Employee Spotlight: Vladislav—Smells Like Team Spirit

Hello hello! We have made it through another season and came full circle in these crazy times. It’s still hard to believe that we were all spinning and taking everything day by day this time last year. Another crazy thing is that it has already passed a month since our previous spotlight post. Phew, how fast time flies.

As you all know, each month, we spotlight one of our talented team members, who’ll share their expertise and offer insights. This month isn’t any different. But you know us, we constantly want to reinvent ourselves. So we thought we already presented a few of our Customer Care & Success team members. We also introduced you to some of our Technical Support team members. Who else might you find out interesting to get more about? And then it hit us that you might actually want to find out a bit more about the people working behind the scenes and ensuring daily that the service and support we provide are kept to the highest standards. And what a better way to start with one of our support trainers.

Today we are speaking with Vladislav G., Technical Support trainer here at FastComet. So let us begin by asking you maybe the most important questions of them all:

How and when did you join the team?

I joined FastComet’s growing family in January 2017. A friend of mine was already working here and recommended the place to me. He thought I’d be a good fit. He was very enthusiastic when speaking with me about FastComet, the people, the culture, and the technologies he was working with.

At that time, I was wondering between a few career choices. I’ve worked in a Call Center, which supported Sky’s services, an extensive network in the United Kingdom, providing TV, Internet, and Phone services throughout the country. My position at that time was to support all Internet and Phone related issues, with the main focus on technical-related issues. I helped customers with problems such as connectivity issues, cable issues, and other network-related problems. It was a wide variety of matters that could affect the stability of their connections, and we did our best in fixing them over the phone for the client.

While working over the phone was tiring, to say the least, I was able to hone my “soft skills” when speaking to clients, which boosted my ability to communicate appropriately and present vital information correctly and understandably to each client. Besides essentially improving my ability to “talk,” the job also spiked my interest in the technical world and how the Internet works. Unfortunately, the current position did not allow me to grow further and gain more skills in the technical sphere. The issues we dealt with there were quite specific to the company and their services, which no longer satiated my drive to learn.

In turn, this led me to quit this job, and I started looking for something that can help me learn and grow more. In the end, my friend convinced me to have a chat with his hiring manager for a role in the Technical Support department!

Fast-forward a few years and …

Currently, I am stationed as one of the Technical Support Team‘s Trainers. This, in layman’s terms, means that I help and teach recruits how to assist our users. I essentially introduce them to the Hosting industry and further polish the technical know-how they already have. 

As such, a typical day for me starts with a good cup of coffee. You can’t have a good day without a good cup of coffee. I usually get on Zoom and start the day with my team. Due to the circumstances around the world, we’re currently Home-Office based. Thus I lead all lectures and exercises from home while speaking and viewing each other over the marvel that is the Internet. Don’t get me wrong, working from home is excellent, no commutes, I save time on food prepping, and I get to spend time with my family during the breaks. Oh, and I can do the laundry. However, I am a trainer/teacher, and I believe the best way to teach somebody is face-to-face, which is why I am missing the office.

You said that working from home can be challenging, so what is the secret that keeps you motivated?

To be honest, I believe that as much as I help other people grow, they also help me grow and expand my perspective and points of view. I find that with each person I help, I also help myself in a way. There is always more to learn, and the best way is by meeting more people. My job allows me to meet a lot of new faces and challenges with each one. I believe a person should keep an open mind and adapt to new situations rather than forcing them to adapt to you. 

My teaching style is exceptionally open-minded; while I follow a specific regime and schedule, I still try to adapt to each person as much as possible. I do not believe I know everything. Thus I am always open to new ideas and knowledge from anyone, so I can also expand my wisdom and improve my training going forward. Learning never stops; regardless of the job description one has, there is always room to grow and improve oneself.

Also, coffee. A LOT of it. 

What’s been the most exciting part of the journey so far?

I am getting the chance to learn and constantly improve myself. But the truth here is — the team is what makes every new challenge we face exciting. Honestly, that’s one of the biggest things — the team and the people here are pretty amazing, each in their own right. Without them, I would not have been able to reach my current position, nor would I have been able to grow and learn in such a short time. While there are many great things at FastComet I can talk about, I have to give the #1 spot to the team of amazing people working here, striving to improve themselves daily. 

