Banking & Finance Overview

You might think that jobs in the banking industry haven’t changed a whole lot in the last twenty or thirty years. Well, think again. Like most industries, federal regulations and technologies like the Internet have had a much bigger impact on the banking industry than you would think. Today, bankers have more regulations to be concerned about, whether they are related to mortgage loans or credit cards, and Internet banking’s popularity is on the increase.

All of that being said, there is still one thing about the banking industry that HASN’T changed, and that’s the fact that it is a service-oriented business. That means that banks are still in existence to serve people’s banking needs, whether that is over the Internet, face-to-face, or over the phone.

Most jobs in the banking industry still include significant interaction with customers. That interaction might take place at a branch, a customer service call center, or at company headquarters. There are some support positions – those working to ensure the bank is adequately and appropriately staffed, has the supplies it needs, its computers are online and working, etc. – which may not interact directly with external customers. However, these positions are in place to serve their internal customers, and must interact with them regularly. So no matter what position you hold in the banking industry, you need to enjoy working with people, whether they are customers or part of your team.

You’ll find there are a variety of work shifts available in the industry, although if you work at a branch you should expect to work some evenings and weekends. Working conditions are usually quite good at banks, where you’ll work indoors in comfortable surroundings and have adequate break time throughout your workday.

You’ll also notice that there are a wide variety of positions available at banks, especially at larger employers. While people usually think of bank employees as those who work at branches, there are hundreds of additional people working behind the scenes to create the processes, services, and systems that the bank uses as it serves its customers. There are also identity theft and fraud protection employees, both relatively new developments, and both largely created due to the explosive growth of Internet shopping and purchasing using bank credit cards.

JobMonkey’s guide to banking and finance industry jobs explores the most prevalent jobs in the industry today, by major department. From jobs in commercial banking to bank security jobs, JobMonkey’s guide explores many of the jobs you’ll find available at banks today. We have organized the information to include a department overview page followed by specifics for the most common jobs in that department. We’ll tell you the basics you need to know about each job:

The education, experience, skills, and abilities you’ll need to get the job
Employment outlook
Average salary, and
Potential career paths associated with it.

Focus on the jobs you are most interested in using the navigation at left or click through the entire banking section using the links at the bottom of each page. Topics covered include:

Each position description provides a pretty good snapshot of the work including job requirements and responsibilities. This should help you decide which jobs in the banking industry are going to fit your needs and goals.

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The departments chosen for coverage in this guide are those related to banking and finance, rather than jobs common to all businesses, such as human resource professionals, attorneys, accountants, tax professionals, etc. Banking and finance positions are those most specifically related to banks, and the ones most people are interested in when it comes to working at a bank.

However, there is one bottom line to keep in mind when it comes to just about all banking jobs: You have to like working with people. If you do not like spending a lot of your day talking with and serving others, your job choices within the banking industry are going to be much narrower.

But JobMonkey invites you to explore your options, as you read this guide to banking jobs.

Branch Banking Jobs (NEXT PAGE)