Tuesday 16 May 2017

What exactly is a Banking Job?

What is it about having a banking job? 

For some reason, the common public is enchanted with the idea of someone they know being a bank employee. They might be rich themselves, but a bank employee...well, 'she/he is set, no?' Demonetisation didn't help matters; the people might have fought and bad-mouthed all the bank personnel, but there was a grudging respect for those people on the other side of the counter.  



Moving forwards, banking jobs are only going to increase in importance and numbers; for all the talk of digital banking, the rural hinterlands will prefer being able to get their transactions done through a physical presence. Besides, it is not as if being a bank employee involves sitting in front of a screen from 9-5; while that is one part of the job, you can also be part of the bank as a lawyer or as a computer expert or a marketing executive. Why, even engineers are in the queue for a banking job! 

So, if you're interested in a banking job, then the first question is: just exactly what types of banking jobs are available?   

Probationary Officer (PO) 

The one which all banking aspirants start with. The big one is the IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection) held exam, the scores of which can help you land up in public sector banks; these include SBI, IDBI Bank, even the Karnataka-headquartered Syndicate Bank, and many others.  While the IBPS scores are used to get these jobs, it is also not a binding requirement; Lakshmi Vilas Bank (Private) recently closed applications for the online examination for the PO post. It did not require IBPS scores from the applicants. Similarly, Dena Bank (Government-owned) also closed applications for POs recently; it required applicants to give an exam, and based on their scores, were selected for a 12 month course at the end of which they would be offered the PO posts in the bank. It also did not require IBPS scores. Earlier this year, Bank of India called postgraduates to apply for filling 670 vacancies of Credit Officer and Manager; it too-you guessed it right-did not require IBPS scores. 

Specialist Officer (SO)

The thing about specialist officers is just that; there are many different types of 'specialist' jobs available. Also, while it will be advertised as, say, 1039 Specialist Officers, the bank may be looking for only 4 Economists. It works that way. So, the fine print has to be read a bit in detail. However, this indeed is one of the best backdoor entries to a bank job. For instance, Bank of Baroda indeed needed 1039 specialist officers. Among the fields they are looking for experts in, range from Agriculture Products Specialist to Law, from Data Analyst to Civil Engineers, from Marketing to Chartered Accountants. You can do the same job which you studied for, with the added positive of you being a bank employee. 

Customer Relationship Executive 


One of the most recent additions to the types of banking jobs, this can be one of the most-despised or the most-attractive banking job for you, depending on where you stand. You will be expected to interact with normal bank customers, make them aware of other products from the bank which can be of use of them, and eventually, make them buy into your pitch & product.  It is obviously not easy; at some banks, you will be able to sit in the confines of the office while at others, you will have to go out and talk to the client at their offices or factories. No matter which one you land up with, an ability to talk to people and befriend them is going to be the most important quality required. 


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