Yvette Sotelo

Teller Supervisor Yvette Sotelo completed sponsor training a little over a year ago. An El Rey staff member since December 2010, she is happy that Branch Manager Alfredo Martin urged her to consider the program. “Alfredo has always encouraged me to continue growing,” she says.

Her first trainee had no customer service experience, so Yvette had the opportunity to teach not only skills needed to be a teller; she was able to break in the new person on the El Rey market as well as customer expectations, and how to talk to and relate to them. “I spent a little more one-on-one time than I otherwise might have,” she says.

Yvette appreciated the online session that preceded the daylong sponsor training, which is held at Corporate. “It raised a lot of questions for me and helped me understand aspects of bank operations not directly related to my job. Now I understand things on a much broader scale and can be more sensitive to the initial challenges of employees starting a new job here.”

While sponsoring is fun and rewarding, “It’s a big responsibility to guide a trainee, to get them going in the right direction,” Yvette says. “But it’s gratifying to see them succeed in their new position. They feel good about themselves because they’re learning new skills, and I feel good about helping them.”

“Sponsoring is a great opportunity for someone to share their knowledge and skills,” Alfredo says. “The first person Yvette sponsored had no banking experience, so she especially appreciated the individual attention Yvette was able to give her. Yvette makes it clear she will be fair, but direct.”

Alfredo points out that when employees join the bank, their success depends on developing confidence. “We have to show that we trust them, even though they don’t yet trust themselves. Training and gradually building experience fosters that trust.”

“Yvette excels at staying focused on her operational responsibilities while coaching others,” Alfredo adds.