Junior Project Manager Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement. I was given a high level of responsibility which made me feel as though my role had a meaningful contribution towards the teams' work. I enjoyed the challenges that it provided me with as managing projects well provides a great sense of achievement. I think that the culture at VMware makes it great company to work for as I always felt valued and supported by my team.

I felt that that I was valued by my team during my time at VMware as they were always supportive of my learning and were happy to assist me where necessary. Working alongside colleagues from various sectors in the business was a great way to network with individuals in different job roles and helped me to understand how the business worked. VMware were very supportive of the interns in the workplace and always encouraged us to participate in extra challenges which was always very rewarding.

The Project Management team were always willing to give me time if I had any issues or concerns with my work. Due to the remote working, it was often difficult to speak to individuals face-to-face but this did not often create barriers to communication with team members. As most of the work was independent, management was by exception which I thought was a great way to encourage us to take on responsibility for our own projects and learn from what went well as well as aspects which we could improve upon.

The workload was quite variable but most of the time I felt that I was kept busy and had the correct level of responsibility to feel as though I was being challenged without being overwhelmed. Due to the technical nature of the business, I found that having some time outside of my main role was valuable as it meant that I could spend time understanding VMware's solutions and how the business operates.

I was given a high level of responsibility during my internship as I managed my own portfolio of projects for a number of large companies in both the private and public sector. Being involved in projects outside of my Project Management role also provided me with extra responsibilities which I feel were very valuable learning experiences. The variety of work that I contributed to, including managing my own projects, shadowing PMs on larger projects and participating in extra challenges outside of Project Management is what made my experience at VMware a valuable one which I learned so much from!

Soft skills that I developed at university, particularly presentation and communication skills , along with a increased cultural awareness were very useful when starting the placement. I did however find that the theoretical understanding in a variety of topics that I had gained at university was difficult to use in the workplace as they did not have a directly apply to the work that I was undertaking. It may have been useful for the university to encourage us to attend sessions where we can develop skills necessary for the workplace beforehand so that are able to feel more prepared prior to starting the placement.

There was always a very friendly and supportive atmosphere in the office. This is an aspect of the work which made me really enjoy the experience.

As the internship is a fairly new, there was not much structure to the internship when it was first started. However, this is now being developed upon as new cycles of interns join the company and so future opportunities will me more structured.

VMware always encouraged you to undertake training during your placement. During my time at VMware, I took the PRINCE2 foundation and practitioner exams which were part of a week long training course. This was very valuable in applying to my work and is a great qualification to have when applying for jobs in the future. Additional training such as online videos and START (new joiners) training was also encouraged.

I would definitely consider returning to VMware to gain more experience. Working in Project Management is also an area that I would be keen to develop after university. I think that the culture at VMware is one that would be hard to beat as everyone was always very friendly and happy to support you whenever you needed it!

It was great to get to know the other interns through socialising after work, particularly at the start of the placement when everything is quite new! I would encourage anyone who undertakes a new placement to communicate with the other interns, even if they are working in different departments as it gives you a wider network of support and a feeling of belonging at work.

The cost of living was reasonable as there are student areas nearby which I would recommend if you choose to move to live closer to the office. I would also consider the cost of socialising to be fairly average as the main places to go are chain restaurants and pubs/ bars in Staines or Egham.

There was not a lot of nightlife in Staines. There is however a fairly large intern group and therefore there is a good opportunity to get to know others who are in the same situation (and often live near the office too) so there is always the opportunity to socialise.

There were not many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work but I would encourage anyone who is starting a new placement to get involved with as many activities outside of work as possible as it encourages you to integrate with the team. Getting to know the other interns is also very supportive for your both your job role and to make you feel integrated with other teams socially.