How to Get a Job as a Bank Teller: Six Steps to Being Hired

How to Get a Job as a Bank Teller: Six Steps to Being Hired

To improve your chances of getting a job as a bank teller, you have to prove that you are better than other candidates applying for the same position.

And that means you have to present a formidable application to be able to beat other candidates to the job.

This post will show you just how to achieve that; follow the steps below and increase your chances of getting your dream bank teller job.

6 Steps to Get a Job as a Bank Teller

1. Prepare for the Bank Teller Job

Preparation is necessary in all job-hunting activities, including for bank teller jobs. When you are prepared you have the ability to build your self-confidence and chase away fear during the interview.

You are required to possess certain qualities that will help you conquer interview questions. You will tell the interviewer a lot concerning your knowledge and experience as a bank teller.

The qualities employers usually look for in candidates for bank teller jobs, which you should also have, include:

Education: The minimum educational requirement for a bank teller job is high school diploma, with on-the-job training.
Attention to Detail: Bank tellers should be able to handle money properly, keep records of transactions accurately, and properly follow security protocols. A mistake or error in handling large sums of money could lead to a loss of public trust in the bank, and you’re not going to last long on the job.
Computer Skills: Tellers use computers all day to help clients and check customers’ financial information. They also research information on products and services, and regularly enter data on computers.
Knowledge of Financial Software: Bank tellers should learn how to use specialized financial software. Even if there is on-the-job training, there is need to understand the software.
Math Skills: Before bank tellers can count and handle large amounts of money, they need strong math skills. If a customer wants to withdraw money, it is the duty of the tellers to determine whether the client’s account balance meets requirement for transaction.

Tellers need the ability to stay within cash limits when customers buy and sell currency from bank vaults for cash drawers. The duty of balancing daily cash drawers by tellers needs the skill to add, subtract, multiply, and divide quickly and accurately.

They need to understand algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, basic accounting, principles, practices, and ability to use math to solve problems.

Communication Skills: Bank tellers need to communicate effectively with customers, understanding and answering customer questions regarding account histories, interest rates and service charges. They should be able explain policies and procedures, and cope with would-be bank robbers without being afraid.
Customer Service Skills: The reason tellers need customer service skills is because they always interact with bank clients. They need to be friendly, helpful, patient and courteous. When a customer wants something within the banking hall, tellers should be able to understand what that customer wants and direct him/her to the right bank service.

2. Find a Bank Teller Job

There are many ways you can search and find bank teller jobs. They include:

Local Banks: The bank is a good place you can find a job as a teller. If your application is accepted, you will have to perform your duties amid other workers. Make sure that your application letter is well written and expressed, and during the interview dress well and answer the questions correctly for a better chance of winning the position.
ZipRecruiter: This is an online portal where you can find different types of bank teller jobs. Ziprecruiter provides over 17,615 results of bank teller jobs. You can filter your search according to zip, city and state and get a more targeted result. To visit ZipRecruiter website, follow this link: Ziprecruiter.
Snagajob: Snagajob is another good place you can look for a bank teller’s job. You can get up to 1,700 job listings, and you can search according to location. You can follow this link to Snagajob.
Indeed: Another good website that contains bank teller jobs is indeed. With more than 16,576 available job listings, Indeed allows you to search according to job title, keyword or company, and search with location as city, state or zip.
Search Google: The keyword to target when searching on Google is “bank” or “banks”, and also use the name of the town where you want to work to search. For instance, Los Angeles, CA banks, and check the website of the bank to see if you can apply online.
Reach out to Neighbors and Friends: You can reach out to neighbors and friends, and ask if they know anyone working at a local bank; if so, ask for how to get the contact for further information and procedures for application.

3. Apply For the Job

To apply for a bank teller position, you will need to send your resume to the bank or apply online. In completing an online form, your information, such as addresses, drivers license number, and SSN are required.

Avoid the temptation of sending in a long resume, but make sure to include your skills, abilities, knowledge, and experience in order to convince the interviewer that you are the right candidate. Get help on how to make an impressive resume.

You should back your resume up with a short and well-written cover letter that is targeted and straight to the point.

4. Prepare for Pre-employment Assessment Tests

The essence of a pre-employment test is to identify the best candidates for the bank teller position.

The test usually includes questions in personality, math, situational judgment, reading comprehension, and attention to details.

To succeed in job tests, you need to gain the necessary knowledge of the job and also improve on speed, efficiency, and time-management skills. You need to further understand what employers search for in bank teller candidates.

Likely areas to be assessed during the teller test include organization, technical skills, time management, self-discipline, and efficiency.

