Alejandro’s Background
In 2019, Alejandro Talavera became one of the 607,000 people that emigrated from the island to the United States in the past decade. Talavera, a Finance graduate from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, explained that “before graduating I already had an offer to go work at one of the largest technology companies in the world. I accepted the offer and spent two years working at their Washington DC headquarters.”
Everything was going well at his job. He had a competitive salary while working as a business analyst and operations systems analyst. However, he was unhappy with certain aspects of his personal life.
“I felt like it didn’t matter how much money I was making, or the experience, or anything, because I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do— help my family,” said Talavera, who watched from a distance as several of his most beloved family members faced difficult situations. So, he decided to get in touch with El Comeback and thus became one of our success stories.
The Employer: Banco Popular
“Right now, I’m granting credit facilities to the largest companies in Puerto Rico. I have a portfolio of 25 clients— all are super reliable companies—whose financial statements I analyze to see what credit facilities we can provide, whether a loan, credit cards, lines of credit, or any of other products there are,” said the 25-year-old and new Banco Popular employee.
According to Talavera, El Comeback helped with his entire job search process. “I had not directly applied for a position at Banco Popular, but thanks to El Comeback, the bank called to tell me that there was a position available.” He immediately responded: cuenten conmigo.
After several interviews, Talavera received the life-changing news that he had gotten the job. “They said ‘we want you here in a month,’ and I hadn’t even resigned,” he recalled. He promptly contacted his supervisor and let him know that he would be returning to Puerto Rico.
Returning to the Island
The process of returning to the island “was stressful because everything happened so fast, but now we’re here, we’re in the present, I’m doing well, I’m working a lot, and I love it.”
Looking back, he is grateful for the experiences that have brought him to this new job opportunity. But if he could give himself some advice, it would be “study more, learn more, read more, because studying is something that has benefited me a lot, especially in my area (finance) where you always have to be aware of new regulations and things that are changing.”
He also has a message for those who, like him, dream of returning home: “Come, come, come, there is potential here!” Talavera also said that there are good salaries for people with prior work experience.
El Comeback, a program of the nonprofit ConPRmetidos, attracts and retains professional talent for 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico-based jobs. Register to get matched with professional opportunities on the island.
