Prepare for your bank interview by practicing your interview skills before you go.
If you enjoy interacting with people in you community and are detail orientated, working at a bank might be a great career option for you. The most common positions available at most banks are teller or customer service associate positions. These people assist bank customers with general banking needs ranging from making deposits and withdrawals to opening accounts and purchasing other financial products. Many banks hire from within when filling higher level positions such as bank managers and loan officers. Therefore, entry level employees who show dedication to the company, competence and excellent customer service skills may have the opportunity for advancement over time. The first step to obtaining one of these positions is successfully navigating the interview process.
Instructions
1. Visit the bank’s website. Most, if not all, banking institutions maintain a website to advertise their financial products and provide convenient online banking for their customers. Read through the products that the bank offers as well as their values. Banks want to hire people who have at least a cursory knowledge of the banking industry. Make sure that you know the difference between business and personal accounts, checking, savings and escrow accounts, and loans. You should also be aware of specific products and services offered by the bank such as debit cards, secured lines of credit and promotional point programs. All of this information should be available on the bank’s website.
2. Create a mental or written list of examples in your personal life or work history when you had to resolve a conflict between friends or with a customer, report a friend or co-worker to authorities for inappropriate behavior, times when an employer or customer was especially pleased with your work, and your ability to work as a team player. The main characteristics that are important to bank employers are honesty, customer service and the ability to work well with others. Your interviewer will ask questions regarding these characteristics. They will either be direct or "example" questions. Direct questions could be answered with a "yes" or "no"; however, you should provide examples to support your answer. Example questions ask you to provide an example of how your handled or would handle a specific situation.
3. Practice before you go to your interview. Sit or stand in front of a mirror and talk about yourself as if you were talking to your interviewer. Watch yourself as you speak and practice looking yourself in the eyes. If you tend to look down or away, take notice and force yourself to correct the problem. Also, pay attention to how fast you speak. You will likely be somewhat nervous when interviewing. Practice speaking at a normal pace and volume so that you will recognize and correct rushed, mumbled or unintelligible speech once you are at the interview.
4. Have a friend or relative ask you questions about yourself. The more practice you have answering interview style questions, the more confident you will come across at the actual interview. Provide your mock interviewer with a copy of your resume and allow them to ask questions about your previous work and educational experiences. Your mock interviewer should ask you to answer the following common interview questions:
"Tell me about yourself."
"Identify your strengths and weaknesses."
"Why do you want to work here?"
"Why should I hire you?"
"Would you consider yourself to be a team player?"
"What do you know about the position and the company?"
Remember to provide examples to back up your answers for each question. Also, have your mock interviewer rate your posture, speaking tone and eye contact.
5. Prepare questions to ask your interviewer in advance. Inevitably, you will be asked if you have any questions at the end of the interview. Many interviewers expect serious applicants to come prepared with specific questions about the company or the position. Make sure that your questions are relevant to the position. You could ask about advancement opportunities within the company or additional details about the duties and expectations of the position. Avoid asking about salaries and pay rates at the initial interview.
6. Print out two additional copies of your resume and references. You probably submitted your resume when you applied for the position. Unfortunately, your interviewer may not have a copy at the interview for whatever reason or there might be two people who conduct the interview. They may ask if you have an additional copy of your resume. If this situation occurs, it is better to give the impression that you are prepared and detail oriented as opposed to immature and unorganized.
7. Prepare an appropriate interview outfit before the day of the interview. Banking is a professional industry; therefore, dress professionally when you go to your interview. Both men and women should wear suits. If you do not own a suit, men should wear dress pants with a button down shirt and tie. Add a blazer if you have one. Women may wear a conservative blouse with either dress pants or a business style, knee length skirt. Your outfit should be clean and wrinkle free.
Tags: your resume, about yourself, customer service, mock interviewer, questions about, your interview