SO YOU WANT TO BE A PERSONAL BANKER?

Do you like meeting people from all walks of life? Do you like sales and marketing? Do you have excellent math skills and customer service skills? Do you have any educational background and /or work experience in sales, marketing, economics, finance, securities, commodities, investment, and the banking industry? If you have answered yes to all of the questions mentioned, then there is a likelihood that you may just be the personal banker everybody feels comfortable to work with when it comes to money management and banking services rendered by banking institutions.

A personal banker is a professional who performs banking duties and oversee investment and financial activities for personal accounts. A personal banker must have a very strong knowledge of the banking and investment industry. Certain characteristic traits that are desired include being polite and patient. Daily practice of listening skills is part and parcel of mastering the delicate art of customer service, which can spell a difference in acquiring and attracting new clients for the bank.

Completion of High School is the minimum educational requirement to work in a bank. However, for an entry level personal banker, a bachelor’s degree in economics is desirable. Most banking institutions provide intensive on the job training for new hires especially on numerous products and services offered to its customers. It is not uncommon for personal bankers to start as tellers before becoming personal bankers. And later on become licensed personal bankers, assistant branch managers, or branch managers.  A personal banker may branch out to being a business banker or a financial adviser. Along the way, personal bankers register with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).  To be registered with FINRA, personal bankers must be employed for four months and pass the General Securities Registered Representative Examination. Other licenses may be required depending on the services a personal banker will be offering to his or her customers. Requirements may vary between states.