Being a mentor to others – who would you pick as your mentor?

Hehe, this one is easy – Google. Google is your best friend in the vast ocean of issues that is the Hosting industry. There is so much information out there written by much more intelligent people than me, just waiting to be discovered. Researching for information quickly and implementing it is one of the critical skills a good Technical Support must have, at least in my mind. Thus I find the Internet a great encyclopedia of knowledge that you need to navigate quickly to be productive. It has helped me quite a lot in understanding how the gears turn, so to say. 

However, with that said, I do have to mention Dimitar Petkov‘s name, along with our other staff Kyle G., Peter W., Leon C, Ivan Penishev, that I have worked with over the years. They all have supported me and criticized me when needed. By far, the FastComet team has had the most impact on my development and has helped me the most in my growth over the years. An honorable mention to Ivan Popov, with whom we had a healthy competitive spirit and rivalry over the years, helping me to give 100% of myself at all times.

What’s one thing that people would be surprised to learn about you?

I traveled almost all of Europe when I was a teenager. During my trip, I had the opportunity to represent Bulgaria, in front of the entire European Parliament, as a European Member of Parliament in Strasbourg, France. I got the chance to express my opinion and ask questions that I had prepared, and discuss things such as the European Parliament and the Euro Union’s future. It was fun.

Another thing that might surprise most of you is that I used to be active in Theater during my High School years, as I was part of several plays in my hometown in its local Theater. I did get to play in only a few plays, but the preparations and rehearsal for each took probably around a year for each.

I enjoyed being on stage and acting in general. And due to my acting roles, I was a part of a few short movie projects some of my classmates were making at the time, as they aspired to be great Photographers/Filmmakers, and some did succeed.

Fortunately, I do not believe I have any pictures of me on set, so I won’t be able to embarrass myself today for you.

These projects were part of our town’s local programs for developing youths. They were led by a few Americans who were part of the Peace Corps at the time. They were traveling the globe to help people in need, and at the time, they spent a few months in my hometown to help young people develop their skills. So while we were still teenagers, some experienced people were leading us in the field. And unfortunately for me, I do have some photos of that time that I will keep to myself. Locked. Hidden, at the bottom of a lake – where nobody can find them. 

Oh, I almost would have forgotten to mention that I hate sweets from the bottom of my soul.

Yes. You read that right; I abhor sweets, such as candy or sugar.

I think it’s genetic as my father has also avoided eating sweet things since I have known him. If it contains sugar or is sweet, take it away from me, exorcise it and throw it in the fiery pits of Mordor, and Thanos Snap it away from existence. There are two exceptions to this. First, if it’s naturally sweet, and as long as the sweetness is not overwhelming. Then I would consider consuming it if I was stranded on a lonely island with no sustenance options. And, of course, my lovely girlfriend.

If you were a tool provided in our cPanel – which one would you pick?

This type of question is like asking me what my favorite movie or video game is, which is practically impossible to answer straightforwardly. There are many valuable tools; I’d say the Awstats tool is one of the most informative and useful tools. It provides a huge range of data, such as access rates, traffic, bandwidth, and so much more. It’s proven invaluable while troubleshooting such cases, and I can’t say what tool would be the best. Still, I would say that the tutorials section and the knowledge base we have for clients can be pretty helpful as it contains a large amount of useful information. I’d advise all our clients to review the tutorial section before they raise a case with us, as in a large number of situations, you will most probably find the answer there.

Of course, if anyone still needs help, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our teams are here to help 24/7 and will never deny you support. And as my colleague Maria stated in her Spotlight interview, it is best to provide us with as many details, information, and screenshots of your issue. So we can get to working on it as quickly as we can; even if you do not fully comprehend the case, please do not hesitate to describe it in your own words; our team will handle the rest!

To wrap things up, I hope the situation resolves quickly worldwide, and I wish everybody good health going forward. Stay safe, folks! 

Thank you, Vladi! We wish you and your team good luck in the future at FastComet for the years to follow. I hope you enjoyed getting to know him, and if you want to find out more about what it’s like to be part of our team – visit our blog for more information about all the great people who work here!

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