Employment Spot

Wanted: Bank Tellers

The Wall Street Journal’s CareerJournal.com recently released a report about the national shortage of qualified bank tellers. The banking industry has exploded in recent years, with additional bank branches springing up all over the country. In previous decades, bank tellers needed “only basic skills” and received “modest wages.” Many bank employment experts thought that the role of bank tellers would diminish or even disappear with the increased use of new technology such as ATMs and online banking services. The exact opposite has been true. The role of bank tellers in the industry has completely transformed from a mechanical and routine position to one that requires excellent customer relations, problem solving and marketing skills. Bank tellers are often the first face of the company to customers and they have become central in recruiting and selling to new customers.

With the expanded role of bank tellers and the boom in bank branches, banks are struggling to fill these essential positions with qualified people. Some bank mangers say that potential employees fresh from high school do not have the necessary skills to be an effective and successful bank teller in this day and age. The computer and math skills required for the position are not always taught in high school and many banks are now hiring bank tellers with bachelor’s or associates degrees. With the increase in demand, some community or technical colleges are offering special programs to give students the skills necessary to succeed as bank tellers.

Banks often promote from within the ranks, which means that hiring managers are especially concerned with finding quality candidates. Bank tellers often end up as managers of local bank branches and even move on to regional or corporate offices. The real world experience as a bank teller helps many college students or recent graduates with a leg up in their careers as they gain additional training and move up the career ladder. Across the country, banks are offering additional incentives, bonuses and perks to potential employees as they attempt to recruit accomplished tellers.

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