How to Get a Banking Job (With Banking Jobs List)

Jobs in the banking sector are exciting and dynamic roles for people with strong finance and interpersonal skills. Learning how to get a banking job can help you prepare for a role in this industry. Discovering how to get a job in banking can also provide an advantage over other people interested in a banking career. In this article, we explain how to get a job in a bank, with clear steps and tips, and list some of the most popular jobs in banking.

How to get a banking job

Learning how to get a banking job could help you plan your next career step. The banking sector has clear career paths, so many people progress from entry-level jobs to more senior positions. Corporate banking has higher educational requirements than retail banking, so consider your preferred type of banking when planning your career path. Here are the steps to secure a banking job:

1. Graduate year 12 or the equivalent

A secondary school certificate or the equivalent is the minimum requirement for bank jobs. Completing year 12 is the easiest way to get this certificate. Mathematics and finance subjects such as commerce, economics and business studies, can help you develop banking knowledge and skills. If you plan to go to university, study enough units for an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).

If you leave school before completing year 12, you can get the equivalent of a secondary school certificate at TAFE. If you want to attend university, take the ATAR study pathway. If you want to immediately transition to a banking job, take the vocational pathway.

2. Get qualifications in finance or business

Getting vocational qualifications or a degree in a financial-related discipline can help you secure a banking job. While qualifications are optional for bank tellers, banks prefer hiring people with qualifications for senior jobs. Vocational qualifications suit many retail banking jobs, although banks usually prefer candidates with university degrees. Commercial banking businesses expect job candidates have finance degrees. A postgraduate degree may help you get a senior role in this competitive banking sector. Here are some qualifications that can prepare you for a banking job:

• Certificate III or IV in Financial Services

• Certificate IV in Banking Services

• Certificate IV in Finance and Mortgage Broking

• Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management

• Bachelor of Commerce (Banking)

• Bachelor of Applied Finance

• Bachelor of Economics

• Master of Business (Banking and Finance)

• Master of Applied Finance (Banking)

3. Apply for an entry-level banking job or internship

An entry-level banking job or internship helps you apply the knowledge from your studies and develop your skills. Recent university graduates may apply for internships. These structured training programs help recent graduates learn from experienced banking professionals. Anyone can apply for entry-level banking jobs, such as bank teller, customer service advisor and junior credit analyst. After a short training program, people in these roles work independently on basic banking duties.

Banks conduct phone and face-to-face interviews to assess whether their candidates are a good fit for the organisation. Promote your skills, including transferrable skills such as cash handling and customer service. They may also give you an aptitude test to assess your personality and capacity to succeed in the role. If the bank thinks you are a good candidate, they run a criminal background check to confirm have good character. If you pass all these requirements, you may secure your first bank job.

Related:23 Banking Interview Questions and Example Answers

4. Advance in your career

After completing an apprenticeship or spending a few years in an entry-level job, you may pursue more advanced banking roles. Consider the areas of banking you enjoy that interest you and apply for jobs that focus on your strengths. For example, if you love customer service and find loans interesting, you may apply for loan officer roles.

Related: What is Corporate Banking? (Definition and Comparisons)

Tips for getting a banking job

Improving your skills and knowledge can help you secure jobs in the competitive banking industry. Here are some tips that can improve your chances of getting a banking job throughout your career:

Develop and promote your customer service skills

Banks value their customers so strong customer service skills are some of the most important soft skills for bank jobs. You may develop your customer service skills while you're studying with casual jobs in retail or hospitality. Promote what these jobs taught you about customer service in your first banking job applications and interviews.

Once you enter the banking sector, continue focusing on delivering the best service possible. Greet customers with a smile and give them your full attention. Pay attention to the names of regular customers and use them to personalise your interactions. Follow up on all customer interactions to make sure your customers feel satisfied with their experience. The bank may recognise your commitment to customer service and give you opportunities for promotion.

Have a career development plan

Many banks look for employees that can grow with them over time. Creating a career development plan can help you confidently tell an interviewer about your goals for the future. This makes you appear capable and ambitious, which can encourage an employer to choose you over other candidates.

Related: How to Set Career Goals

Take opportunities to gain new skills and experiences

Regularly gaining new skills and experiences can make you a more desirable bank employee. Volunteer for new projects and training programs offered through your employer. You may also access training programs by becoming a member of an official body such as FINSIA. You may also upgrade your qualifications to an undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

10 popular banking jobs

Banking is a diverse industry, with entry-level, mid-level and senior positions in retail and corporate sectors. Here are 10 popular banking jobs you may pursue:

1. Bank teller

National average salary: $50,850 per year

Primary duties: A bank teller is the main point of contact for a bank's customers. They greet customers and perform simple banking duties, including depositing and withdrawing funds for customers, printing cheques and converting currencies.

Related: What Does a Bank Teller Do?

2. Loan officer

National average salary: $63,329 per year

Primary duties: A loan officer advises customers about a bank's loan options and determines whether they qualify for a loan. They collect and verify customers' financial and employment records. They also update customers on loan progress and inform them of the bank's final decision. If customers default on their loans, loan officers prepare repossession and foreclosure documents.

3. Bank branch manager

National average salary:$79,759 per year

Primary duties: A bank branch manager manages the way a bank branch operates. They oversee employees and assist them in complex cases. They also prepare budgets, monitor sales targets and report the branch's performance to the area manager.

4. Relationship manager

National average salary: $84,760 per year

Primary duties: A relationship manager builds ongoing relationships with the bank's customers. A relationship manager may specialise in relationships with individual or business customers. They help them access bank services and refer them to bank specialists, such as loan officers and financial advisers, as required.

5. Bank area manager

National average salary: $86,985 per year

Primary duties: An area manager in banking oversees all the bank branches in a geographic region. They set financial targets and operational procedures for the banks in their area. They meet with bank managers to ensure they meet their targets.

6. Credit analyst

National average salary:$89,028 per year

Primary duties: A credit analyst assesses and processes credit card and loan applications. They also decide how much the financial institution lends applicants and repayment conditions. They review applicants' financial and employment records to decide how easily they could repay the bank.

Related: What Does a Credit Analyst Do? (Key Responsibilities)

7. Investment banker

National average salary: $94,883 per year

Primary duties: An investment banker helps businesses raise capital funding so they can expand and improve. They may help clients launch initial public offerings and manage mergers and acquisitions.

Related: What Is an Investment Banker?

8. Financial adviser

National average salary: $97,747 per year

Primary duties: A financial adviser gives a bank's customers advice about how they can achieve their financial goals. They may advise customers about superannuation, saving, investing, estate planning and insurance coverage. They may also help customers obtain financial services.

9. Financial analyst

National average salary: $98,238 per year

Primary duties: A financial analyst assesses the financial history of businesses and predicts how they may perform in future. This information helps customers make sound financial decisions about their business and investments. For example, a business may use a financial analyst's predictions to decide to acquire or merge with a specific business.

10. Financial risk manager

National average salary: $146,336 per year

Primary duties: A financial risk manager employed by a bank assesses the financial decisions a bank makes and their associated risks. They aim to mitigate risks and make banks more profitable. They conduct regular audits to identify risks and suggests ways to reduce these risks. They may also set interest rates for specific loans based on the risk of each applicant.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.