Forbes Interview with Devop.One CEO Miroslav Dimitrov

What is the focus of DEVOP.ONE?

Our main mission is to be the crossroads between the top 1% of the world's talent and the best opportunities for them, as well as to connect innovative, industry-changing startups and corporations with the right experts for their needs. Although we are a young startup, our growth is exponential, thanks to modernized processes, trained experts in our team and partnerships with global corporate companies listed in the US S&P 500, the UK FTSE 250 and the prestigious German DAX index.

Could you tell us more about the process of hiring an employee through DEVOP.ONE?

The process is as simple as possible and is in 3 main steps:

1. Consultation with our experts

One of our representatives works in close cooperation with the company looking for an employee - he gets acquainted with the needs of the business to understand the requirements for the profile of the particular specialist, the important qualities and skills, the dynamics of the team, the specifics of work.

2. Within a maximum of 36 hours, we offer the company the best specialist or team of talents whose skills and capabilities are fully relevant to the requirements of the organization.
   

3. The beginning of the cooperation follows

Here is the moment for the real work. The company gives a test task to our proposed talent or a team of professionals. If both sides are satisfied, we move into a long-term partnership.

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Why are foreign companies interested in Bulgarian staff and staff coming from smaller European markets?

In fact, many large foreign companies want to join the global talent pool to find the right person for the job. This new work landscape benefits both the employer and the employee - companies have access to the best talent, and candidates have access to great jobs, receive adequate appraisal and remuneration for their work, which in turn elevates local economies. The interest in Bulgarian specialists is great, because they definitely see a great potential among the local qualified staff.

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Bulgarian companies constantly complain about the lack of qualified IT specialists. How does DEVOP.ONE find suitable IT talents in Bulgaria?

I think the answer to this question lies in the open market which is based on a) flexibility of location b) flexibility of wages c) flexibility of working hours.

The fact that you can't exceed the local wages has its effects - it demotivates, creates a feeling, often on the grounds that you do not receive an adequate assessment of your work and capabilities. Again, we come to that vicious circle in which business repeats that "there are no staff" and truly trained professionals do not meet satisfaction, motivation and relevant remuneration.

There is another factor, in my opinion - competition. It is always much more constructive to compete with professionals from all over the world. Not only with people from your country, from the city where you live or from the next street. Here we are talking about scale.

Competition always develops, accelerates productivity. And motivates. It opens up opportunities for both business and truly talented professionals.

To what extent are IT companies open to teleworking?

Remote work has always been present in the IT industry, but after COVID-19 things changed completely. Many companies with traditional business models have been forced to switch to the remote business model and come up with new solutions that have caused an over 70% increase in online business.

Now, a year and a half after the introduction of the first restrictions, the world is adapting to new systems and the trend of remote work has grown over 100% during this period. This has led to a greater demand for developers, marketers, vendors and other roles that can be performed by any part of the world. It seems certain that the digital workspace is becoming the preferred option for businesses around the world. The location just didn't matter. 

What are the trends in the human resources market that you follow with greatest interest?

Flexibility - a very important trend, in my opinion, which will increase not only in terms of location, but also in terms of time.

If remote work has become particularly relevant during the pandemic, and obviously this type of work will become increasingly popular, then the next trend will be related to time. I expect to see an increasing number of jobs where employees will be judged on their productivity rather than on agreed working hours