Our Meet the Hiring Manager series allows you to get to know the people who grow teams at VMware. You’ll learn about our hiring managers’ career paths and what they look for in candidates during the interview process. This week we’d like you to meet Iva Kalova, Manager R&D, Boxer team.
What’s special about the team you’re leading?
Our culture is unique. The team is united, and no matter what obstacles we face, we solve them together. We welcome new people with open arms and do our best to make them feel part of the team from the very first day in VMware. The product we work on is complex and challenging but with the support of the team our new colleagues start contributing within their first week. I joined the Boxer team last August and got to experience it myself. The feeling that I belong came in a very short time and this happened during the pandemic times, working remote from home. This felt great and showed me how positive and open my colleagues are.
If you can use one to three words to describe your team, what would they be?
United, passionate, welcoming.
What is your team tech stack?
We build our application for iOS and Android using native app tech stack. Java and Kotlin for Android and Swift and Оbjective C for iOS.
Tell us about your career journey to date?
My career started as a Java developer and a trainer for Java and .NET. After few years switching companies and technologies, I found my place in a US company building storage virtualization server solutions. I spent 6 years there as a .NET developer moving up the ladder of seniority as an engineer. Then I became tech lead of the team. Mentoring people, helping them build technical expertise and grow in their careers was very motivating for me. I am a team player and I highly value the team spirit. This is how I decided to become engineering manager. I still like to stay close to the development process and I like to jump in my colleagues’ code troubleshooting complex issues together. After I spend 10 years in the same company, I decided to pursue a career opportunity in VMware. I am happy I am now part of a great team and I have an open horizon, rich in opportunities in front of me.
How is VMware different from any other tech company you have worked for in the past?
It has unique mixture of professionalism, passion and tolerance. People here are very professional, they follow but also create software development standards. We are One VMware, which means we help each other to achieve our targets, no matter which team you are part of – this is one company and we are one team. It might sound as a slogan, but I have seen it in action, especially with customer escalations. The culture here is unique and it spreads around. VMware is a place where you can be yourself, where people respect each other. The good work-life balance is something each manager is trained to watch out for. We believe that people are more motivated and creative when they enjoy a healthy balance between time for work, family and self-care. VMware supports various community activities and allows its employees to volunteer up to 40 hours a year giving back to society. I can keep adding to this list, but bottom line is that people are highly valued.
What has been the biggest lesson you have learned as you moved upwards in your career?
To listen. To hear what other people are saying and understand their point of view. It adds color and shape to your own ideas.
If someone reading this was coming to interview with you tomorrow, what interview tips would you give them?
Be prepared to answer questions on your CV, this is all we know about you, and we expect this is your comfort zone. If you don’t know the answer, don’t panic, it is not about the knowledge but the way you think.
Be yourself and be honest. The interview is always for both sides. We are evaluating will your attitude and experience fit our team. But so are you. The purpose is to figure out if you will be successful in this team here and now.
If you don’t get an offer this doesn’t mean we’ll never work together. Don’t hesitate to try again for another role or even the same one after you’ve gained some more experience.
Check out the open positions at Iva’s team:
