How to Get a Job in the Banking Industry
If you have a passion for working with numbers, quantitative data and statistics in relation to money, consider a career in banking. The banking industry offers a wide range of career options to those with qualifications ranging from a high school diploma to a Master of Business Management (MBA). Federal Reserve banks, commercial banks, credit unions, savings and loan associations and wealth and finance management companies all need candidates to deal with banking-specific as well as non-financial operations. It is important to determine the type of career you envision in the banking industry to help you decide the education you need to pursue.
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Instructions
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Complete high school education. This is the minimum qualification required for administrative positions in banking organizations. Get a job as an assistant at a retail store, or a business office and gain experience with cash handling, office documentation or accounting tasks.
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Obtain a bachelor's degree in business administration (BBA) with specialization in finance and banking, accounting or business economics. Some universities offer a specific BBA in banking that covers areas such as banking practices, laws, global economy, financial institution management, corporate finance and commercial lending. This qualifies you for entry level positions in banking operations.
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Gain a master's degree in business administration (MBA) in finance if your career goal is a managerial level position in banks and other financial institutions. The banking industry also requires candidates to manage personnel and marketing activities. An MBA in human resources or marketing qualifies you for working with such non-banking operations in the banking industry.
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Take courses to obtain additional certification in a specialized area. For example, many of the transactions in the banking industry involve the use of computers. So knowledge of software useful for banking operations makes you more appealing to prospective employers.
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Browse the websites of banks that have branches in your area. Many commercial banks and financial institutions offer internship opportunities to students interested in a full-time career in banking. Follow the procedure specified to apply for the internship, complete the online ability test and the interview sessions to get selected as an intern.
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Prove yourself to be a hardworking, dedicated and enterprising worker during your internship. Show a willingness to take responsibility, complete tasks on time and build a good rapport with other people at the workplace. If you manage to impress the management with these qualities, you have chances of getting a full-time job with them.
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Browse the websites of BankJobs and National Banking Network (see Resources 1 and 2) and search for banking jobs. Follow the procedure specified to apply to those for which you qualify.
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Tips & Warnings
Avoid getting involved in dubious activities that question your honesty and conduct. Considering that jobs in the banking industry involve dealing with a lot of money or confidential information regarding financial transactions, banks look for employees who come out clean through a criminal background check.
