In June 2022, I joined VMware as product marketing intern in the End-User Computing (EUC) business unit. On day one, more than 800 miles away from the VMware headquarters in Palo Alto, I was both excited and a bit anxious. Remote work was not new to me. I knew the challenges of starting in a new role at a new company remotely – finding and accessing applications you need to execute your work; networking with people; formulating deeper connections; and collaborating with your team. Little did I know that VMware, with its products, people, and culture, would resolve these challenges to tailor a productive and engaging experience for me.
Ready to go on day one thanks to VMware Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub
On my start date, I received an email on my personal device, including my corporate credentials and steps to set-up and access the VMware resources. Following these steps, I accessed my work emails and calendar, found my team members, and joined virtual calls – all on my personal device. A virtual session with the IT Team enabled me to set up my work laptop within 15 minutes and take full advantage of the Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub.
I found all the applications I would need to execute my work at a single place, in the app catalog.
As someone new to the firm, I heard a lot of names but did not know who they were. Using the People tab, I could search for people from different business units, see the organizational hierarchy, and connect with them.
Creating a ticket is always time consuming. I leveraged self-service feature to find solutions to common IT problems such as password management and managing devices.
VMware Workspace ONE Intelligent Hub facilitated seamless onboarding for me and helped me unlock high productivity starting the first day.
People are here for you personally and professionally
The first few weeks felt like drinking from a fire hose, absorbing an enormous amount of information from different channels. But what helped was the collaborative environment in the firm. My team members went beyond their day-to-day responsibilities to guide me. For instance, I was working on the Quick Start Guides for VMware Workspace ONE Productivity Apps. I gathered information via existing resources and experienced the apps as a user to build deeper product insights. But it was my conversations with my teammates who took time out of their schedule to meet with me that helped me get acquainted with the technical and functional context needed. Also, people from different business units and across the world were happy to meet me for a conversation and feed my curiosity for their work. The EPIC2 culture is not a buzzword here, but something everyone lives and represents every day.
Redefining engagement in the remote world via the Intern Program
VMware’s Intern Program made my internship experience quite engaging from the get-go. I was assigned to a cohort of fellow MBA interns with whom I could practice my presentations and take feedback on my work. HR organized events such as tech talks to give new joiners a deep dive into technologies such as machine learning, as well as a leadership series to develop a customer-centric lens from leaders, including the CEO, Raghu Raghuram. Via team-building sessions, I got to interact with many fellow interns from different business units and in different roles, such as software development and product management. Creating an engaging environment is difficult in remote setting, but VMware does it right.
Ending note
VMware leverages its product suite, people, and culture to deliver one of the most enriching internship experiences. It is not surprising that its Intern Program has been recognized in the Top 100 Internship program list by WayUp and Yello.co consistently for three years.
