Success is feeling satisfied with the results

Imagine yourself in a few words..

I am Vaide Bŭrganova. Since the beginning of the year, I have been developing a new agency - HR Solution. Before that, I managed a leading recruitment company - Bulmint Recruitment. My professional qualification includes a bachelor's degree in human resource management and an MBA program HR Strategic Business Partner Academy with international recognition. My development in the field of human resources began in 2015. Since then, I have managed numerous internal and international projects.

My career development started in sales, where I have extensive experience - I was a manager of “Key Account Sales”. During the related travels for this job, I realized that managing human resources best matches my potential and desires.

Since childhood, I have been purposefully striving for my current profession. I have always known that I want my work to be related to communication with people, continuous acquisition of new knowledge, and interaction with different professional fields. Thus, I redirected from sales to HR.

In the new agency, we actively work with clients from the very beginning. We were chosen by people and companies with whom we have long-standing contacts. The trust they have placed in us suggests that they are familiar with our professional qualities.

How would you describe your career in a few words?
My career path started interestingly. At every step, it brought me satisfaction and a feeling that the newly acquired skills should be practiced and refined.
My first job was related to sales; initially, I worked directly with clients and managed the most successful site of the company I worked for. After a while, I climbed to a higher level in the hierarchy. In the corporate world, I began to build on my skills - both in the way I communicated with clients and in my sales approach.
I literally specialized in uncovering clients' needs. I reached the point where I seriously thought about what I wanted to do next because work is not just a commitment from 8:00 to 17:00. I wanted it to bring me pleasure and satisfaction, to identify myself in it as a vision and values, to be fulfilled.
During this period, I had to conduct job interviews in my department; at the same time, many of the corporate clients I worked with asked me for advice on how to approach candidates or already hired employees. In my work, I always relied on people - I believe this is key in a team.
And suddenly everything fell into place; I realized that although not entirely consciously, I was already doing what suited me best - working with new people, helping them by guiding them to the next steps they need to take to find the desired job, profession, or field.
Thus, I entered “Human Resources”. I still did not have the appropriate education, but I quickly caught up. Initially, I mainly dealt with recruitment and talent search, being an internal HR. Then I moved to the other side - I worked for external agencies, and the perspective I had from my previous job helped me to be more useful. When managers, directors, or other positions were sought, it was easier for me because I knew the processes in the corporate world - no matter how different the businesses are, there are analogous processes and methods.
I love my job. It is a pleasure for me to connect people and companies and to see how people go to work with enthusiasm.

What was the most important choice that shaped your path?
To believe in myself and not stop improving, not stop learning. These are the key choices I have made. Of course, it is important to know the subject matter of the field in which one is developing. When I say: “This is me. I am good at my profession,” these are not words devoid of content, but a brief expression of accumulated useful experience and successfully realized projects.

What would you like to have known at the beginning of your career, but no one told you?
Everyone's path is individual, and I don't think there are universal advice. Personally, the thought that I would face a major obstacle in the future would not stop me. It would even motivate me more. There will always be difficulties - that's where the magic is - to overcome them and for success to bring us satisfaction.
For some people, success seems to come easily. One might wonder if they live in the same reality as them. But that is someone else's life, a different approach, and no one knows what exactly lies behind success, because ease may only be apparent.

How can one understand which profession is suitable for them?
By thinking about what they love to do - something that corresponds to certain traits of their character and in which they are good. One should not just want a prestigious job and a salary for which they are not suited and which will not bring them pleasure.
A communicative person, for example, may not succeed in becoming an accountant.
In this case, the HR consultant is the person who can bring out your good traits when you don't know where to direct yourself. Especially young people who do not want to take advice from their parents but would accept it from an experienced outsider in talent search and preparation.

