"Perfect timing comes down to you, what you've built and how well you can take opportunities when given them."
Nevena Sofranic Tweet
Meet Nevena Sofranic – a veteran headhunter on a quest to solve the ever-changing problem that is tech recruitment. Founder of Omnes Group, a tech recruitment agency with a worldwide client base. Bringing talented people in touch with visionary companies, and being on both ends of the rope between company and developer has exposed me to problems both sides face and the leaps of trust they have to take.
Because these problems need a permanent solution, now more than ever, she’s decided to dive into this new quest: a referral-based recruitment platform called Recrooit.
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Before we begin, our readers are interested to know about how you got started in the first place. Did you always want to be where you are today or was it something you were led to? Share with us your journey.
Nevena Sofranic: Started out in an administrator role tied to tech and startups, then I found myself in the recruitment side of things. Here I grew professionally and made the best connections which would later lead to starting my own two companies and finding success as the head of my own startup.
In recruitment I could see within a couple of years working in the industry what gaps needed to be filled and how I could stand out so I took the risk and founded my own agency, currently I’m building a recruitment platform and still expanding my network.
Tell us a bit about your current focus. What is the most important thing that you’re working on and how do you plan on doing it?
Nevena Sofranic: The most important thing right now is Recrooit, a referral-based recruitment platform, where I want to power tech talent to take advantage of their network to get people they know jobs and fill the growing demand for tech workers.
We are working on the launch of the 2.0 version, adding features, and making plans for growth. Me personally, I’m focusing on building my own brand and keeping watch on the overall development of the platform.
Some argue that punctuality is a strength. Others say punctuality is a weakness. How do you feel about it, please explain.
Nevena Sofranic: Punctuality is a show of commitment and respect, I find that when promising a time and date to meet with others it is paramount to keep it. When it comes to creating and your relationship with yourself it can be more flexible, you cannot force imagination or ideas to flow.
How important is having good timing in your line of work and in the industry that your organization operates in?
Nevena Sofranic: For me, it’s important as long as you realize it will not be constant. Creating something from scratch is amazingly rewarding but tough. It will be fun at times and horrible other days. Having fun is key but more importantly, learning to enjoy those times to save them as fuel for the hard times.
Founder of Virgin Group, Richard Branson, states “Timing is everything in life, and it’s particularly crucial in entrepreneurship. People often equate success with luck, but it usually comes down to impeccable (and carefully mapped out) timing”. Do you agree with this statement? Please answer in as much detail as necessary.
Nevena Sofranic: Yes, completely agree and I also believe it’s possible to create perfect timing if you work at it. You need to build the environment for success, if you are launching a product you need to create a need for it or do the research to find the market for it. Perfect timing comes down to you, what you’ve built and how well you can take opportunities when given them.
As a leader/entrepreneur/CEO, how do you decide when to put the pedal to the metal and when to take a break? How do you time the key moments in your career?
Nevena Sofranic: There are ebbs and flows to creation and success. The need to push for innovations is immediately filled up by rest and reward for the team. When you feel a surge of energy go with it and listen to both body and intuition. The rest of the time (which is the majority of it) be disciplined, devote time to hard work, and care for yourself. Lead by example so your team sees the good in both.
Branson also states “If you’re starting to feel like you’re just going through the motions and losing sight of why you started, it might be time to take a break”. But how do you decide when to take a break?
Nevena Sofranic: Set roadblocks for driving yourself into the ground. say I won’t continue if I’m spacing out at important brainstorms, or my ideas are not taking me anywhere. My partner in business or life tells me to take a break. When working we can get hyperfocused and too stubborn to quit so setting boundaries makes it easier to realize you are in need of rest.
“Timing can be everything when starting up. It can be the difference between building a thriving business and not” How has good timing helped you achieve success in your career or business? Are there any particular examples from your career that you would like to share?
Nevena Sofranic: The building stage of any business is filled with long hours of hard unrewarded work at times, I know it sounds bleak but it really isn’t if you believe in what you are creating. For me building my second business came at the right time of my first one booming with success. I could focus on the new hard thing because I had a solid to fall back on. Not going to apply to everyone I know, so I would suggest finding a solid aspect in your life to find security and comfort in when building your new projects.
“When you’re thinking of starting up, ask yourself: ‘Is the community I want to serve ready for this idea?’ It could make all the difference!” Would you like to add anything to this piece of advice for all the aspiring entrepreneurs?
Nevena Sofranic: Yes, also ask yourself am I a part of this community? Have I connected with them? Will they listen when I launch this?
Integrating with the community and becoming a real person/brand people can trust will be key to your success.
COVID forced many businesses to adapt fast, some did so successfully, others failed, it was a lot due to good or poor timing. What are some of the big lessons you’ve learned during the pandemic?
Nevena Sofranic: Remote workers need to be social with each other as well, sometimes you will need to handle grief and tragedy in your workforce. Kindness and warmth is a valued asset for any leader.
Your insight has been incredibly valuable and our readers thank you for your generosity. We do have a couple of other bold questions to ask. What fictional world would you want to start a business in and what would you sell?
Nevena Sofranic: Mario’s world, let me open a car shop in Mario Kart – a turtle shell shinning business in Mario 3D.
Before we finish things off, we would love to know, when you have some time away from business, what is one hobby that you wish you could spend more time on?
Nevena Sofranic: Training my dog to open the fridge and get me snacks.
Mike Weiss, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Nevena Sofranic for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Nevena Sofranic or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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