Entry level jobs at banks can be an excellent way to get your foot in the door and gain valuable experience, but it’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into. Banks are a demanding place to work—you have to be able to handle long hours and high stress levels, as well as maintain professionalism while working with people who may not always be on their best behavior. But if you’re up for the challenge, here are some of the most common entry level jobs you can find at banks.
Accounting Assistant
Accounting assistants are responsible for assisting accountants with both day-to-day tasks and long-term projects. You’ll help them prepare reports and keep records organized, as well as perform other administrative duties like answering phones or filing paperwork. This is an excellent job for someone who wants to work their way up from the bottom rung of the ladder into an accounting role.
Human Resources Assistant
Human resources assistants perform a wide range of administrative tasks related to human resources management, including recruiting new employees and developing policies for employee benefits packages (such as retirement plans). They also provide support for managers overseeing individual departments within larger companies by handling basic scheduling needs such as arranging meetings between managers
Entry Level Jobs At Banks
- Assistant manager
National average salary: $29,663 per year
Primary duties: An assistant manager is a business professional who provides support to managers. They may help managers lead their teams, help customers resolve concerns with the company’s product or services and work in the manager’s role when they’re absent. Assistant managers also perform supervisory tasks, which may include interviewing and training employees, evaluating employee progress, assigning duties to team members, keeping the store organized and managing product inventory. They often move up to managerial roles after gaining experience as an assistant.
Read more: Learn About Being an Assistant Manager
- Personal banker
National average salary: $31,495 per year
Primary duties: A personal banker is a finance professional who helps their clients manage their accounts and investments. At banks, they assist new and existing customers who want help setting up a checking or savings account, managing investment opportunities like money market and retirement accounts, exploring the types of loans the bank offers and planning for major life events, such as paying for a child’s college education. As customer-facing professionals, personal bankers use interpersonal and communication skills to establish lasting relationships with bank customers.
- Security guard
National average salary: $32,328 per year
Primary duties: A security guard is a security services professional who monitors the premises of a facility to keep the building and its occupants safe. At banks, they often have a presence to prevent people from committing crimes, such as robbery. They may also greet customers, monitor surveillance videos, perform regular inspections of safety features like locks and metal detectors and direct employees and customers in the event of an emergency. If criminal activity occurs, security guards detain the suspect and communicate with local law enforcement about the situation.
Read more: Learn About Being a Security Guard
- Teller
National average salary: $32,822 per year
Primary duties: A teller is a banking professional who helps bank customers access their accounts and make financial transactions. They use customer service skills to welcome and assist customers, determine their needs and complete their requests, such as deposits and withdrawals. Bank tellers may also answer phone calls and emails, clean their workspaces, manage cash drawers, offer bank products like credit cards and checks to customers and follow safety protocol if an emergency arises. Many bank tellers work part-time hours, although some have full-time schedules.
Read more: Learn About Being a Bank Teller
- Fraud analyst
National average salary: $34,191 per year
Primary duties: A fraud analyst is a financial professional who investigates reports of fraudulent activity, such as forgery or identity theft, at a bank. They monitor the bank’s operations, develop methods for identifying potential instances of fraud, investigating suspicious financial activity and contacting bank management and customers to inform them about the situation. If they suspect that an account may be compromised, a fraud analyst typically prevents any further access to it until they confirm and resolve the issue with the customer.
- Notary public
National average salary: $34,523 per year
Primary duties: A notary public is a government-certified official who serves as a witness when people sign important documents. As impartial parties, they observe the involved parties as they evaluate documents and sign them freely and without coercion. Then, the notary public signs the document and applies their official seal, which certifies that the document is legally binding. Types of documents notaries sign include real estate transactions, marriage certificates and living wills. They may offer their services independently or work for a government agency.
- Assistant underwriter
National average salary: $37,575 per year
Primary duties: An assistant underwriter is a banking or insurance professional who works with experienced underwriters to process applications for loans, such as mortgages, vehicle loans and credit cards. They gather the required information from the customer, evaluate their eligibility for the loan, determine a loan amount and interest rate the bank can provide and explain the options to the customer. The duties of an assistant underwriter vary based on level of experience, but many take on new tasks gradually to help them move up to an underwriter role.
