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 Sara Conte.
Job title: Senior Director, Strategy & Transformation
Years at VMware: 1.5 years
First job: Picking strawberries
Fun fact: I am an avid traveller who enjoys adventuring near and far from home. I lived in Ireland for six years and Mexico for one. I’ve also lived in 11 different cities in the US.
Favorite social distancing activity: Eating like a king! During quarantine, my husband would make us elegant, delicious meals. My favorite was when he was working on perfecting homemade pizza.
- VMware Careers: Sara, Tell us about your career journey to date?
Sara: My career journey centers around strategy and transformation – so happy that it’s now in my title! Prior to VMware, I worked at big companies like Boston Consulting Group and JPMorgan driving change and also smaller entrepreneurial ventures founding and growing SaaS businesses and evaluating Merger & Acquisition opportunities in tech.
I joined VMware in October of 2020 initially as a consultant. I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience VMware firsthand in this way because I learned what life is like at the company. I wasn’t looking for a new role at the time, but when I had the opportunity to convert from a consultant to a full-time employee, I jumped at the chance.
- VMware Careers: How is VMware different from any other tech company you have worked for?
Sara: VMware is different than any other tech company I’ve worked for because they care about my career development and are committed to providing a great place for me to work. VMware clearly defines and lives its EPIC2 values: Execution, Passion, Integrity, Customers, and Community. These come through in how we are treated as employees and how we treat each other.
- VMware Careers: What has been the biggest lesson you have learned as you moved upwards in your career?
Sara: The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that change is constant. You have to embrace it and keep a positive attitude to rapidly adapt to new priorities and align across teams to accomplish goals. I start every day with a prioritized list of what I need to get done – however, by noon, it might change with new inputs and developments – and that’s ok. It’s helpful to have frameworks and metrics to ground decisions and prioritize according to what’s most impactful.
- VMware Careers: Your team is hiring. Can you tell us more about your organization’s charter?
Sara: Our team is chartered with delivering a frictionless purchasing and consumption experience for our customers, partners, and colleagues to accelerate our transition to a multi-cloud SaaS future. We are focused on driving change and delivering on our most important Worldwide Business Operations strategic campaigns to complement VMware’s top priorities. Our three core focus areas are Process Improvement/Automation, Strategic Campaigns, and Data/Analytics.
- VMware Careers: If someone reading this was coming to interview with you tomorrow for a role in your org, what interview tips would you give them?
Sara: Be yourself. We want to get to know the real you. Our team is committed to hiring people with diverse and unique perspectives to increase innovation and drive performance. In the interview, focus on performance outcomes, not a long list of qualifications. We want to hear about how you’ve been successful in accomplishing your goals.
Could you see yourself working for a manager like Sara? Click below and apply to her team today!
Director, Strategy & Transformation – SaaS Billing Operations
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