How to Get a Job as a Bank Teller

A career as a bank teller can be exciting. As a teller you will meet many different people and learn a variety of new skills. If you want to work with money or in a higher position at a bank someday, working as a bank teller is a great way to start. The job isn't for everyone, but if you're committed there's a path to take.

Part 1

Preparing to Search for a Job

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   Ensure that you're committed to being a bank teller. Are you in it for the pay? In many cases bank tellers must do a lot of work and have a great deal of responsibility, but do not get paid much.  If you enjoy working with the general public and want to meet new people, this could be the right job for you. Maybe you want to pursue a career in banking and this is a way to get your foot in the door. Maybe you just like working with money! All of those are good reasons, but make sure that you have a good one. You’ll certainly be asked why you want to be a bank teller during your interview.
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   Decide what type of bank you would like to work at. There are many options. You could work at a small, hometown bank, a national bank, or a regional bank. A regional bank has many branches, but only within a few states. Realize that regional and national banks operate similarly in style whereas hometown banks are more intimate.
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   Ensure that you are qualified for the position. Before you can apply, banks will want and expect you to meet certain qualifications. They expect you to have good credit, no criminal record, several professional or personal references, and previous employment they can check on. If nothing else, they’ll want to see how long you worked at your previous job. You’ll also need some basic computer skills, such as understanding how to use the Windows operating system. For most teller jobs, you should have at least a year's worth of experience providing customer service and handling and balancing cash. Sales is a major plus.
   

   • If you don’t have computer skills, many public libraries offer free classes on the weekends. Enroll in one of these classes.
   • If you don’t have previous customer service experience, try getting an entry level job as a cashier somewhere. If you work as a cashier for six months you’ll have experience with customer service and handling money and you might be able to leverage this into a bank teller position.
   • You might also have to pass a basic math proficiency test. 
   • Keep in mind that most bank teller positions require you to have a high school diploma.
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   Begin searching for bank jobs! You can check your local paper for teller positions, but also consider going to the websites of various banks that operate in your town. Almost all of them have career sections that will give you information on what branches are hiring and what the expectations are for the jobs. If you have no experience working in a bank, you will most likely want to look for jobs that are labeled either as "Teller" or "Teller 1". This are entry level teller positions. 

Part 2

Landing an Interview

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   Apply online if a form is available or send your resume to the bank. Keep in mind that if you send in a resume without a form they will most likely have an application for you to complete. They will want all your information, such as addresses of the past seven or more years, education, employment, skills, awards, references, SSN, and drivers license number. There may also be questions such as "Why do you want to work for this bank?"
   

   • If they ask why you want to work for that particular bank, be specific. Mention how you love interacting with people in that town and how you want to make their trip to the bank a special one.
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   Try to make personal connections.  Network if you can. Many people get jobs because they know someone who put in a good word for them. If you don’t know anyone, maybe someone you know knows someone. Try posting on Facebook or other forms of social media. If it’s truly your dream to a bank teller, someone might be willing to help you out.
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   Walk into the bank that you want to work for and request an application. Sometimes applying for a job in person can lead directly to an interview. Especially if you have a rapport with the person you ask for an application from. Make sure that you dress professionally if you are going to ask for an application in person.
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   Call to ask about openings. Get on the phone with different banks and ask to speak with someone from HR. Tell them that you would love to send them your resume or bring it in to them. Try to explain very briefly why it’s so important to you that you work there. Send an email to follow up. 
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   Wait for an interview, but keep in mind the process is generally slow. HR often works on limited days. Unless they are in dire need for a teller, they may take their time weeding through applicants. Try to be patient and apply to as many jobs as you can find while you wait.

Part 3

Acing the Interview

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   Dress to impress. It’s a cliché, but try to wear something nice. You don’t need to wear a tuxedo, but a shirt and tie is probably a good start. Bank tellers generally wear nice clothing and so you should dress as if you were going to work that day. This can make or break your interview. 
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   Make eye contact and offer a steady handshake. Don’t try to squeeze the person’s hands off and don’t act like it’s a staring contest. Keep your eye contact friendly and your handshake firm and professional. Try to show your personality without being unprofessional.
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   Prepare for questions about your customer service experience.You’ll probably be asked specific questions about how you would handle customers. Banks expect major kissing up even if the customer is wrong, so try to answer questions with the idea that the customer is always right. You might also be asked how you would deal with cash discrepancies and how you balance your money. Expect many questions about sales. Your manager will most likely ask you to sell them something, such as "convince me to buy this pen". They want you to be out there pushing products. Be prepared!
   

   • For example, if you get an interview question asking if you have ever done anything good for the customer but bad for the company try answering by saying that you don’t think so because what’s good for the customer is almost always good for the company.
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   Try to showcase qualities that make you a good candidate for the position. Honesty, reliability, strong judgment, and multitasking are all qualities that the manager will be looking for. Try to think of ways that you can frame your past experience to highlight these characteristics before you go into the interview.

Part 4

Following Up

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   Send a thank you note after your interview.  This will set you apart from the other candidates and let them know you appreciate their time. When leaving the interview, always thank whoever interviewed you and shake their hand. A thank you note will also get them thinking about you as a candidate in case there are a lot of applicants.
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   Wait to hear back. If you get the job, congratulations! But if not, try harder next time and just remember, every bank is a different fit for each person. There are plenty of bank teller jobs out there. Try to keep building customer service experience and keep searching for bank teller openings.
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   Call to check on the position if you don't hear back for a few weeks. If you don’t hear back in a few weeks, call to follow up. However, if they told you that they won't make a decision for a month, then wait a month. Don’t be pushy, just say that you were wondering about the time frame for their decision.

Tips

• Banks offer great benefits such as medical, dental and vision as well as many paid holidays, vacation after one year and personal days. These often include part time workers too, but check with HR first. All employees should have free checking accounts and similar discounted bank products.
• Don't go in with the mindset that you are getting a cool and trendy job: it is hard work. Expect to work lots of Fridays and Mondays because those are the busiest days in banking.
• Make sure noted strengths are accuracy, attention to detail, and communication.
• Beware of working in banks inside grocery stores. They often are open all weekend, later hours than most traditional banks, have high employee turnover and are often open on most holidays (including federal ones such as 4th of July and Thanksgiving-something traditional banks get off). Be prepared to work hard!
• Banking is not as glamorous as it seems. It is a lot of work, customers can be very upsetting, and you will be expected to meet and exceed sales goals on a daily basis.
• If you do not like sales, this is not the job for you. Your job will consist of more sales than anything else; bank tellers often work harder than personal bankers when it comes to balancing a variety of tasks.