Jobs at Bank Branches

When most people think about bank work, they typically think of branch employees: tellers, customer service representatives, personal bankers, and managers.

Bank branches usually drive a bank’s primary income stream, where its customers deposit their money into checking and/or savings accounts, apply for loans, credit cards, investment products like certificate of deposits (CDs), and other bank-owned financial products.

While more customers are doing their banking online, most customers use their local branches for various reasons, including opening new accounts, applying for loans, credit cards, making deposits, and discussing their accounts with bank personnel. Customers can also get cashier checks, money orders, and get important documents notarized by notary publics, which are usually customer service employees.

The main goal of branches and their employees is to meet the financial needs of their customers. Different banks offer different financial services and products, but typically, banks offer different types of checking and savings accounts, credit and debit cards, investment vehicles like certificate of deposits and money market accounts, and home loans (mortgages), car loans, and other kinds of loans.

Branch employees are most often tellers, customer service representatives, personal bankers, loan officers, and managers. Depending on the size of the branch, there will be at least one manager, and possibly assistant managers and other supervisors. Managers and assistant managers are responsible for ensuring that customers are served quickly and efficiently, and according to bank policies and federal requirements. They focus primarily on staffing, customer service, and the branch’s sales- that is acquiring new customers, accounts and loans.

We profile most of the common jobs in this section, including:

As you will find as you read the detailed descriptions of each branch job, the other employees of the bank focus on one particular aspect of branch banking. Tellers serve the customers who are there to make deposits, cash checks, make withdrawals, obtain money orders, and other cash-related transactions.

Customer service representatives work with bank customers to resolve account discrepancies or problems, open new accounts, close existing accounts, wire funds to other accounts, apply for credit cards, and look at a customer’s total banking picture to see if they can make changes that will solve a customer’s problem or help them in other ways.

Personal bankers and/or loan officers are there to discuss financing options with customers who are seeking financing for a major purchase like a home, car, boat, motorcycle, etc. They are familiar with the bank’s loan and financing products and work to find a product that will fit the customer’s needs and budget.

You can see from reading these general job descriptions that despite the different focuses, the number one item they all have in common is serving the customer. Bank branches are very service-oriented. Without the customers, there wouldn’t be a branch.

Considerations

One of the pros to working at a branch is you have a fairly good work schedule, although there may be some evening and weekend shifts required, depending on the bank and its hours of operation. More banks are opening branches at supermarkets and other stores, and these branches may have different hours than stand along branches. Another pro is that working conditions are usually good.

There are a few things to consider though, before deciding to make working at a branch your career. The salary may not be as high as you could make elsewhere at the bank or in other industries. Tellers and those dealing with customers all day can find their positions stressful.

Since branch banking is service-oriented, and you will work with customers all day, you must enjoy working with people if you want to work in a branch. It’s true, you will also work a lot with numbers and should have good math and computer skills. But you will be interfacing with customers all day and if the idea of talking with customers for the greater part of your day does not appeal to you, then you should look at other positions within a bank.

Branch workers are the frontline of any bank. In fact, most banks recognize that to most people, branch employees ARE the bank. They want employees who will represent the bank in the best light and deal pleasantly and fairly with customers.

If you enjoy working with people, as well as numbers and math, and like the challenge of providing good customer service, then you should consider a career at a branch. The next several pages include JobMonkey’s listing of branch bank jobs.

Bank Teller Jobs (NEXT PAGE)