A Day in the Life of a Senior Frontend Developer: Kaloyan Tomov on Harmonizing Tech Skills and Business Acumen
What is it like to work in the IT industry in Bulgaria? This is a question many people interested in a career in the sector ask themselves. So, we, at Bica, gathered some of the people that we helped find the right job to share their stories. With this series of interviews, we are aiming to show people how the everyday life of a person working in the IT sector goes. We hope to break some clichés about the professionals employed in the industry and inspire more individuals to consider a career in IT.
Today, we’ll take a look at the professional path of Kaloyan Tomov. He’s a charismatic individual who enjoys socializing and exploring the melodies of electric guitar strings when not immersed in the binary world. His professional journey traverses across different companies, where his title as a Senior Frontend Developer has worn many hats – from problem-solving and executing complex technical projects to people management and shaping corporate strategy. Discover how he decided to become a software developer while still in high school and his top advice for peers who are debating whether to embark on new challenges.
Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?
My name is Kaloyan and I’m a Senior Frontend Developer at Covantis. I have over 6 years of professional experience in building software solutions.
As a super sociable person, I love talking to people, going to parties, and hanging out with friends. Among my other interests are music and trading. For the past 18 months, I’ve been learning to play electric guitar.
What are the main responsibilities of a Senior Frontend Developer?
Throughout my career, I learned that every company has its own definition of a senior frontend developer. At some enterprises, my responsibilities were solely devoted to executing more difficult tasks and building more complex projects. At other organizations, as a senior developer was a team lead as well as a developer and had a more managerial role. At other companies, I was responsible for building and maintaining the whole technical infrastructure, developing internal processes, helping with strategy development, and people management.
How does a day in your life go – usual routine (waking up, coping with tasks, activities in the spare time)?
Having a structure helps me a lot to take care of my tasks for the day. My main responsibilities are focused on helping Covantis establish its internal processes and infrastructure and take care of more complex tasks. By developing a list of tasks for the day, I’m able to track my progress and execute with the best quality.
My workday is separated by a lunch break that I use to go to the gym. This helps me to concentrate better in the afternoon and boost my mental health.
What is the biggest challenge you previously faced when looking for an IT job?
The biggest challenge I previously faced when looking for a new job was the lack of adequate communication between me and the HR departments or recruiters. I’ve had cases where they don’t share in advance who I’ll be interviewed by, the open position itself, or the company. Lack of feedback was also another issue that I’ve experienced in the past. After the interview, I didn’t get any answer from the recruiters on the hiring process and my performance.
How did Bica help you in the process of finding the right job?
Bica and its team made the hiring process very smooth and I didn’t face any challenges. They provided me with all the necessary information about the employer, the job description, and the next steps in the process since our first meeting. They had answers to all my questions. Although Covantis had a more complex hiring path, the Bica professionals constantly provided me with updates about the current status of my application.
What were the factors that made you choose Covantis?
There were a few aspects of Covantis that made me choose it as my employer. At the end of the hiring process, I had a dilemma between Covantis and another company. Then, I received a message from Covantis’ Head of Engineering who wanted to do another call with and to help me better understand my role and the benefits of the company. This personal attitude was a sign that they value my skills and convinced me that this is the right place for me. Company culture is very important to me and this personal approach showed me that they have a team that cares about their employees and wants to provide the best for them. Also, the team and environment were a fit with my personality which helped me to adapt quickly.
Another important aspect was the proven track record and the stability at Covantis. In a previous company, I was affected by the mass lay-offs in our industry, so stability and long-term vision were among my priorities. By learning more about the company, its shareholders, and its clients, I was convinced that I’m at the right place.
The third factor that made me choose Covantis was the ability to grow professionally and acquire new skills. This means that I can work with new technologies and help toward developing a great product.
You graduated from NBU with a degree in Business Management. How does your education help you with your profession in software development?
Starting my career as a software developer when I was still in high school, I’ve always been interested in how our work impacts the business and what is the value of a developer’s job in different businesses. So, it came naturally to me to educate myself further in the field of business development and management. I chose a remote model where I can continue developing my career as a developer and also graduate from New Bulgarian University.
On LinkedIn, you included Telerik as your first career step in the IT industry. Can you share more about your experience with the Academy and how did that help you to start your career?
Maths was always my favourite subject in school and when a friend of mine referred the Academy to me, I decided to enroll. I took on 2 courses simultaneously – in JavaScript and C#. The academy gave me a solid foundation and gained the required knowledge to embark on a career path in software development. The lecturers at Telerik are the people that sparked my interest in software development and new technologies.
In the past, you gained experience in a few companies and served as a Team Lead. How did this diverse experience and leading a team help you to become a better professional?
My previous experience as a team lead helped me to improve my soft skills. These are especially important qualities for any developer, especially with new emerging technologies aiming to automate some of the workload for developers. By building good communication skills with others, managing a few colleagues and managing my time between people management and software development, I became a more complex professional that is ready to take on new challenges.
Can you share some advice for young people debating whether to embark on a journey in IT?
Be proactive and never wait for the right opportunity. I always advise people in my circle to act on what they want to achieve and try out new challenges that will help them grow.
What are your goals for the future?
I’d love to be in the crossroads between technical challenges and people management. These are two aspects of being a developer that fascinate me and I want to become better at both.
If you want to find the right position for you to thrive and grow, check out our career page and take the next step in your career.