Miglena Ouzounova-Tsekova, Senior HR Director at A1: ‘The pandemic changed the way people think and do business’

A1 Bulgaria is a leading provider of digital services and telecommunication solutions in Bulgaria. The company provides mobile and fixed services, high-speed internet, digital and satellite TV, including four of its own sports channels - MAX Sport 1, MAX Sport 2, Max Sport 3 and Max Sport 4, payment services, its own music streaming platform Xplore Music, cloud and IoT solutions to 5 million customers. A1 Bulgaria is part of A1 Group, which operates in seven countries across Central and Eastern Europe.

Miglena Ouzounova-Tsekova has 20 years of experience in the Human Resources management field. She joined A1 in 2002 as Head of Recruitment and Selection and in 2007 took the role of HR Director of the company. In June 2016, Ms. Ouzounova-Tsekova was appointed Senior HR Director and Member of the Leadership Team of A1 Bulgaria. In 2019, she was elected Chairperson of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Association for People Management. Miglena Ouzounova-Tsekova has a Master’s degree in English philology from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", with a specialization in Mass Communications and holds an MBA degree from Erasmus University, the Netherlands. She is certified in Strategic HR Management by Cornell University, USA.

How has COVID-19 changed the way you work? 

We take pride in the fact that А1 is a digital company and most of our administrative and internal processes are performed remotely anyway. We use technological advancements in almost every aspect – from VPN to secure our remote communications, through video conferencing solutions to hold our meetings, to broad variety of online courses to keep on constant learning.

Since the announcement of the COVID-19 crisis in mid-March, more than 1600 of A1 employees have started working from home, as taking care of the health and safety of our people is a top priority for us. A home office is a standard option for all A1 employees whose job function allows it for several years already, however, the current situation required us to take additional measures in quite a quick manner. Our Call Center employees who are responsible for consulting customers online and via phone also worked from home. Colleagues working in the stores and those taking care for the technical maintenance of the network could not work remotely, but we secured all necessary precautions for their safety, including the respective protective gear. 

What do you expect to be the long-term effects of the pandemic on the industry? 

The pandemic changed the way people think and do business as a whole. The telecom industry A1 is operating in is one of the key pillars as consumers and businesses need to inform themselves, communicate, work and entertain themselves from home. The services A1 is providing to its nearly 5 million customers proved once again to be of vital importance.

Human Resources experts also need to adapt to the new environment and to invent and implement innovative ways. These we have to apply to all employee-related processes – attracting and recruiting new talents, employer branding efforts, effective ways of knowledge transfer and upskilling within the organization, and last but not least - fair and transparent procedures for motivation and suitable environment for work-life balance. I am glad that A1 has the forward-looking approach in this field, and that our HR team is prepared for all these challenges and is operating smoothly and effectively in the “new normal”.

What opportunities are there for businesses to learn from the crisis and take advantage of it? 

The need for digital transformation is one that has been on the business agenda for several years now. However, the current pandemic accelerated the processes in this direction, making digitalization one of the key opportunities for companies of all sizes and industries. It could be quite useful if businesses manage to unleash the potential of all their employees and come up with creative ideas for new products and services, which match the needs of the post-pandemic customer.

Further to that, many people learned how to work remotely and still keep their productivity level high. I believe this is one of the learnings for the future, which we can take advantage of.

What advice would you give to students on successfully preparing for an online job interview? 

The key principles for a successful face-to-face interview are largely applicable for an online meeting too. What is different is that applicants need to make sure they are presenting themselves well in a digital setting. To start with, prepare yourself – learn as much as possible about the company and position you are applying for in advance. Be ready to discuss how you could contribute to the team. Be on time and make sure you have a list of your questions prepared, so that you could discuss the specifics with the interviewer. And, of course, have a copy of your CV and motivation letter in order to be able to stress on your key qualities which make you suitable for the respective job.

What are the top three characteristics you are looking for in an applicant?

People who are aiming to develop as part of the A1 team need to be responsible, creative, curious to learn. Our company has a versatile portfolio and we offer positions in different areas where the required skills vary – technical, marketing, communications, sales, customer service, vendor management, and more.

What the current crisis underlined is the need for knowledge and skills in working in virtual teams, being savvy with digital platforms for learning, communicating, and managing team tasks effectively. We need to be flexible and adapt to the ever-changing environment, to be willing to stay ahead of tomorrow. That is how we succeed.