VMware Inc.
10/25/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/25/2021 04:13
Meet the Hiring Manager: Faizan Raza, Director of Engineering, vRealize Network Insight
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 Faizan Raza.
Snapshot
- Job title: Director of Engineering, vRealize Network Insight
- Years at VMware: 3 years, 3 months
- First job: While I was still in my teens, my first job was working as an assistant to my father, helping him with the billing and invoicing part of his business. I even got my pocket money doubled as remuneration.
- Fun fact: I'm a big fan of sports which is not just limited to watching it on TV but playing it as well. While I represented my school team in cricket, I have been regularly playing other indoor/outdoor sports including badminton, tennis.
- Favorite social distancing activity: While the pandemic forced us to live indoors mostly, at the same time it provided us a lot of opportunities to spend time with family/kids. Together we played a lot of traditional board games (offline/online) as well as a fun activity where we act popular characters from the children's textbook.
VMware Careers: Hi Faizan, please tell us about your career journey to date?
Faizan: I've had an enriching career: I would say I have witnessed many ups and downs from the dot com boom to the bust, from the recession of 2008 to the flurry of startups & venture capital funding. In 20+ years, I was fortunate enough to work on software & automation in truly diverse fields ranging from Enterprise resource planning, Supply Chain Management, Print & Packaging to Enterprise Application Integration, Software-Defined Data Centre, Network Monitoring, Hybrid cloud. I've been lucky in the early part of my career to work on some of the products where the architecture was evolving and that provided me the foundation to become a well-rounded full-stack Java developer. I also had the privilege of working on a couple of ideas in the field of Stock-Trading & EdTech, which gave me enough confidence to be able to turn ideas into a product as well as the ability to lead a team. In the second half of my career, I've been instrumental in turning acquired products into a mature solution, building & scaling multiple product development teams. My current role provides me with an opportunity to influence the product roadmap, continue to innovate, work with our customers, and help my team members grow.
VMware Careers: How is VMware different from any other tech company you have worked for in the past?
Faizan: VMware is amazing in more than one way. We have one of the most amazing cultures in the form of EPIC2 values. I've worked with various companies in past, but I've not seen many executive teams so driven to uphold the culture as we do at VMware. The way VMware takes care of employees, customers & the community is second to none. Another thing that makes VMware special is the fact that it is driven by executives who are techies at heart. The culture of innovation is ubiquitous at VMware. It has been the fuel that has helped us not only disrupt existing markets but also create new ones.
VMware Careers: What has been the biggest lesson you have learned as you moved upwards in your career?
Faizan: My career has been full of learnings let me share a few:
Overcome your fear - I realized that the biggest hurdle in progressing my career is "me" and no one else. The industry is full of opportunities, it is up to me to spot the opportunity, grab it, and then back myself to be able to deliver it.
Another important thing is to build honest relationships with our colleagues & customers alike. Success in one's career is achieved by providing simple solutions to the most difficult problems. This cannot be attained without the help of an effective team, the foundation of which is always built on trust.
VMware Careers: Your team is hiring. Can you tell us more about your organization's charter?
Faizan: In vRealize Network Insight, we are transforming security and network operations for the Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) We are instrumental in removing the barriers to SDDC adoption (spanning hybrid cloud) by providing converged openness, and contextual analytics across virtual and physical, and the ability to implement next-generation security models such as micro-segmentation, and by ensuring application uptime.
VMware Careers: If someone reading this was coming to interview with you tomorrow for a role on your team, what interview advice would you give them?
Faizan: Drop your fears and bring your honest self to the interview. We are looking for engineers who have the passion to solve complex problems, who have their skills rooted in the fundamentals of programming that includes data structures, algorithms, etc. Additionally, what helps nail the interview is to have the right attitude, show some enthusiasm, and most importantly exhibit the right set of values.
Could you see yourself working for a manager like Faizan? Click below to browse open roles with VMware!
Senior Member of Technical Staff roles
Engineering Manager Role
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