Mike Smid – Operations Manager
“Without change, you can never move forward and grow.”
The Story
My Yource Bulgaria journey has started back in 2014, I still remember the exact date – it was the 28th of October. I was living and working in Holland back then but I needed a change, a new challenge. I remember very well that I’ve always wanted to try something different, in a new country. I came to Yource Bulgaria and Bulgaria almost by fate.
One day I saw a job offer from Yource Bulgaria in Bulgaria. For me, Bulgaria wasn’t a completely unknown country. I have been here before on holidays and I love the nature and the culture this country offers. As a matter of fact, my grandfather loves Bulgaria. When I saw the ad, I had this gut feeling that my next challenge will be in this small but beautiful country. I’ve never worked abroad before and that’s the reason why I’ve decided to give it a try. To my surprise, Bulgaria turned out to be a country that offers a perfect work/life balance.
Yource Bulgaria
In Yource Bulgaria I started as a Sales representative with a lot of enthusiasm and a desire to learn. Very quickly the company noticed my work and after only six months I was promoted to Senior Agent. Shortly after that, a new challenge was offered to me – a Team Lead position. I remember being on a holiday at the Bulgarian seaside when I got the good news. It’s just made my holiday even better. I enjoyed everything in my new function, the work dynamics, the variety of tasks, the responsibilities – everything was new and exciting for me. A year and a half later, I was promoted to my current position of Operations Manager and now I’m responsible for the performance and the operation processes of the project.
Yource Bulgaria gave me an opportunity to grow, to broaden my horizons. I have learned and I’m still learning so many new things. On a daily basis, we face new challenges, the BPO sector itself is very dynamic and demanding. That's why it’s important to face those challenges together – as a team and even as a family. The best satisfaction, when I’m coming to work every day, is to see the progress, the small and the big victories, that my team achieves.
Making a Difference
At Yource Bulgaria indeed “Our people make the difference”. When I first started here, I instantly felt at my place, accepted. People here are not just colleagues, they are friends. It is inspiring to see how they help each other and how they have fun together. Nowadays it’s really rare to find a workplace that can offer this feeling.
For me personally one of the most exciting, yet challenging things in my work is interacting with people. Leading the team towards success and working with so many different people made me realize that I am at the doorstep of my personal growth. I’ve learned so much about myself during the past 4 years and yet it is just the beginning.
Outside of work
Outside of work I’m actually not that serious. Like every young person, I like to enjoy myself and have fun by doing the things I love the most. Lately, I found a new hobby – cooking. Almost every day I’m experimenting in the kitchen and most of the times I’m very proud of the results.
My other passions are traveling and history. Being that said, Bulgaria is a great place where I can easily do both. There is so much ancient history here and so many places to visit – the seacoast, the historical towns like Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo, and let’s not forget the beautiful mountains. Living and working in Bulgaria turned out to be a positive surprise and defiantly a very good decision.
What’s Next?
I believe that without change, you can never move forward and grow. As a person who likes change, my aim is to continuously develop, expand and grow. That’s why I would like to combine my knowledge and my passion in order to drive the project and the people to new heights of excellence.
Do you want to read more Employee Success Stories in Bulgaria?
Employee Success Story - Lennart van der Helm - Team Lead - Learn more.
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