Which skills do you think will be key in the next 10 years?
I believe that personal qualities will be the most important. Most importantly, adaptability, because life is dynamic and everything changes. Important qualities are a sense of responsibility, loyalty, discipline, motivation, and continuous self-improvement. In the era of artificial intelligence, human contact remains the most important. There are moments when purely human qualities and emotions can play a bad trick, but at the same time, nothing can completely replace a person.
AI will be useful in many professions. The trend is for human labor - especially related to repetitive actions - to be eliminated. But I believe that new and different opportunities and new professions will emerge, for which today's forecasts for the future cannot be 100% accurate. The creative process is still inherent only to humans.

How to build a network of useful contacts without appearing interested?
One should participate in various career events. Useful contacts are created there, but this is possible everywhere. The question is what we aim for and how far we want to go.
Every goal is like a destination with a specific route.

What is the biggest mistake you have made in your career, and what did you learn from it?
Once I accepted a position where the job turned out to be fundamentally different from what I had agreed upon. As a responsible person, instead of immediately reminding of the promise, I, despite everything, tried to fulfill the task because my professionalism requires me to deal with all challenges. I spent a lot of time correcting the misunderstanding. In the end, I gave a lot but did not receive understanding.
I do not regret it; it was a bitter experience that taught me where the limits of my possibilities are and that time is the most valuable resource.
I prefer to call such situations lessons because for me they truly are.

How to recognize a toxic work environment and when is it time to leave?
Every time a person does not feel well at work and goes to work with reluctance, it means the environment is toxic. A red flag is when, besides feeling suppressed, a person feels that they are not developing for countless reasons. If no change occurs, it is time to leave.
Of course, it is different for everyone, but the signals are similar. At such moments, many people do not realize them and need support - from a career consultant or psychologist who can objectively reveal to them what causes their negative feelings about the workplace.
I often tell the people I consult, right at the first job interview, to look at the bigger picture, not just to focus on the position they are applying for. They should manage to ask the questions that are important to them right at the first meeting so that it does not turn out later that both sides have been misled in their expectations.

What would you do differently if you could start over?
For myself, I can say that I would not change anything about my career path. Every step in it has prepared me for the next challenges, taught me how to deal with certain difficulties, and shaped me into the person I am. Without each of the events in my professional path, I would not be the same person.

How to maintain motivation during stagnation?
Everyone can assess whether they can afford to remain stagnant. For me, as for many others, the realization that the current position no longer presents a challenge is a reason to seek a new place or a new challenge in the same company. Here is where the HR expert comes in, who must be aware that over time, it is necessary to monitor whether the work of active employees continues to motivate them. My personal recipe is continuous learning and seeking new challenges - in the same company or sector, and sometimes - changing the field if necessary.

How to achieve a balance between professional and personal life?
The golden mean is hard to achieve. I believe that with good time management, when a person precisely structures their daily program, by the end of the day they could “switch to another wave”.
For me, the profession is a calling, but every time I am at home with my family, I manage to put work in the background. By the same analogy, when I am in work mode, I am extremely focused on my tasks.

When is it time to change our career, not just the job?
When a person discovers that they no longer derive satisfaction from their current profession or cannot develop in it for one reason or another, a moment comes when they literally have to start from scratch.
The reason may be that a person has reached their limit, not because they have become bored. The reasons for such a drastic leap are very complex. Everyone has certain capabilities, but with such a serious change in direction, they still need to utilize other strong qualities they have not developed, but which will help them start fresh in a profession where they are happy.
Very often, when a person is in a position to choose or search, they do not realize where their strength lies. They may have great potential but need support to uncover it. My job is to step into their shoes and give them adequate direction.

If you had to give just one piece of advice to people seeking success, what would it be?
Be persistent in an area where you are in your element. Persistence in developing skills and in work leads to good results. A person accumulates experience and gains satisfaction from the results. Every great discovery in the world has been made possible thanks to persistence.

What is your definition of a “successful career”?
The most important thing for me is to be able to express myself through my professional signature and to feel that the results of my work bring satisfaction. A successful career is not only achieving goals but also the ability to inspire others and leave a mark in the professional field.