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.
