In the first three interviews from our "Successful Intern Stories" section, we introduced you to Yulian - Junior Project Manager, Nikola - Front-end Developer and Nikolay – Back-end Developer, who shared their inspiring stories about their career paths at Stenik. Now it's time to introduce you to another talented colleague - Stanimir Dimov.
In his interview, Stanimir shared more about his personal and professional development, how he handles challenges at work, and his motivation to grow and enhance his knowledge and skills every day. Explore how his hobbies and curiosity have opened the door to a successful career in the digital sphere by reading the entire interview in the following lines.
Face to Face with Stanimir Dimov
Stanimir Dimov, 29 years old, has been part of the Stenik team since 2021. In his free time, he enjoys walking his dog and indulging in various non-committal sports such as football, volleyball, table tennis, and more. He often visits the gym to balance the hours spent in front of the monitor. With friends living nearby, they gather whenever possible to play board games, watch movies, or simply hang out.
His motto is: "Be useful to be valuable!"
>> Hi Stan, tell us what motivated you to apply for an internship at Stenik? Have you heard about the company before the internship?
I learned about Stenik by chance from a Facebook ad that appeared in my feed at precisely the moment in my life when I knew what I was looking for but couldn't find it (so don't be mad at Facebook ads spam - you never know where the treasure is buried).
>> What knowledge did you have at the beginning of the internship?
Before my work at Stenik, I had accumulated experience in various IT companies where I worked as a QA specialist, programmer, and Assistant Project Manager. In my free time, I developed my online store and followed the latest trends, contributing to gaining user trust. In reality, this hobby of mine led me to Stenik.
>> Who was your mentor, and what did you learn from him?
Watching so many videos daily and reading articles on the internet, I believed I understood what a professional online store entails. However, after starting to work with true professionals like Stefan Chorbanov and Dimitar Dimitrov, I that even my basics were far from satisfactory. Working on a professionally level online store is extremely complex and unimaginably multi-component for someone observing the process from the sidelines. Only those who are figuratively "in the battle" know what actually happens "on the front lines".
>> What path have you traveled at Stenik, and what is your career development up to this point?
The first position I took after internal training was Support Specialist - Trainee. In reality, that's when the real training begins... The best training for this position comes when you start facing the daily problems and desires of the clients. But it's not as frightening as it sounds, at least not because the colleagues from the support department are always ready to help. At the same time, I assisted PM colleagues with small and medium tasks. This experience allowed me to grow and accumulate knowledge, which eventually led me to the position of Assistant Project Manager, and then to Junior Project Manager.
>> What are your main responsibilities in this position?
In my work, organization is of crucial importance. Every PM must be able to prioritize tasks on their projects to ensure satisfaction from all parties and successfully complete work on time. Of course, there are situations when it's not easy to determine a specific priority among multiple tasks. In those cases, a PM's skill is to find the necessary information to continue work and execute tasks. Working in a dynamic environment, alongside professionals like the Stenik team, brings me a lot of new knowledge, making maintaining my qualifications an integral part of my work process.
>> What motivates you the most at Stenik?
One of the most pleasant aspects of working at Stenik is the super-friendly colleagues who see potential in you and support you. My development up to this point is due to constant communication with my more experienced colleagues. They show me every day that there are no hopeless situations, no matter how complex and unpleasant they may seem. Working with such people is extremely motivating and influences not only my career but also my personal development.
>> What projects are you currently working on?
The projects I'm currently managing are: Lilly Drogerie, Raya Toys, Lumar+, S&D, and BeMore. I'm also actively helping colleagues on many other projects - Galen.bg, Teodor, 8hristo, and others.
>> With which colleagues/departments do you communicate most frequently?
I maintain continuous communication with colleagues from the Project Manager team, using our internal system and project management software. Every day, we hold a common operational meeting where we share important information from the previous day. In the role of Junior Project Manager, I became even more active in communicating with the Dev team at Stenik, working with them on various cases and tasks.
>> How does a typical workday unfold?
I check my email and log in tasks generated from it into our internal system. Then, I analyze all tasks on which I'm expected to take action and prioritize them based on client importance and urgency for execution. This can describe the morning routine during which I have my coffee. One of the things I value most in my work at Stenik is that no two days are alike. Therefore, it's challenging to describe a typical day. In most cases, there are client meetings, discussions with colleagues on different cases, reviewing tasks that are being written and submitted to the programmers, and much more. At the end of the workday, all project managers have a common discussion where we seek advice from each other or share the most interesting and challenging situations we've encountered during the day, as well as how we resolved them. Within this discussion, we also set priorities for the programmers' tasks.
>> How do you maintain your knowledge and qualification?
Every day, during the work process, I acquire new knowledge and reinforce existing ones. The work involves diverse projects, and encountering different cases pushes me to learn more and more new things, as well as to develop my thinking towards abstraction. For abstract thinking and the right approach to clients in various situations, I rely and learn the most from my colleagues and our leader, Stefan Chorbanov. We regularly attend events related to the development of online business, keeping track of current trends and tendencies. We defend our knowledge in front of professional committees, and, upon successful completion, we are awarded the corresponding certificates.
In Stenik, my aspiration and goal are to become an excellent Project Manager, ensuring that the work runs smoothly, clients are satisfied, and their online trade reaps even greater success. Then the work of a PM is well done.
>> How do you manage the work-life balance at Stenik?
For me, discipline is key. Personally, I have to be calm at work to maintain calmness in my personal life. I don't tolerate unfinished work, and that motivates me to give my all during the workday. This is how I ensure peace of mind, knowing that after work, I can relax and engage in my hobbies.
>> What skills and qualities are necessary to work as a Project Manager?
In my position, the most important quality is self-organization. Every Project Manager must know how to prioritize tasks on their assigned projects so that everyone is satisfied, and the work is done correctly. Of course, there are cases where a specific priority cannot be determined among N number of tasks. Here, the role of the PM comes into play; they must know where to find the information needed to complete their task. Working in such a dynamic environment with professionals like my colleagues, it's impossible not to stay continuously updated and in line with new trends, which helps in maintaining qualifications and knowledge as part of the work process.
>> What is your advice to future interns in a similar position in the digital industry?
As I mentioned earlier, for me, the most essential qualities of a Project Manager are related to organization and discipline. They are the foundation upon which successful project management can be built. Knowledge and experience can accumulate over time, but efforts and the creation of useful habits and principles are necessary for achieving good organization. The work is very dynamic and filled with various challenges that require the ability to deal with them.
Stanimir Dimov
From Inspiration to Opportunity: Join the Stenik team :)
We hope that encounters with our talented colleagues in the "Successful Intern Stories" section inspire you and make you wish to be part of our team. At Stenik, we offer numerous opportunities for professional and personal development and manage to achieve it because we are cooperative and always ready to lend a hand.
To learn more about the opportunities in front of you, check out our article "Career at Stenik - Where to Start?," which will provide you with more information about the different directions in Stenik and how we support the long-term development of each team member.
Watch the film "Behind the Scenes at Stenik," where you'll find interesting stories from our leaders and other exciting moments from our work. If you want more interesting facts about the work of colleagues in different professions, check "eCommerce Professions," where you'll meet the main characters - 6 colleagues from our team who reveal the secrets of successful work in a technology company.
We continue to reveal stories and experiences to inspire you. The next episode of "Successful Intern Stories" is already on the horizon, and we are ready to tell you another incredible story of a successful career at Stenik. Expect it very soon!
