Emilija Nikoloska is the Senior Business Consultant at Cosmic Development. She has almost nine years of experience with our company and is a real expert in her field. Being a Senior Business Consultant is not an easy job for sure, but Emilija knows exactly how to handle it, regardless of the difficulty. In this interview, Emilija talks about her beginning at Cosmic, her career development and the responsibilities she has as a Senior Business Consultant. She also shares her favorite sources of information and the tools she uses on a daily basis.
As we were curious about her success, we asked her to answer several questions about her work experience and her story connected to Cosmic. We wanted to see what it takes to achieve higher goals and what you learn along the way. If you want to discover more details about her Cosmic journey from Office Manager to Senior Business Consultant, continue reading the article below.
How did your Cosmic journey begin? Could you please tell us when and how it all started?
My Cosmic journey started back in 2011. I was one of the first six people that Cosmic hired at the time. I still remember my first day at the office, like it was yesterday. We were all new employees and it felt pretty much like the first day at school, but this time for grown-ups 🙂 . We were all very excited about the new job positions and the new office environment at the beginning. Yet we felt nervous and uneasy as we all took part in a new venture that was still to be proven. From this point of view, I can only say that all of those “worries” were unnecessary as everything turned out just fine. Looking back, I can say I joined Cosmic when it was still a concept, an idea, and now I’m glad that I’ve been doing my part to make that idea a reality.
Your path from Client and Office Manager to Senior Business Consultant is impressive. How did you manage to handle the transition?
Well, that won’t be the only transition I made in Cosmic. When I joined the company, I was working for a client at first, just like everyone else in the company. Later, I became a Team Lead and after a short while, I was given the chance to become an Office Manager. Once I proved to be hardworking enough and successful in the above, I dived into the Business Development section. Like all transitions, it comes with many unforeseen situations and requires a lot of work and enthusiasm.
Being a Senior Business Consultant is a much more responsible position than the ones you held before. How do you cope with the demands of your job?
Every job entails a list of responsibilities that the employee must cope with. I consider myself not only a hard-working person but also as one of those employees who are thirsty for knowledge and are always on the lookout for new experiences. Moreover, I tend to learn as much as I can on a daily basis. I like to read everything that might help me with my job – from online articles to books (both hard-copy and e-versions). Apart from my personal effort, I’m lucky to have enormous support from the upper management of Cosmic Development.
The effort you put into your work is impressive. Seems like you truly love what you do! When did you discover that you want to be a Business Consultant?
I believe that I got it along the way. At first, it was more like a challenge and an opportunity to contribute more to the success of the company. But then, it seems like everything clicked. It’s hard to give proper reasoning, I must admit. This is probably the best explanation I can give as I believe all crucial decisions in our lives are made with the help of our subconscious minds. We just feel it’s the right thing to do, without being able to name proper reasons.
Thank you for these thorough answers. But, if we want to summarize, what would be your advice to young people who are wondering how to make a career development like yours?
As a summary, I would give a piece of short advice to young people who want to make career development or career change. I know that it is not easy to take a risk or to make changes overnight, but if they want to advance in their careers, they have to try. My best advice for them is just to listen to their inner self and to take challenges that are worth their time and effort. By doing so, success is guaranteed and career advancement is inevitable.
How do you stay updated with news from the industry and the latest trends? What are your favorite sources of information?
I’ll try to be short on this one. As probably most of the employees in the IT industry do, I read all influencing tech-related sites. The websites that I tend to visit daily are the following: techcrunch.com, mashable.com, digitalagencynetwork.com, and digitaltrends.com. I would also add to the list dailyhive.com as of recent. However, this list is ever-changing and evolving. I happen to find myself exploring new sites every once in a while, in order to stay on track with the latest trends in the IT industry.
What are your favorite tools that you use as a Senior Business Consultant? Could you tell us more about your experience with your most favorite one?
As a Senior Business Consultant, I have so far used various tools that alleviated my job. The constant tool that I use at the moment is the CRM tool – Close.com. If you want to discover what it can provide as a CRM, you can read the article that I wrote by following this link. In addition, I use other tools that are only a matter of testing and finding better ones along the way. A few of the most used ones right now are Alexa, Get Prospect, Hunter, etc.
Where do you find inspiration for your work? Who are your heroes? Who inspires you?
It may sound odd, but one of my favorite heroes is my grandfather Nikola, my father’s father. He is a truly remarkable person. Right now, he leads an active family life at the age of 87. As a retired Mechanical Engineer, he keeps his mind busy and learns something new constantly. He often says to me: “To lead a healthy lifestyle, you have to keep both your mind and body in shape”. That is where I get my inspiration from and other heroes I meet every now and then. These are people who are exceptions, extraordinary and unique in their own way.
What is your greatest achievement outside of work?
Not sure if it’s an achievement but having a loving family is the first thing that comes to my mind. I have a supporting husband and two cute boys, who mean the world to me and who make my life better every day. They are more than an achievement actually, they are my reason to live. They teach me how to be a better person in general, not only in the role of a mother.
What do you like to do for fun?
Fun? Who has time for that?! Hahaha 🙂 Just kidding. Honestly, I enjoy catching up with friends and being around fun people. I try to enjoy the little things in life like riding a bike to work (in spring and summer only 🙂 ). I want to be drinking coffee in silence, watching a great movie once in a while, going to the theater or to a concert, etc.
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