Oleksandr Zhminko, Biz Dev Representative: “Innovecs is a community of wonderful, smart and talented people”

— Who did you dream of being as a child?

— Depends on age. From astronaut, I smoothly moved to the firefighter — the idea of jumping a red light in a red car seemed very attractive. At a more conscious age, I wanted to work on social projects and politics and even got a Master of Public Policy degree. As a result, I found myself in IT, because technology has a tremendous potential to help many people simultaneously.

— How important is the support of the family in becoming a person and a professional? Were you supported in choosing a career path?

— The support of loved ones is important because we value it the most. In addition, the support of colleagues and those who help us develop is important. Within the family, you can be supported only as an individual or in terms of overall development if you do not go into the family business. For professional development, you need to surround yourself with colleagues you can learn something from.

— Why did you start doing what you do now?

— I’ve always been interested in processes and didn’t like routine. Working with clients implies a lot of exciting projects in a wide variety of industries. You get acquainted with a massive number of ideas in the markets in different directions. This is very motivating because you see how technology is evolving on a global scale and how everything is changing rapidly.

— What are the most essential qualities in your profession?

— I would mention awareness, understanding of trends, and willingness to help. The latter quality, in my opinion, is even more important than knowledge because you need to be able to adapt to customer needs. Project expertise also has a huge role.

— What does your workday look like?

— My workday starts with business correspondence, and it ends with it on all days except Friday — at this time, we are planning the following week. The rest of the time is the function of BDR:

• Optimizing the interaction between marketing and sales departments
• Creating supporting documentation for leads
• Supporting the sales team in their work

We have regular meetings with all stakeholders. Constant communication takes up most of my work.

— What is the most challenging part of your job?

— I don’t think there is anything super complicated or impossible. Among the challenges, I would highlight the constant evolution of technology, which must be monitored. There is a narrow-profile knowledge that you may not have now. My colleagues always help me in this matter. Continuous coordination and concern for the needs of the leads are probably the most difficult things.

— What do you like most about your work?

— A variety of tasks. Each lead is a new puzzle that needs to be solved. I need to understand the expertise and the exact corporate elements to be involved so that the customer is satisfied with our services.

— How do you assess the cohesion of your team? How does this affect the result?

— Cohesion removes bureaucratic barriers and provides informality that helps to achieve a good result in less time. Obviously, there are always mandatory processes. But cohesion turns work into a pleasant conversation with a follow-up rather than making long lists. It is much more convenient to move forward in sync.

— How does one start studying your profession?

— One should start by taking an interest in the venture business and unicorns to keep abreast of global technology trends. I would also add technical knowledge — programming, for example. I work closely with developers, which requires my understanding of the ins and outs and conversation on an equal footing. Project experience is also necessary — the ability to assess the needed resources to complete tasks. Over time, it is important to learn how to be not only a link but also to offer own independent solutions. I always read Y Combinator, TechCrunch. In that way, you can monitor the trends quarterly. In addition, I would advise following the visionaries of the investment world, such as Peter Thiel, to understand what technicians will be in demand in the near future.

— What kind of music do you listen to?

— Depends on my mood. From classics to rap, techno, electro. What I would always listen to is classic rock. I love Scorpions and Queen, although you can’t compare them.

— What makes you laugh?

— I’m a fan of good British humor — “Monty Python”, “Blackadder,” “Yes, Prime Minister”. I love the original “Office”.

— In your opinion, how will technology change your profession in the future?

— The need for narrow-profile experts will never be a thing of the past. More and more functions will be automated to some extent, including low-skill labor. All this will help change the views of programmers on programming in general and retrain.

— Did Innovecs open new hobbies for you?

— I started to be more active in the field of investment because I am the leader of the Investment community. Before that, monitoring was more passive. I have been working for the company for several months, so the processes themselves require much time and attention. So far, all resources are spent on building work algorithms around me.
I would like to return to molecular cuisine, which I love very much. It’s almost chemistry, where you select the elements according to their compatibility.

— Is there a work/life balance and clear boundaries between work and life outside it?

— The borders are definitely blurred because work is no longer a regime from nine to six. It reminds of itself both during non-working hours and on weekends. Many use this time for training courses. Despite the shift in balance, you need to find your own approach and learn to integrate everything together. If a person quickly switches between tasks, then integration is commonplace. I can go to the store and think about solutions for leads and do analysis.

— What makes you a happy person?

— My development: the observation of constant movement forward, gradual improvement of myself and the world around me.

— Where are you looking for inspiration?

— A few years ago, I would have answered: “in sync with nature”. It’s hard to say now. Probably it’s a combination of factors.

— What are you studying today, and what would you like to learn in the future?

— Today I’m honing content creation skills. I also delve into programming. When I get this knowledge, I will think about learning something new.

— What motivates you to stay at Innovecs?

— Aspiration to expert knowledge. We do not take on everything at once but choose a narrow direction and improve in it. I like the way communications are built inside the company — you are always up-to-date. Innovecs is a community of wonderful, smart, and talented people. It’s nice to replenish your network with them.