The test has two segments – math and verbal fluency, and is fixed for 45 to 55 minutes.

The test is generally administered on a computer and also as a paper-and-pencil exam.

The test provides a comprehensive assessment of a candidate’s coding with numbers and letters, verbal fluency and communication skills; the ability to follow procedure as a bank teller, numerical and reasoning skills, attention to administrative detail, and ability to handle situations related to a bank teller job.

Learn more about pre-employment assessment tests.

5. Preparation for Interviews – Major Bank Teller Interview Questions and Answers

When attending a bank teller job interview, always be conscious of your attire. The best way is to go in professional business attire. If you put on a blazer or suit, the employer will see you as being serious.

Greet managers with a firm handshake and a warm smile, and be ready to share your strong interest in banking. Some of your strengths which meet the job requirements should be detailed.

Make references of where you used those assets by saying something like, “I’ve always liked math and received good grades in the subject. I was a treasurer for the entertainment club and accurately maintained the financial records of the club”.

Carefully review the job description to note where you meet or exceed the requirements; research the company, identify, list, catalog, and review your expertise, strengths and unique value, and practice that make you sound natural and confident.

Put yourself in the employer’s shoe and emphasize what will make you stand out for the company and the job.

Below are some of the questions you’ll meet at bank teller interview:

What would you like me to know about you? Answer this question by summarizing what you’ve done that qualifies you for this opportunity. Present the most important highlights that would be most relevant to this job. Lay emphasis on the things that make you stand out as qualified for the job, and focus on advancing your career.
How would you deal with a difficult customer? In answering this question, you could say, “I believe that customers come first, and I’ve learned not to take the things that customers say about their experience personally. I endeavor to actually understand the customer’s complaint and do the best I can to resolve issues. If they continue to get upset, I would then invite the manager to know if that could really help out in that situation.”
Why did you choose our bank? The interviewer wants to know what makes you to choose their bank out of other banks you’ve probably applied to, and why you would be a good fit for them.
What do you know about our bank? In answering this question, you should look into the bank’s products, mission, values, and more, and fit your responses around that information.
Why should we hire you? Don’t make the mistake of saying something like, “You should hire me because I am the best person for this job or better than the rest”. Your answer to this question should be original enough to make you stand out from the crowd. The reason for picking you out of the others should be more professional than personal.
What are your strengths? Your strengths should be qualities like communication skills, sales skills, ability to uncover the needs of a client, responsibility, inner motivation, and good organization skills.

Just one or two strengths are good enough as too many may make you look boastful. They will discover your strengths on their own later.

Have you worked in a bank before? If you have worked in a bank before you need to mention the place, time, and title of your last position. However, if it is your first experience you should be honest; but you can mention related roles such as sales, customer service, etc. that helped you to develop skills necessary to be a good teller.
How would you convince a customer to become a client of this bank? The interviewer wants to know how good you are at sales and your ability to sell their products. If there was a time when you had to sell something or persuade someone, then mention it.
How would you handle a situation where a customer comes in and states we wrongly charged her a fee? The employer wants to know if you will remain calm and patient when a client comes to you with a problem regarding their business with the bank, but still handle the situation meticulously.
What if you saw a fellow employee take money from our institution? You could simply say, “I would abide by the policy of the company and report to the management. I would not betray the trust our clients have in us but protect their money to the best of my ability. I’m tarnishing my own image and that of the bank when I try to conceal theft going on in the bank”.

6. Follow up

You can follow your interview up if the time the interviewer gave to contact you is over. You need to do something, but don’t make the wrong follow-up move.

Before leaving the interview you need to ask the interviewer about the next steps; that would make you to know exactly when it’s acceptable to follow up.

Sending a “Thank-you” note gives you a great opportunity to follow up with the employer immediately.

As soon as the interview is over, job seekers should bring thank-you notes out and issue to every person they met in the interview process, especially the hiring manager who is to affirm that you’re on top of things and will bring great value to the bank.

After the interview, ask if you can connect through social media. That way, you’re building a long-term professional relationship. You should create a logical reason for connecting, and then ask the employer if he/she is ok with it.

You could start with something like this, “I read a New York Times article about how Microsoft is employing brand new strategy in this same way. If you’ve not seen it I’d like to forward it to you”.

You can, thus, build a long-lasting relationship whether you end up landing the job or not.

An example of a follow-up email you can send after the interview as an appreciation and reminder that you’re the excellent candidate for the position includes:

“I appreciate the time you’ve spent to interview me today. It was really great getting to know the team and I enjoyed every bit of the stay. I truly believe my skills and insights could add a lot to your team and together we could help the company to reach its potential goals”.