The Value of Interns
Interns are a crucial part of our culture at Palo Alto Networks. Each year the company carefully selects individuals from a competitive candidate pool. In our eyes, interns are the future!
In the span of twelve weeks, interns experience unique learning opportunities and work on meaningful projects that cater to their career goals. Besides building the skills necessary to succeed in their professional life, PANW values the relationships interns make in the workplace. From managers, to mentors, to fellow coworkers, there is always someone that they can turn to for support.
Flexing at Work
Interning in 2022 looks much different. Work is now an activity not a place. No more clocking in to sit at a cubicle only to dread the long commute back home. Working at PANW is Flexible. Our employee-centric work model, Flexwork, provides workers with the option to choose how, when, and where they want to work. Interns are no exception.
The Early Talent Team works hard to ensure that remote, hybrid, and in-person individuals gain access to similar networking and career opportunities. No matter where you are, the “environment is so intellectually stimulating and fast paced,” says Jacqueline Yi, Global Sales Support Specialist Intern. In this welcoming atmosphere created by the Early Talent Team, she feels like “there is always a way to connect with somebody.”
Managers and mentors also play a huge role in this journey. At minimum, interns meet with them on a weekly basis to ensure that they are working towards their personal and professional goals. Pratiksha Jain, Infra/ DevOps Software Engineer Intern, is a prime example of someone who meets with her respective manager regularly. Based on her experience, it appears that “they all are making efforts on ensuring that [she grows] as well as the company.”
Internship Experience in One Word
To get a sense of the program, we asked current interns to summarize their experience in one word. Here’s what they came up with:
Enthusiastic
“[The people at PANW] want to help me succeed and land my dream position at Palo Alto Networks, and it truly makes me passionate and motivated to do my best and continue to improve my skills and knowledge and share that as well”
- Joshua Speshock, Technical Marketing XSOAR Engineer Intern
Unique
“It is very rare to find a company like Palo Alto Networks. Between the welcoming atmosphere and astronomical amount of support that is provided to everyone, not only the interns, is something very special”
- Amber Mead, Digital Learning Intern
Motivating
“My manager has given me the opportunity to contribute to a project that can directly impact the team's progress. Being handed such incredible responsibility drives me to do better each day while I have all the support and help I need throughout the process”
- Tejul Pandit, Machine Learning Engineer Intern
Underrated
“This program has far exceeded my expectations. From the leadership team, to my manager, how he treats me, projects I’ve been assigned, our in person events, and of course, the beauty of being able to work from home”
- Branden Bedoya, Cloud Engagement Manager Intern
Disrupting the Future
Internships are created for young individuals to step out of their comfort zone and try new things. This opportunity is more than a resume builder for us. At PANW we encourage interns to make the most of their twelve weeks in hopes that they will continue their early career journey with us.
Interested in being an intern or pursuing a career at the Palo Alto Networks? See our current opportunities.
Since you’ve been with Palo Alto Networks, how have the company’s values shown up in your day-to-day experience, or for you personally? Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, securing an internship came with thoughts of shared office spaces, lunch with…
This week we will get to know our second group, which already has a few years of experience in the job market.
