by their technical knowledge, but what really sealed the deal for me was the casual, friendly manner in which each person I met greeted me. VMware provides a dynamic work environment, one that is constantly growing and ever challenging. Even today, after a full year, I am often pleasantly surprised to see the accomplishments that my team has achieved. It is both a pleasure to be here and exciting to be part of such a highly regarded team.”

Overall, our site’s success has been achieved by empowering our employees with the tools and environment to define and deliver the future of IT. This is proven by the fact that over the past four years VMware Armenia’s Customer Oriented Research and Development (CORD) team has generated more than seven patents to date.

The year ahead

Over the past two years, our employee base in Armenia has more than doubled, growing to 40 employees from 18. In 2012, our site grew to encompass an entire floor of our current building. 2013 is filled with continuous growth and excitement, as we will see further expansion of our site and new opportunities to shape the IT landscape for our customers.

Srbuhi Harutyunyan, Workplace Coordinator, Armenia

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Tim Sommer, Sr. Systems Engineer on Staying Connected and Growth Through Giving Back at VMware.

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Price Smith

VMware employees contribute their best work to imagine, define, and deliver the future of IT through transformative products and solutions that enable customer agility, efficiency, security, and fault tolerance in the Cloud era. This is only possible through the dedicated, dynamic and inspiring people in our VMware community. Take a look at Tim’s story on technology, growing with his team at VMware and giving back to the Union Fire Department.

Name: Tim Sommer

Job title: Sr. Systems Engineer, North Central Enterprise

Years at VMware: 2

Office location: Chicago – Home Office

Finish this statement: Giving Back Together means sacrificing your most valued asset, “your time” for the greater good of the community.

In three words or phrases, how would you describe your experience at VMware?

Technology head rush.

What ignites your passion to do your best work every day at VMware?

VMware is one of the rare companies in the industry that is defining the next big thing for the data center. I get to evangelize the future! We are defining the next generation data center with the Software-defined Data Center (SDDC) strategy. As with server virtualization, VMware will lead companies through the SDDC journey too. I feel like I could take two years off and the SDDC would still be relevant.

How do you stay connected to your VMware colleagues while working from a home office?

It can be challenging at times. There is a local office here where we can run into one another and have occasional meetings. However, a majority of my team’s time is spent with our customers at their site locations, which can be spread all over, so coming into an office each day is not conducive for my team’s type of activity. We try to get together at least once a week in person if our schedule permits. We also use instant message and e-mail extensively, along with our internal social network, VMware Link, which is similar to Facebook for a business. Here we can exchange ideas, ask questions and get to know our coworkers from across the world. Everyone at VMware has a Link profile with his or her picture and contact information, so it humanizes the communication.

Among other values, Giving Back More Than We Take is a core part of VMware culture. How has this value come to life for you at VMware?

I elected to use my Service Learning time (VMware employees receive 40 paid days each year to contribute back to the community) to help the Union Fire Department, a local department in Chicago. The departments budget was very low for any kind of technology consulting, so I thought offering my skills would be a great way to contribute back to the community while saving them thousands in consulting fees. I helped them configure a new server and work station, run new network cabling, install a backup solution and saved them money by switching them over to a new internet provider. I even attended a board meeting, which was pretty exciting!

Share the biggest lesson or takeaway from your Service Learning experience with the Union Fire Department. Is it what you expected?

The biggest takeaway from the experience was the feeling that I made a difference in this small community. The money they saved can now be invested in other important things like new radios or fire trucks that are aging.

What can people do if they’re interested in using their skills to give back?

Think about how your community can use your expertise. We often overlook how valuable our professional skills are to the general public. For example, to hire a consultant equivalent to a Software Engineer (SE)’s skillset, one could pay up to 250.00 per hour. Because of this, there is a good chance that a non-profit will never experience the level of expertise a SE could give with their technical skills.

What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue a career at VMware?

Getting hired at VMware is just as much about attitude and conviction as is the content of your resume. VMware looks for passionate individuals with the necessary skillsets who are willing to collaborate and work together to move the business forward. This is also not a company for those who have difficulty embracing change. We are change agents for the industry and must adapt quickly if we expect our customers to evolve with us.

How do you plan to grow and develop yourself in the year ahead?

I have recently moved from supporting our partners to a role in Direct Enterprise Sales. I have a number of accounts that I own the strategic technical relationships. This year I will focus on developing deeper relationships and help them become more efficient in their data centers using VMware technologies.

Join our Talent Community and let us find jobs for you!

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Ramiro Salas, Global Technology Specialist, shares the paths and choices that help him drive what’s next at VMware!

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Price Smith

VMware employees contribute their best work to imagine, define, and deliver the future of IT through transformative products and solutions that enable customer agility, efficiency, security, and fault tolerance in the Cloud era. Because of this, we’re honored to highlight Ramiro Salas, Global Technology Specialist, Software Defined Networking & Security.

