If you’re not quite sure what you want to pursue for your professional career, working at a bank could be the perfect job. A job with a financial institute shows that you are trustworthy, responsible, smart, and have great interpersonal skills. Retail branch finance jobs do not require a college degree; they only require that you have graduated from high school. Although these jobs do not have many requirements, they are very tough to attain.
Most bank jobs have to be applied for online. It’s not until you pass the online portion that you can receive a call for an interview. The application is generally very lengthy, and asks for a very detailed previous employment history and reference list. Once you have convinced the online application that you are, indeed, an actual human being with no felony charges, you will then be asked to take an online banking assessment.
These assessments usually take between thirty and forty minutes to complete and include basic mathematical and logistics questions. They will ask you questions about putting different percentages of customers’ paychecks into different accounts and what you would do if an armed robbery occurred in the bank. These are questions to see if you are able to grasp the basic skills necessary to perform the everyday tasks of a financial institute employee.
If you make it past the online assessment, and receive the call for an interview, consider this a success. Ninety percent of applicants get turned down because of their lack of experience within the financial world, or because they are too qualified for the available position. Once you are in front of an actual person, it’s smart to show your interpersonal communication skills, along with your attention to detail and ability to work independently. Cash handling experience is one of the greatest assets you can possess when going for a bank job interview. They also like to hear that you thrive in a team atmosphere. Mentioning that you are also interested in growing within the company is another comment that the interviewer will take as an attribute.
Do not get discouraged if you are unable to land a finance job the first time around. As stated earlier, just getting an interview is a huge accomplishment, and working hard to stay in contact with these employers is the best way to make friends within the financial realm. Soon you’ll be able to land a job at the financial institute of your choice.