Banker

Contents

1. Do you have it you?
2. Commitment as a Student & Job Commitment
3. Basic Qualification
4. Attitude Aptitude & Skills
5. Finances
6. Future Prospects
7. Area of Specialisations
8. Other Professions

Do you have in you?

Banking has become much more than just handling accounts, fixed deposits, granting loans, issuing demand drafts, exchanging foreign currency. A banker’s job today entails dealing in capital markets, enabling and maintaining internet and telephonic banking, financial consultancy on investment, mutual funds, insurance, building and retaining customers and management are some of the few responsibilities that a new age banker has. Banking has become global in its nature offering a highly dynamic working environment, with multinational banks trading round the clock across economies, cultures and currencies. So it doesn’t matter if you are not a commerce, statistics and economics student, a large number of bankers come from different streams of education including arts, science and engineering, all you need is a passion for numbers with the right set of skills and attitudes and you are into the world of number crunching.

Commitment as a Student & Job Commitment

A banker is responsible for establishing and maintaining positive customer relationships, planning and delivering strategies to monitor the progress of new and existing financial products. So staying up to date with the market trends is a must for a banker. Working with staff and customers to achieve targets has become a major part of the job. Bankers with area and regional responsibilities adopt a strategic role and are accountable for service and product delivery in the branch. Banking job requires your commitment for long hours of work and travel to different braches within the country and abroad for multinational banks. Your job entails communicating, implementing and monitoring compliance with corporate standards and procedures. Networking with appropriate professionals is the most important requirement to stay in business. Long work hours and intermittent travelling are an integral part of the job for an investment banker.

Basic Qualification

Banks employ people from multiple professional backgrounds like accountancy; legal; statistics; economics and Information Technology. Graduates as well as MBAs form the core of the banking industry with graduates forming the team of tellers and administrative support while MBA’s deal with the Management, business, Investment Banking and financial aspect of the banking industry. Banks also recruit specialists like chartered/cost accountants and with technology forming the core of the banking industry, computer and IT engineers are also recruited.

Probationary Officers are recruited in the public sector banks through their own selection procedure depending on vacancies. The standard procedure for both Private

Attitude Aptitude & Skills

The banker has to exhibit professionalism and efficiency at all times. He should possess exemplary written and oral communication skills along with analytical skills and computer knowledge. A banker should have business acumen, a clear mind, accuracy, integrity and should be able to work in a team. He should be full of enthusiasm and have an appetite for risk to be able to work under pressure. He has to be competent; a keen learner and customer friendly to be able to sell financial products flooding the market everyday. It is a big number game that requires competence along with drive, dynamism along with patience, initiative along with focus on result, to promise you success. A banker should have a competitive spirit, with banking practices, rules and regulations on his fingertips to make new customer and retain the old ones.

Finances

There is no dearth of opportunities in the banking sector. You can join the bank at any level and rise the corporate ladder with time and effort. You can also switch from one area of work to another. You can join the bank as a graduate or an MBA which will require a financial commitment depending on the institute you graduate from. Educational loans are available if you wish to pursue an MBA to enter the banking Industry, contingent on the college where you get admission.

Future Prospects

With lot of private banks trying to establish their footing in the India market, there is increased demand for trained professionals at various levels. Investment banking and management consultancy are popular career options for graduates from the country’s top management institutes. As customers increasingly use ATMs, direct deposit, debit cards, and telephone and Internet banking to perform routine transactions, banks require IT/ computer specialists in banks. With the focus on customer satisfaction, customer service representatives are required to staff call centres and respond to emails.

Area of Specialisations

Corporate Finance and Banking 

Corporate finance is an area of finance dealing with the financial decisions corporations make and the tools and analysis used to make these decisions. The primary goal of corporate finance and Banking is to maximise corporate value while managing the firm’s financial risks. They also deal with mergers and acquisitions, raising capital, credit and loan transactions, receiving deposits and transferring funds for well-established organisations.

Investment Banking

Investment bankers advise companies on strategies for corporate mergers and acquisitions, managing sale of company shares. They raise money through issuing and selling securities in the capital markets and insuring bonds. Investment bankers should have an excellent grasp of finance and economics as they act as financial analysts and strategists, helping their clients implement their plans.

Personal and Retail Banking

Personal banking involves providing financial advice through daily functioning of the bank by attending to individual customers requirements like deposits, loans, credit, mortgages, investment schemes, insurance policies, pension funds, lockers etc. 

Retail banking is concerned with money transfers, deposit and withdrawal transactions, en-cashing travellers` cheques, making demand drafts etc.

Treasury

Treasury is about managing foreign exchange reserves, dealing with foreign currency and portfolio management. Treasury managers need to be aware of the fluctuations in various foreign currencies of the world and efficiently manage their portfolio to avoid depreciation of the currency value. Treasury managers are amongst the highest paid in the bank due to highly stressful job profile.