Our Operations employees are on the front lines here at SoFi, helping our millions of members reach their financial goals. Today, we want to introduce you to one of the people behind the scenes, making magic happen. Meet Thomas Sandoval, Relationship Manager, Recovery Operations, based in Healdsburg, CA who shares what his role entails as well as tips on how to grow your career in this exciting field.
What brought you to SoFi?
Thomas: I was working three jobs and needed a change. A friend of mine was working as a Customer Service Agent at SoFi and recommended that I apply. I did my research and loved what the company was doing in the fintech space. I attended a job fair, applied, and the rest is history!
Tell us about your current job.
Thomas: I am a Relationship Manager on our Recovery Operations team. In short, I help manage our defaulted accounts. Once a loan defaults, there are ways we can recover our losses. We work with a number of vendors to do this and I help manage this process.
You’ve had a pretty inspiring career trajectory in the six years you’ve been at SoFi. How have you been able to navigate your career?
Thomas: I have been lucky enough to have a good support team at SoFi and at home. I definitely lean on those who have been in the industry longer than me and ask for their guidance. I am grateful to have their mentorship.
What skills have you learned that have helped you move around the company?
Thomas: In each of the four roles I’ve had at SoFi, I’ve been able to add a new tool to my tool box. This includes learnings like - how to use multiple systems in order to do my job efficiently and effectively, how to analyze data and turn it into usable insights, and how to be an active listener. Honestly, the list of learnings is endless. One thing that really helped me navigate my career here is my willingness to learn new things, and apply them to my job or the task at hand.
What skills do you think it takes to be successful at SoFi?
Thomas: Most important to me as a manager is being reliable - being able to count on a team member to get the job done is critical to individual and team success.
What advice would you give for others looking to develop new skills and grow their careers at fast-growing companies like SoFi?
Thomas: Get involved! Many companies out there, including SoFi, offer a lot of opportunities for their employees to network, learn, and grow outside of their day jobs. For example, join an employee resource group (we call them Circles at SoFi), or participate in learning and development or networking opportunities. At SoFi, we offer deep dives into our business to help our employees learn. SoFi really makes it easy to learn the business and connect with others. The more you know, the better. I am also a part of OneSoFi, a group of passionate employees who are helping to create a best-place-to-work caliber culture.
Through my experience with OneSoFi, I have been able to network with others and have learned so much about how a company can build an incredible culture. Let me tell you, it takes each and every employee. Being part of a company like SoFi that is willing to engage its employees to help push for culture, inclusion and diversity is awesome.
Lastly, what keeps you at SoFi?
Thomas: SoFi has a lot to offer our employees and members. I respect our mission and our core values and feel that SoFi really cares about our employees. For example, I recently had a baby and SoFi sent a congratulations package. My family and I really appreciated that.
Learn more about what our Operations Team is all about and explore open roles across the United States.
The individual featured is a SoFi employee. Their personal experiences, obviously, do not take into account your own specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. Results will vary.
