Before coming to A Data Pro some of our most experienced database analysts imagined their job as clicking at certain things, picking features from dropdown menus, making profiles…Today they know that the “clicking” is a high tech service for data synthesis, which helps match the jigsaw pieces into valuable information.
Pay it forward
Helping fellow newcomers cope with the data tide is what Radoslav Tsvetanov and Gabriela Hristova want to do in return for the support they received from peers in their rookie days. Recently appointed as lead analysts on the media contacts database project, they feel their main task now is to share the skills and knowledge gained at A Data Pro, help newcomers with problems they’ve already solved themselves, make them feel they belong to the team. New hires need someone to walk them through the stress and demands of the job, the seniors agree.
Radoslav is one of the “founders” of our first office in Veliko Tarnovo, that is one of the first who started work there just when the office was opened five years ago. He remembers with much warmth those days. The small team had a lot of laughs, pranks, even throwing a surprise birthday party for a fellow analyst, who was one of those people who do not celebrate their birthdays.
Most of the analysts are very experienced, have been in database management for years and are willing to share their know-how. Stefka Yordanova, a newly appointed lead analyst but a veteran data wizard, enjoys working with her team. She tries to find the right approach, give effective feedback, find an encouraging word. On the receiving end, she gets a lot of support from her project manager, who recently handed over to her the direct communication with the client.
What rookies say about their seniors
“My team leader Stefka is always by my side when I have to sort out an issue. She responds to my concerns so quickly that I have the feeling that she is always at the other end of the wire in Sofia, waiting for my messages, says Weronika Szwedek, who works from Tarnovo. She comes from Poland but says she does not feel like a foreigner, literally and figuratively, in such a caring and sharing community.
Another rookie, Desislava Belcheva, working in Radoslav’s team for the adverse media screening project since October 2014, expected criticism for not being able to meet her targets in the beginning – she had to prepare 14 profiles per hour but she did 5 or 6 only. It turned just the opposite. Instead of reproaching her, her seniors tried to comfort her, telling her that speed comes with time, quality is what matters.
Freedom comes with responsibilities
Isn’t it a paradox? The word responsibility is a direct contradiction to freedom! However, most of the analysts pointed out that the best things about the job are the freedom and the responsibilities. It went like a refrain in the interviews with Elitsa Stoyanova, Stefka Yordanova, Tsveta Asenova and Radoslav Tsvetanov.
“Freedom comes with trust. Once you have shown that your senior can rely on you to do your job well, you can choose which way suits you best to do it,” Borislav Ankov explains. “My career at A Data Pro is a proof of that. I managed to combine university studies with project work because my seniors gave me freedom to follow my agenda. That didn’t make me less self-demanding or stringent about quality.” Borislav’s freedom has grown enormously since then, now that he is already a project manager, one of the most responsible jobs at A Data Pro.
“Responsibilities give you the freedom to make decisions, coordinate work,” Tsveta adds. She has the skills to organise work, perform quality checks, train staff. Her manager has noticed that and encouraged her to take over senior functions. She dubs herself “a quality freak” and wants to develop further into project management.
Tsvetomir Tsonev, working for media contacts database project since 2011, also enjoys new responsibilities – quality checks, communication with the client. This brings a sense of fulfilment.
Let us wish the team good luck with the new projects and responsibilities. Stay vibrant and cool!
