Sarita is making the most of her career gap with coaching and a new finance role on the horizon

When Sarita was laid off in December from a long-held position at University Federal Credit Union (UFCU) as a Mortgage Lock & Disclosure Desk Team Lead, she was recommended by a friend to visit DFSA for support and guidance. Prior to her latest role, Sarita worked in mortgage lending and finance at A+ Federal Credit Union for 12 to 13 years so she's well versed in the industry and taking the opportunity to pursue a similar role, one that possibly ties into her love of educating people on the topic of mortgage lending.

An Austin native and sister to Austin City Council Member District 3 José Velásquez, Sarita’s career started in 2001 as a teller at A+ and she worked her way into a management role at UFCU where Sarita began to lead a team and growing into a role that was created for her after 6 years of service at the bank.

When Sarita was directly impacted by a round of layoffs, worlds collided as she was already familiar with the organization through her work at UFCU, a frequent partner who regularly hosts clothing drives which she actively participated in. Now on the client side, Sarita has since had a professional styling and several career coaching sessions to prepare her for a job search that has transformed during her decade-long career in banking.

Sarita mentions a few challenges in today’s job market including the importance of cover letters, keywords, AI-generated scanning of resumes, and applications fitting into a certain algorithm that make the job search process especially tedious. As an Austinite, she’s familiar with the market - most specifically positions in finance - and has connections that have helped her along the way. She credits longtime DFSA career coach Erin Molloy for assistance with the process, a volunteer who worked with her friend to land a job in the same industry.

Sarita is optimistic about her future in finance and is looking forward to bridging the gap between previous experience and her passion as a trainer in mortgage management.

“DFSA has been amazing. Everyone is so welcoming, understanding, and helpful. It speaks volumes. I’ve come full circle from donating here to now utilizing your services, it’s great.”