Written by
Todor Ranchev
Co-Founder & CEO
Interviews
Interview with Alexander Semov, creator of "Humour for working people"
Alexander Semov - creator of "Humor for Working People" and mentor of HR events, who believes in positivity and breaking stereotypes in the work environment
My name is Alexander Semov, I am 25 years old and I am the creator of "Humor for working people" with A. Semov. I've been an engineer for seven years now, and my portfolio includes designing photovoltaic structures and power plants, machine designing for the tobacco industry, creating technological and innovative processes in stone fabrication, technology and programming of over five types of CNC machines, 3D and 2D modeling, quality control and HSE monitoring.... And these are just some of the things in my career development! I am aiming for new heights in Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering.
Alexander, it's pretty safe to say that everyone in the industry has heard of Humor for Working People by A.Semov - what are your secrets to building a strong personal brand on LinkedIn?
The secret to building a personal brand lies behind consistency. For over two and a half years now, I've been working on the column, which is on a mission to bring positive emotions into people during their work process. The rubric started its strong development in the last one year, which defends the thesis of perseverance and proves that the first year and a half was not in vain. The power of humour is unparalleled, it can touch many people, especially if it is relevant to their everyday lives and they find themselves in one of the situations recreated.
Your experience includes participating as a mentor to HR students from four universities in Sofia. Would you tell us more about that?
I joined the HR:Rush for Practice initiative at the invitation of the founders. My mission in the initiative is to teach young HR people to start making different and different job postings to reach more people. I believe that if a business can change, so can its job postings. We're all used to basic job ads that are decades old, and young candidates take them for granted and have a hard time paying attention. The advice I give to students is to break the mould and be innovative in their search for candidates as well as creating job adverts. A fun job advert does not break the image of the company, it speaks of a more cheerful environment.
How was your job interview process that led you to join the Stone Center Group team? Is there an interesting moment you can share?
My job interview at Stone Center Group was exactly a breakout. It wasn't standard and it was a high level of respect for the candidate and with a lot of professionalism. My personal interview was with the owner of the company which gave me complete clarity about the job. The nice thing about having an interview directly with the owner is that you can talk about all the specifics openly and get an offer with a specific pay without waiting for months. This practice is the basis of our quick hiring of the desired candidate, which we still practice today! An interesting moment for me was the whole interview from welcoming to sending! The amazing thing was that I walked away with an offer!
What is your recipe for a positive work atmosphere?
The recipe for positivity in the workplace is very simple. You create a pleasant environment when you ridicule situations of your mistakes, but within a clear framework. This keeps the memory of the mistake with a positive focus and reduces the chance of repeating it. Whereas an aggressive attitude, when employees make mistakes, creates fear and stress in them the next time they make one, which leads to covering them up and creating a deeper problem.
What do you wish for the TalentSight team?
Before I tell you my wish, I would like to express my admiration to the TalentSight team, for exactly breaking the mould and being innovative in creating job postings, and the recruitment process. I wish the entire TalentSight team lots of smiles, positive emotions, and endless success! Be healthy and smile!