- Tax preparer
National average salary: $38,712 per year
Primary duties: A tax preparer is a finance professional who helps their clients prepare their business and personal income taxes. They often use specialized software programs, which interpret the client’s information and determine how much the client owes in taxes and whether they qualify for a refund. Despite using technology, tax preparers also have up-to-date knowledge about tax laws, which change annually. They check the data they input and their calculations to confirm accuracy, submit the tax return for the client if requested and provide them with resources for monitoring the status of the return and refund.
Read more: Learn About Being a Tax Preparer
- Administrative assistant
National average salary: $44,499 per year
Primary duties: An administrative assistant is a business professional who performs office duties for an organization. The tasks of an administrative assistant vary depending on the size and needs of the company, but they may include answering phones, responding to emails and chat messages, managing schedules for executives, arranging travel plans for colleagues and managers, conducting industry research to prepare reports and presentations and maintaining office supply inventory. They use technical and interpersonal skills to perform their duties efficiently.
Read more: Learn About Being an Administrative Assistant
- Closing coordinator
National average salary: $45,133 per year
Primary duties: A closing coordinator is a real estate professional who organizes the processes in the final stages of a real estate transaction. They communicate with the buyer and the seller to schedule a time to complete the purchase, prepare and organize all closing documents and ensure the accuracy of the information before the scheduled closing. During meetings with clients, closing coordinators explain each document and the legal obligations involved with them. They may perform these transactions at the bank, in a real estate office or in a public place.
- Customer service representative
National average salary: $48,460 per year
Primary duties: A customer service representative is a support specialist who helps customers with a company’s products and services. They answer calls and messages from employees, communicate with them to learn about their concern, suggest ways to resolve the issue and refer the customer to a manager when complex issues arise. They may also process payments, refunds and exchange requests and offer additional products or services they think the customer may find helpful. At a bank, customer service representatives may help customers with their accounts or with purchasing bank products.
Read more: Learn About Being a Customer Service Representative
- Loan assistant
National average salary: $55,733 per year
Primary duties: A loan assistant is an entry-level finance professional who provides support to loan officers. They often perform many of the same duties as a loan officer and gain new skills that can help them advance in their careers. Some duties of a loan assistant may include preparing and filing paperwork, completing loan documents that adhere to relevant laws, ordering credit reports for loan applicants, communicating with government agencies and determining whether clients qualify for loans. They ensure client information remains secure and confidential throughout the process.
- Junior financial adviser
National average salary: $55,794 per year
Primary duties: A junior financial adviser is a finance professional who completes advisory duties while supervised by an experienced professional in the field. They provide support to financial advisers by preparing reports and presentations for meetings with clients, taking notes during client meetings, scheduling appointments, managing meeting schedules and maintaining communication with clients. Banks typically offer junior financial adviser roles as a training program for new professionals in the field. They provide entry-level professionals with resources and skills to achieve career advancement.
- Credit analyst
National average salary: $55,982 per year
Primary duties: A credit analyst is a finance professional who collects financial data from a loan applicant to determine whether they qualify for the loan. They collect financial information from applicants, analyze the data and inform the applicant of the level of credit they can get. They also work with businesses seeking loans by evaluating their accounts, cash flow, profits and credit histories to calculate the risk involved in providing them with loans. Credit analysts communicate with both clients and lenders to ensure they follow lending protocol and to help clients find financial resources that suit their needs.
Read more: Learn About Being a Credit Analyst
- Loan officer
National average salary: $180,209 per year
Primary duties: A loan officer is a lending professional who helps bank customers and businesses find and secure loans. They communicate with their clients to determine the reason they want to apply for a loan and the amount they want to receive. They then evaluate the client’s financial data, sometimes with the help of a credit analyst, to determine a loan amount and interest rate based on financial history. Loan officers also monitor active loans to ensure their accuracy and provide financial recommendations to clients.