Name: Ramiro Salas

Job title: Global Technology Specialist, Software Defined Networking & Security

Years at VMware: I joined in April 2004, left in June 2012 and re-joined in November 2012. You can say 8 ½ years.

Office location: Home Office – Mill Valley, CA

Favorite Tech Gadget: Pwn Plug Elite

Finish this hashtag statement: #ilovevmware because… we set the goal to fundamentally change the way people do computing, and we actually DID.

In three words or phrases, how would you describe your experience at VMware thus far?

Being at VMware for over eight years is like having bought a good case of Chilean Cabernet in 2004, and opening one bottle every year, just to discover that it just keeps getting better and better, every time.

What is your favorite VMware memory?

Seeing our founders and our company logo at the opening bell for VMware’s IPO in the New York Stock Exchange. It’s my favorite memory because I had the realization that we weren’t a small company anymore and that the sky was the limit.

Do you have a favorite group, hobby or interest that you are active in at VMware?

I do several things at VMware, but I’m probably more known in recent years as the founder of the “Foodies” group on VMware Link, our internal social network powered by Socialcast. I love to dine and cook gourmet, and I also maintain a blog with recipes, experiments and opinions, which you can visit here: ObsessedCook.com.

What attracted you to VMware? Is it the same thing that motivates you today?

I always admired VMware. I was part of the beta program back in 1998-99 for Workstation 1.0, so when my previous company closed its doors after the dot COM crash and I had the chance to come here, I didn’t think twice. What attracted me to VMware was the technology. Back then VMware was a place where the geeks were accepted, welcome, and respected, and I can gladly say that is still true!

Among other values, Teamwork is a core part of VMware culture. Share an example of how you, a coworker, or group of employees looked beyond the individual and worked together to benefit the greater good.

Back in early 2004 when I was just three days in the company, my former manager and I headed over to Mexico City to deliver a large public lecture on virtualization. The night before, we ate at the hotel restaurant and managed to get a bad case of food poisoning. The morning after, with almost no sleep, we literally took 10-minute turns to deliver part of the presentation each while the other rested facing up on the floor of an adjacent empty conference room. I had not yet been fully trained in the products, but we managed to pull it through and the conference was a success. Except for the organizers, no one knew anything was wrong.

If you could walk in one of your co-workers “shoes” for one day at work, who would it be and why?

Anyone from the Office of the CTO. Having the opportunity to attend meetings at the highest levels with some of the most important companies in the world, and being able to openly discuss our technology vision while finding new potential ways to improve our products to solve real customer issues is just priceless.

What fuels you to do your best work at VMware?

Customers. I believe there is nothing more important than listening to our customers, understanding their pains, challenges and doing everything in our power to help them. My drive is to advocate for them internally at VMware, as well as help them with the solutions that will help them move their goals forward.

Do you have a thought leader or person you admire in your field or industry? Who and why?

Carl Eschenbach. I’ve never met someone with a higher drive, focus and dedication. He empowers his team to be the best they can be, and makes everybody BELIEVE that nothing is impossible. I saw that myself a few years ago when he presented Sir Richard Branson as the guest speaker for our Sales kick-off. If he managed to get one of the brightest minds in the business world to speak to us, he proved that nothing is impossible.

What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue a career at VMware?

Regardless of the stage you are in your career, VMware will keep you young. But you have to bring your A-game here. This is not a place to cruise. This is the real thing. You will be working among some of the best professionals in the industry and that demands dedication, speed of execution and focus. This is also a place for ideas. If you really believe in something, people will listen, but you have to be able to defend it and win their minds. Working at VMware may very well be the best professional experience in your life, but in the end, it will be up to you.

With the tech job market heating up and competition as fierce as ever, what would you say to those who may be weighing careers at start-ups to VMware?

Many people see start-ups with a romantic view of the archetypical garage in Palo Alto, but reality is much more complex than that. If you crave the “feel” of a start-up, there are many areas within VMware that literally operate like that. Fast pace of innovation, high impact in the final outcome with any decisions you make, and dynamic team debates, all without many of the drawbacks like uncertainty or extremely limited resources. I’d say take a pragmatic look at what are you really looking for and make a decision accordingly, but don’t discount VMware due to its sheer size. Talk to people and find out yourself.

What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead for yourself, your team or VMware?

I look at companies like IBM or McKesson that started over 100 years ago to show that if you constantly innovate and reinvent yourself, you will not only survive, but also thrive. It’s impossible to imagine what VMware would look like in 100 years from now if we follow that path. The only thing that is certain is that if we keep an open mind, keep listening and keep innovating, we will get there. I look to my year ahead as a small grain of sand that will help build that vision.