You can be successful only if you love what you do

Introduce yourself in a few words..

My name is Marta Popova and I am an organizational expert in the field of Human Resources. I have over 17 years of experience, with a clear focus on Bulgarian, fast-growing companies and management that has realized the need for professional consulting in the management of human capital. Currently, I am the Director of Human Resources at the architectural studio "Ey Zet Partners".

How would you describe your career in a few words?

I would describe it as interesting, experimental, and accumulating a lot of invaluable experience. As a person who lives fully, I would define myself as an "explorer", eagerly seeking new challenges that inspire me. The same goes for work. Over the years, I choose companies where  not everything is perfectly fine and orderly, but at the same time, they have the will and desire for change towards the development of people and processes that directly affect their business.

What was the most important choice that shaped your path?

This question is very important, so that everyone can answer for themselves how I got here? Many years ago, when I was still an account manager at the then BTC in the city of Pleven, now Vivacom, I received the call that changed my entire life. I was one of the successful salespeople and just a few months into the job, I topped the sales rankings. The then sales director, whom I had only heard of, called me on my work phone and invited me to work in Sofia, as a position for a sales training manager had opened up. Guess what! It took me less than 2 minutes to think it over and I confirmed that I would be in the Sofia office within 10 days. That evening, when I got home, I had to inform my family, husband, and child about the decision I made, for which I received full support and left for Sofia alone. My family relocated only after 2 years. To this day, they are grateful for the decision I made and for my choice, which at that time seemed crazy to many.

I am grateful for that call back then, because it was my chance to realize myself professionally in a company with huge opportunities for the development of knowledge and skills. Not long after, from sales training manager, I was invited by the Human Resources department to head the Business Partner functional center of the Sales Directorate as Human Resources Manager. And thus, my career in this field started.

What would you like to have known at the beginning of your career, but no one told you?

I would have liked someone to tell me that not all paths are paved with good intentions. I quickly realized that being valued by someone with power and position, possessing strong qualities, charisma, and authenticity, automatically generates quite a few enemies. Surviving in large corporations is a matter of personal choice – to be better today than yesterday, to build upon yourself, to self-develop, to invest a lot of personal time, to prove yourself to yourself and to others every single day.  To fall, to rise, and to keep your head held high, despite "the immense pain in your neck"...

How can a person understand which profession is suitable for him?

I wouldn’t want to talk about education, because it is a sore topic for me. I graduated in Management and to a large extent realized myself in my "specialty". But that is not what is most important. What matters is that education gives you direction on what I want to do, what I want to engage in, to be happy? If what young people are learning right now does not bring them satisfaction, they should take steps and not waste valuable time developing in another field.

Many young people take the so-called "gap year" to realize their desires, to take a break between school and university, to travel, to gain some life experience, and then decide what exactly they want to do. And to listen to their heart, as regarding love, so also regarding profession.

What skills do you think will be key in the next 10 years?

I believe that the quality that will crown success is adaptability. In these turbulent times with the rapid development of AI and frequent changes in organizational models and focuses, only the most adaptable will survive. Just as it is in nature. Resistance and blind adherence to opinions and outdated ideas would be a huge obstacle to a successful career.

Another skill that I strongly believe in is empathy. A concept that has been much speculated on lately. To be empathetic in the context of business means to understand and accept the reasons  for a given action/inaction, without it taking you out of your comfort zone.

How to build a network of useful contacts without appearing interested?

Contacts are a function of our own actions, knowledge, and behavior in personal and professional aspects. I have never fought for contacts because they just come to me naturally. When people discover something in your personality that intrigues them, they themselves want to be part of the "trusted circle". What we emit will reflect back on us.

What is the biggest mistake you have made in your career, and what did you learn from it?

I can’t say that I have my biggest mistake. It may sound strange, but I love mistakes. They are the fastest way to build upon yourself, especially if you are aware and can analyze your own shortcomings, which are the reason for a "mistake".

Career-wise, I would say that I consider my experience working for companies that do not understand the role of Human Resources as an inappropriate professional path and it would take me a lot of resources to change the initial understanding of management.

How to recognize a toxic work environment and when is it time to leave?

It’s very easy. If in the morning, when you get up for work, thoughts like: "Oh, I really don’t want to go to the office today" pass through your mind, or you feel an internal tension from the upcoming meeting, or you want to call your boss and tell him you’re sick... These are the first symptoms that something is wrong at work.

A toxic work environment is when an employee starts to doubt their own abilities because they have received aggressive feedback or have received none at all.  When you learn about upcoming changes from colleagues in the hallways. When you start to browse job postings on career websites. When the values of a company are only on paper and no one believes in them.

What would you do differently if you could start over?

I would be less emotional when making decisions about changing jobs, to ensure that I have made  a well-founded and reasonable choice. I advise young people not to act hastily before they have taken everything from a given workplace, such as knowledge, experience, opportunities, contacts.

How to maintain our motivation in times of stagnation?

This very much depends on the motivational factors of each individual at a given moment. Stagnation can occur from a lack of challenging projects, from unsatisfactory pay, from insufficient recognition, from a lack of development and advancement in the profession...

It is important for everyone to discover what is critical for them and to take active steps to change the situation. No one starts a job with the thought of leaving. This happens due to mutual actions or inactions and can only be changed with an open conversation. If you wait for your boss to know what’s on your mind, you’d be surprised that he doesn’t even suspect what thoughts are going through your head at that moment. The secret is in dialogue and in building a mutual partnership approach.

If there is a handshake at the end, everything will be fine. Don’t wait.

How to achieve a balance between professional and personal life?

I would like to believe that this balance is possible and I sincerely admire people who have achieved it. What I observe from my experience is that a person has periods in their life when priorities change. In some periods, family comes first, in others – work. To be successful and to maintain success for a long period of time, it is very difficult to be balanced. Usually, successful people, looking back, have done nothing but work to enjoy their balance between professional and personal life now.

When is it time to change our career, and not just the job?

When you know and feel with your whole being that you can do more, you know a lot, you see problems, but nothing depends on you and the company you work for does not give you the chance to unfold.

If I can give advice, it is not to change jobs just for a higher reward. Always seek the added value in terms of position, opportunities for learning, and not least the environment and values in a company.

If you had to give just one piece of advice to people who are seeking success, what would it be?

Success is largely a matter of preparation and a tiny bit of luck. So, be prepared and don’t use Chat GPT to present yourself.

What is your definition of a "successful career"?

For me, a successful career is to receive financial satisfaction and recognition for your work in amounts corresponding to the results achieved, the efforts made, time, and experience.

And let’s never forget that happiness is the key to success. If you love what you do – you will be successful.