Career as a Bank Probationary Officer
Probationary Officers deal with many departments of a bank. Bank job today is not just cheque withdrawals and deposits, or making demand drafts. Banks have changed a lot in the past two years. The neck to neck competition among private and public sector banks to get the bigger market share has led to appointing more Probationary Officers in banks. Probationary Officers job involves dealing with various new offerings such as online banking, securities and investments, asset management and corporate banking. Initially Banks had a few this to offer but nowadays banks have lots of opportunities/department to work with. eg. loan section, foreign exchange, insurance, wealth management, merchant banking, etc. If you join a bank with open mind and are ready for transfers you have a promising career path. Today banking has become very innovative. A PO should be able to deal with all sorts of clients and also think out of the box. Usually when you join a bank as a Probationary Officer you go through a one-year probation period. During your probation period you get familiar with the working of various departments, including forex operations, general banking, loans and merchant banking, dealing with cash, selection of cheques, completing routine bank work such as bill collection, cheque clearances and loan processing etc. The probation period makes Probationary Officer familiar with every aspect of banking. The performance of a Probationary Officer decides the designation after the completion of a probation period. Before the officer is posted to any branch he get 15 day staff training. Things become easy after probation. From PO to Scale II manager takes four years, however you can take the Certified Associates of Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB) examination to accelerate the process. Remember one thing there is no limit to how high one can rise in your banking career.
Career Path
Bank Probationary Officers are selected on the basis of a written test and an interview conducted by Banking Service Recruitment Board. The POs have a two years probation period during which they perform various banking functions such as loans, foreign exchange, saving and current accounts. Most of the POs reach senior positions such as Deputy Managers or General Managers after about 10 years of service. As a manager, you would be responsible for the functioning of your particular branch. You are the sole incharge of staff welfare, legal matters and profit margins. While seniority is one of the major considerations for promotion there are also other opportunities of promotions through departmental exam held every 2 or 3 years
Skills Required by a Probationary Officer
A clear logical mind, alertness, ability to take initiative, friendliness, assertiveness, diplomacy, capacity to motivate team members, efficiency, sincerity, drive, tact, sound knowledge of the banking system with up-to-date knowledge of recent developments, adaptability, dynamism and result-oriented outlook. The person should have a mathematical aptitude. Employees joining as officers should be able to lead, motivate and manage the bank staff. Good verbal and written communication skills help in effective interaction with the clients as well as the staff. Integrity and honesty play a major role in all dealings related to money, staff and clients. A person responsible for foreign exchange transactions needs to have a sharp, quick and analytical mind. Graduates from any stream can apply to a public sector bank as a PO. Every bank recruits its staff through a written test, group discussion and interview.
Eligibility
Graduates from any stream can apply to a public sector bank as a PO. Every bank recruits its staff through a written test, group discussion and interview. Candidates after 10+2 of any stream can take up banking as their career, but graduates specialized in Commerce, Mathematics or Economics; post graduates, MBA holders, Chartered Accountants and Chartered Financial Analysts get more preference in the field. Specifically, only graduates are eligible to apply for the PO examination.
Selection procedure for Nationalised Banks
Recruitment for the public sector banks is done through the Banking Service Recruitment Boards (BSRBs). The advertisements for recruitment appear in newspapers as well as the Employment News. Recruitment is done on the basis of a written test, which consists of:
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Test of Reasoning
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Quantitative Aptitude
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General Awareness
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English Language
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Descriptive Test
The test is qualifying in nature and the marks obtained are not added in the final merit list. Except for the descriptive portion, all other sections contain objective-type questions. In Reasoning, there is verbal and non-verbal sections. In English, the test is aimed at judging the overall comprehension and understanding of the language. The descriptive paper can be answered in English or Hindi. It judges the written expression of the candidates. All sections must be qualified. Foreign banks pick up their personnel management institutes, from interviews held in the premier management institutes, from among finance professionals such as Chartered Accountants, Cost and Works Accountants and Chartered Financials Analysts and also from the fold of experienced personnel of the apex financial institutions and public sector commercial banks. Private banks recruit Officer Trainees from amongst first class graduates, Management Trainees from amongst MBAs, and also recruit experienced personnel from the banking sector for middle and higher management positions. One can do a specialised course in banking from a number of universities offering such courses. The eligibility criteria is different for different courses and candidates are advised to check these out directly from the universities concerned.
Job Prospects
As banking is a growing industry, the job prospects are good. In nationalised banks, one can expect regular promotions while in private banks it is performance that is rewarded. Promotions may be swift for deserving candidates. But it is not necessary to be a banking professional only to get into banks. As financial services are getting automated, the industry requires a large number of computer experts, both in computer maintenance and software. Private computer service contractors are also in great demand. It would be important to have a BE or MCA degree for such jobs. Foreign banks and private banks mostly operate through branches in the metropolitan cities. Promotions are linked to a highly motivated, result-oriented and dynamic approach. One reason to be excited about banking as a career is the rapid change taking place. Not only is there fresh competition, but technology promises to change the face of banking forever. The jobs are becoming comfortable, in the sense that the physical environment is pleasing and computerisation has taken the load off tedious jobs such as balancing accounts. As competition increases, a good banker will certainly be in great demand. In the overall analysis, banking offers great scope for initiative and public service. Direct contact with people in the discharge of their duties helps bankers to keep their fingers on the pulse of the public. By their sincerity and efficiency they are able to win respect and standing in society.
The Probationary Officers Pay Scale
Pay scales in public sector banks: Probationary Officer Rs. 10,000 to 18,240, Scale II(manager) Rs.13,820 to 19,920, Scale III(sr manager) Rs.20,480 to 24,140. Scale V(AGM) Rs. 24,140 to 26,620, Scale VI(DGM) 26,620 to 29,340, Scale VII(GM) Rs. 29,340 to 32,600.
prestigious job fter 12th.
my qaulification 12th pass,50% from NIOS. I want clerk job and Account Asst.