How to Be a Great Banker

Co-authored by Michael McCutcheon, PhD

Last Updated: October 27, 2021 References Approved

At all levels, commercial banking is about earning the trust of customers and providing them effective solutions for managing their money. To be a great banker, you have to be knowledgeable about all aspects of your work and project an image of professionalism and trustworthiness. This will require a dedication to customer service and consistent self-improvement. By embodying these qualities, you'll soon be on your way to a successful and profitable career in banking.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Preparing For a Commercial Banking Career

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Get the right education.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Michael McCutcheon, PhD
Career Coach & Psychologist
Expert Interview. 24 February 2021.} Most commercial banking jobs will require at least a bachelor's degree. This degree should be in a related field, like economics, finance, business, or business administration. However, some banks are looking for bankers skilled at bringing in new business, so a marketing degree could be useful. In addition, job seekers will have an easier time landing a job as a commercial banker if they have a master's degree in business administration or something similar. However, advanced degrees are typically not required.^{[2]
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Gain experience. During college or graduate school, your school may offer opportunities to work for a commercial bank as an intern. Taking advantage of these opportunities, even if they are unpaid, can be highly beneficial to your banking career. When hiring graduates, employers look for internship experience as an indicator of hard work and an interest in the field. Seek out these opportunities by talking to your school's career development office.

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Consider getting professional certifications.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Michael McCutcheon, PhD
Career Coach & Psychologist
Expert Interview. 24 February 2021.} Some jobseekers may find that having professional certifications can make landing a banking job easier. For example, a common certification is the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification. To get this certification, you'll need to have an in-depth knowledge of accounting procedures and take a series of challenging exams. In addition, any commercial banker wanting to do loan brokering can seek a mortgage loan originator (MLO) certification in their state.^{[4]
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Land a banking job. When you have the required education, and any certifications or experience you have acquired, you can start applying to commercial banking roles.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Michael McCutcheon, PhD
Career Coach & Psychologist
Expert Interview. 24 February 2021.} Entry level roles may include analyst or "junior" roles like junior loan officer. When interviewing, focus on showing employers technical skills like an understanding of accounting and business procedures. In addition, display your interpersonal skills and make an effort to prove that you are hardworking, as these qualities are highly desired in banking (and all other fields).^{[6]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Knowing Your Facts

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Know the products. It is essential for a good banker to know the accounts, credit cards, and savings accounts the bank offers inside and out. Bank customers rely on you to ensure that their money is in the right type of accounts for their needs. In order for you to guide customers and be a successful banker, you will need to familiarize yourself with the intricacies of each type of bank product and determine what customer profile fits each one the best. Preparing for this ahead of time will save you and the client a lot of time as well you help you to look like a more confident banker.
- You'll likely be taught all about your products during the training part of your job. Be sure to review this information regularly afterwards, especially for products that you rarely deal with.
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Tailor your approach to your client's needs. In order to create successful relationships with your customers, avoid directly trying to get them to sign up for as many of your products as possible. Instead, develop a holistic approach to the client's needs. This situates you more as a partner to the client than a salesman. Ask about the client's personal and business life, including their short term and long term financial goals. Building this type of customized service can help develop long term relationships with your customers.
- For example, you might create a holistic approach for a young customer that includes a round-up savings account that helps them begin saving and a credit card to help them begin to build up credit. Rather than directly selling them on these products, tell them how they will prepare them for the future.
- Use other bank specialists as needed. These might include investment managers, trust officers, financial planners, and other specialized bankers. As a personal banker, you are responsible for coordinating bank services and products and the specialists needed.
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Be able to offer alternatives. For any given situation, you should be able to offer your client more than one product that can meet their needs. This allows your solutions to be more tailored to each individual customer, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach. To help them decide on one, you should also be able to offer the pros and cons of each choice and an overall recommendation.
- For example, a customer trying to save money in a separate account would have several options, from a standard to savings account to a certificate of deposit. Be sure to offer each option to them and make a recommendation based on their financial goals.
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Know how to solve common problems. As a banker, you'll see and hear many of the same problems day in and day out. You should know how to quickly diagnose and solve the more common issues quickly and easily. Practice this by studying each common problem individually and considering the best way to solve it for each type of customer. Providing this type of quick and reliable problem-solving is part of the foundation of a successful banker.
- For example, customers may call frequently asking about charges made to their account like overdraft fees and other bank fees. Be ready with knowledge of each different type of fee, what it means on each type of account, and if and how the fee can be refunded.
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Look out for continuing education opportunities. Your learning shouldn't stop after your job training is over. Always seek opportunities to learn more about your work, your clients, and the banking industry on the whole. Get in the habit of reading relevant articles and publications to improve your knowledge.^{[7]
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- If you work for a larger bank, they may offer continuing education workshops or something similar. Be sure to always takes advantage of these opportunities, especially if they are provided free of charge.
- Education opportunities may include courses from American Institute of Banking (AIB) and others.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Getting In the Right Frame of Mind

