Dual Citizen with extensive and diverse work experienceWhat type of job are you looking for? My strongest skill sets are in commercial real estate finance, real estate development, high end hospitality and Caribbean villa rentals. Most importantly I am a fast and attentive learner with exceptional sales skills and appropriate and enviable interpersonal skills. I would like a management position with a hotel or resort where I could potentially use my real estate skills to market to Americans or aspiring ex-pats in general. What nationality are you? American born in Colombia What languages do you speak (and at what level)? I also speak: English - with significantly above average written and verbal command Spanish - I was fluent when I was younger with my father being assigned to Paraguay, Spain, Colombia and Mexico. I now am taking a course to bring it back to fluency or at least respectable aka non-tourist levels. French - 8 years of study and living in Luxembourg and Belgium left me with average writing skills and very strong verbal skills. They have fallen latent but those too are in the process of being resurrected. German - Very basic Portuguese: Very basic What country or area are you looking to work in and why? I have grown up internationally as a result of my father being a US Diplomat so I have great ability to adapt quickly to to new surroundings, cultures and people. What excites me the most is that I was born in Colombia but left before many, if any, memories formed. I want to discover the country I where I was born. I chose Cartagena because I believe and have researched this significant Colombian city and found both regular city life and an unappreciated (by Americans at least) tourist destination. I could get to know my country of birth and introduce it to Americans who have Hollywood notions of Colombia and while some remain true though I believe not to the extent the average westerner would imagine the War on Drugs especially in the 1980s left a lasting impression on the American psyche. In short I want to come to Colombia and help change its image to reflect what I have come to know from afar as a place that should hardly be overlooked. What countries have you worked in? Virgin Islands What countries do you have a visa to work in? None except those implicit with my passport which is quite limited I believe. What field do you currently work in? Hospitality What fields have you worked in before? Caribbean Villa Rentals Restaurants (busser, line cook, server, bartender, manager, promoter/PR) Real Estate Development, accounting and construction site management Commercial Real Estate Finance and brokerage What qualifications do you hold? My strongest skill sets are in commercial real estate finance, real estate development, high end hospitality and Caribbean villa rentals. Most importantly I am a fast and attentive learner with exceptional sales skills and appropriate and enviable interpersonal skills. These are in addition to having attended a selective preparatory high school and a double major in English and Communications from Boston College. I was the youngest ever invitee to the Boston College Real Estate Club (10 spots typically held by senior partners and CEOs). I am a member of the Boston College Executives Club (youngest by at least 15 years) I have started and am continuing with the CCIM accreditation which is a very elite group and a displayed accreditation. CCIM stands for Certified Commercial Investment Manager. For the first course set I received the New England CCIM scholarship of which only one is given per region and I scored a 98% on the test to pass on to the next level. Which do you consider more valuable? Formal education or skills and why? Skills. And this answer may seem ironic considering my detailed and successful academic career. Prior to graduating from Boston College I was being given the tools so to speak for success but it has been my ability to learn new skills, use them concurrently as necessary and pick up a sort of business acumen that my education could not inspire though works together with quite well. Furthermore, I started my first business Profound Productions LLC in college and came to realize quickly that marketing CLASS is much different than actually marketing. I feel fortunate to confidently say I have both formal education and skills. Describe the benefits of working with others I am inherently outgoing and love working towards a common goal. My only concern is group synergy. A good leader will be able to rally a wide swath of personality types and maximize the skills of the individuals in the group to create potential that is greater than the some of the parts. Describe the benefits of working alone I work well alone because I have great faith in my abilities and the results I deliver. As much as team work creates a sense of unity in its accomplishment, working alone is where you show and reaffirm your capabilities. What was your worst working experience? Working for a family member. Certain things that seem to go without saying or being documented for that matter as they would in a strictly professional relationship can lead to severe abuses later if the family member is not who you thought or even not who you thought in business. What is the most important lesson you have learnt throughout your career? Documentation is king (after cash of course:). I have found little need to resolve disputes or resort to verbal sparring or strict leadership when I have the documentation (order forms, time sheets, warranties, receipts etc) to resolve things in a professional manner. What unique skills do you have? I am quickly able to learn a city on many levels. I am a traveler not a tourist. I cannot emphasize this enough. I am a consummate networker. I excel at customer relations and revel in solving guest issues leaving the guest confident that they do come first. I don't need excessive help in acclimating to foreign places. I am very wary to respect and follow local customs and connect in a meaningful way with locals. I am trustworthy but also reflect this in my demeanor so I quickly make friends and business contacts. I love America but I don't participate in American hubris. This goes back to wanting to learn about Colombia and expose it to Americans as I think foreign experience would serve to help eliminate American hubris. I am an excellent and intuitive events planner. I have enjoyed great successes with groups of 14 to 1400. I am a fantastic home chef. What would you consider as your 'dream job'? A people and results oriented job with a sales aspect that either allows for or requires international travel. At the same time committing to the job at hand is key and brought me to where I am now. For instance it would be great to use my finance and lending skills to secure funds for a new hotel or resort, participate in the construction and then shift gears to hospitality to potentially manage the end result for which I helped secure financing, build, perhaps design and know intimately. Very few people can do this, I can. What are the most interesting aspects of your field? Hospitality: Its the people. I have spent most of my life in a strange land and have great sympathy for the road weary, confused or, my favorite, those who offer me the chance to advise their vacation, meal, and lodging not to mention relying on my sense for people to add a little twist, hidden gem or just generally share local knowledge. Real Estate: From developement, to construction to finance I have found two things that keep me coming back: I have met some of the smartest people working in the Boston/New York corridor who challenge me to perform and at the end of the day in real estate there is a tangible, assessable product that even on the financial side was something in which I took pride. What are the least interesting aspects of your field? Hospitality: Every day you make a first impression and it can be emotionally draining. But once that is done and I can take my guests subtly under my control my love of people kicks in and I set myself the challenge of creating the experience they came for and showing them something a little beyond. Something that piques an interest to come back before they have even left. Real Estate: There is quite a bit of tedious due diligence involved and it can be discouraging but to arrive at the deal knowing its based on solid financials makes it worthwhile. Why now? I am 28 years old, well educated, intrepid and full of energy. I don't have a wife or children. And I left my Manager of Villa Rentals job on St. John, USVI to be at home while my father was in Afghanistan. He is back now and I am ready. How can potential employers contact you? alecharris82@gmail.com | 
