The median salary of a bank teller is close to $25,000. As it doesn’t require a college degree, it is an appropriate choice of job for many. Bank tellers are arguably the most important people working in a bank, as many times they are the first representatives clients interact with. Additionally, it is a great starting point to work your way up in the bank. Interested? Here are 10 bank teller interview questions and answers to help you prepare for the interview.
- Why do you want to work as a bank teller?
As the first people that clients have interaction with, your motivation for this career and bank need to shine through. Talk about how you enjoy the challenges in the position and how you love working directly with people. End by explaining how you feel working as a bank teller will help you in your career path as you eventually would like to work at a higher position, such as a relationship manager.
- What are some aspects you like about the job?
Be sincere and truthful; the best way of doing this is by talking about your favorite aspects of the job. If there’s a past applicable experience that you’ve had, share it.
- What are some aspects you do not like about the job?
Once again, be sincere and truthful, however you need to remember to still be positive. When answering this question, start off by stating a positive aspect that can be linked to the negative. Don’t spend too much time on the negative, and if possible, end on a positive note as well.
- How would you convince a customer to become a client of this bank?
Here’s the time to tell a story of a previous experience when you’ve had to persuade someone, or sell someone something. Explain the importance of having a conversation with the client in order to better understand what they’re looking for and need. Always be genuine, have your clients’ best interests at heart. Make it evident that you want to build a trustworthy relationship between the bank and the client. Positive reinforcement is a must as well!
- How are you at handling large sums of money?
I’m extremely comfortable! Tell the hiring manager that you are an organized person that will ensure that every transaction is accurate by doubling checking throughout the day as well as at the end of your shift. You will implement a flexible system for yourself to ensure everything remains accurate.
- What would you do if you saw a fellow employee take money from our bank?
Regardless of whether it’s $5 or $500, this needs to be reported. Explain how you will follow company policy (insert your knowledge of the company policy here!) and report the incident to the necessary supervisor. Additionally, state how you value the trust of the clients and that by not reporting such an incident you’d be breaking their trust, which is the last thing you ever want to do.
- How have you dealt with angry customers in the past?
Most likely there’s been a time in your life when you’ve dealt with an angry customer whether it was when you were working retail, waitressing, or even completing a group project in college. Tell the story as to why the situation arose, how you solved it, and how the customer was reassured and happy upon leaving. Be truthful when telling this story, and focus on how you remained calm the entire time, listened to the customer thoroughly, and took the appropriate steps in solving the problem.
- Convince me that I need a loan by using your best sales pitch.
As a bank teller, you will need to help the branch make its sales goals. This is where having a conversation with the customer is important, as the best way to make a sales pitch is by tying it into something personal to them. For instance, if your client mentioned something in regards to their home, spin it into having a conversation about their home. Find out if they own it, if they already have a home equity loan, explain why they should have one, etc.
- Out of all the banks, why do you want to work at ours?
Here is where you can show off how much you’ve read up on the bank – what they stand for, how they treat their customers, what big initiatives they have coming up, and more. If you already have an account at that bank, say that you’ve loved the service you’ve received as a customer and want to be part of that. If the bank works with a specific charity, state that you love the affiliation.
- What are the characteristics of a great bank teller?
As stressed multiple times, a bank teller is the first impression a client or potential client gets of the bank. Because of this, customer service skills, personality, and communication are all vital characteristics to this job. Furthermore organization and ability to handle money are important as well.
Of course an interview will include some non-bank teller specific interview questions. As usual, Ploymint has you covered. Prepare for the common interview questions, behavioral interview questions, and competency based interview questions. Furthermore, as you will be working with customers heavily, brushing up on customer service interview questions is a great preparation tool as well.