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Be professional. Even more so than other services, people expect their bankers to be professional and reliable. After all, they are entrusting their financial wellbeing to your bank. You should always be well-dressed, smiling, and polite to every customer. Be sure to not let your personal life get in the way of your professionalism, no matter what kind of day or week you're having.
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Be approachable. People's finances can be a very personal subject. You need to be personable in order for bank customers to feel as if they can be honest with you about their finances. You need to know their financial history in order to be able to help them, and be a great banker, so your personality needs to allow for that to take place. Work on interacting with your customers in a personable and friendly way.^{[8]
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- Part of being approachable is not aggressively trying to sell your customer more products or services. If they are clearly not interested in a product, don't try to sell it to them.^{[9]
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- In addition, some customers will want to talk with you about your life outside of work. This helps establish trust and friendly conversation. Be sure to have some hobbies or community involvement that you can discuss.
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Keep customer information confidential. One of the key qualities of successful banks is that they keep all customer information is absolutely confidential. As a commercial bank, you are an extension of this rule and must keep all customer information private both at work and away from it. Disclosing information can also subject you to legal penalties.
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Pay attention. You need to catch all of the details that your customers tell you in order for you to make the right recommendations to your clients. The slightest misunderstanding or the smallest piece of incorrect information can cause your client to walk away with the wrong bank accounts. The wrong accounts could cause the client to lose out on acquired interest or to be charged fees because they aren't using the account properly.^{[10]
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- Double check any details that you are unsure of or didn't hear correctly. Your customer wants their details to be correct as much as you do.
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Learn to be creative. Every customer isn't going to fit into the perfect account. It is up to you, as a good banker, to creatively help your clients use accounts in ways they might not be meant for, but work anyway. In order to be an efficient banker you will need to learn ways you can adapt certain bank accounts and credit cards to meet the needs of any customer that walks through your door.
- While creativity is valuable, be sure not to stray outside the bounds of your bank's rules. This could cost you your job.
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Be honest. Your customers need to know the exact details of their interactions with the bank. You should explicitly state any fees or interest earned on accounts or credit cards and be sure that the client knows all of the terms of any agreement before signing it. It's not just that you shouldn't lie about numbers, but you should also be sure that there's nothing your customer could be overlooking in the agreement. The factor that often draws customers to and from certain banks is the customer's sense, or lack thereof, of honest and fair dealings.
- Another part of this is being responsible for your work. Owning your mistakes is another way to cultivate trust with your customers.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Working to Improve

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Recognize areas for personal improvement. Consider at regular intervals, maybe weekly or monthly, how well you are doing your job. Think about the above criteria and how well you are performing within them. Are there any products you aren't sure about? Have there been days where you let your personal life interfere with your professionalism? Recognize these errors and work to correct them.
- One way to notice this might be to examine situations when customers left your bank for your competitors. Try to figure out why this was the case. Were you unable to solve a problem they had?
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Keep up on current trends. The financial world is always changing, and so should you as a successful banker. You need to stay informed of the changes as finances around the country fluctuate. You need to be able to make suggestions to your clients that reflect the current status of the financial market. Providing your customers with out-of-date information could be a costly mistake to you and your clients.
- This includes keeping yourself up to date on the newest technological trends. This is the area in which banking is evolving most rapidly, so be sure to keep up with every new trend and be able to inform your customers about it.^{[11]
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Cultivate a loyal customer base. Banks make money by retaining loyal customers and gaining new ones. Much of this relies on the bank's reputation, which is largely built by happy customers and their recommendations. As a banker, you should strive to ensure that each and every customer is completely satisfied. In addition, establishing personal relationships with your customers can make them stick around for the long run.
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Stay active in the community. Customers like to think of their banker as a trustworthy member of their community. Be active in the community by participating in fraternal and civic organizations, charitable events, and other local events. Doing so will not only allow you to strengthen your connections with customers, but also can allow you to make new professional connections.
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Go the extra mile. Banking is a crowded market. In order to stand out from other banks in the area, all competing for your customers, you'll have to offer something above and beyond. This can be exceptionally personable and friendly service, incredibly reliable conflict resolution, or just extra time taken out of your schedule to solve any particularly difficult needs of your customers. In any case, demonstrate to your customers that you're willing to work harder than your competition for their business.
- One easy way to do this is to personally give your customer a call if you notice any suspicious activity on their account. This lets them know that their money is safe in your hands.

Community Q&A

Question

What is the basic knowledge regarding the banking sector which whould be asked in the bank interview?

Emily Rose

Community Answer

The first thing they will look at during an interview is how relaxed and confident you are. They will ask what you want to do, but before that they will ask for your personal information: why you want to work here, why you are leaving your previous job, etc. They may also give you situations that you may come up against in the banking sector and see how you would respond to them.
Question

I am a banker. I am new to my job and understand most of the products, but lending is a blur. How can I know how to maneuver from option to option?

LisSango

Community Answer

It all comes with practice. You can start by creating a list of common questions or phrases, and write a corresponding option with it. For example, if you constantly hear "I wish the AC in my car hadn't gone out," put "car problems - new auto loan" on your list. You will start to recognize patterns and a common option for each one. For more practice, you can take home brochures that your bank offers to customers. Read up on the lending brochures on your own time, so you don't feel rushed at work. If you have questions about something in the brochure, you can highlight it and ask someone at work to elaborate on that topic.