Meeting Job Requirements and Developing Skills
Earn your high school diploma before you begin applying for bank jobs. Most Canadian banking positions require a minimum of a high school diploma for entry-level work. This includes positions like a drive-through clerk or a teller.
Become a Canadian citizen to legally work in Canada. You must meet certain legal obligations before being allowed to work in Canada. If you prefer not to become a citizen, you can become a permanent resident instead. Or apply for a temporary work permit, which allows you to work in Canada as a foreign citizen. If you’re planning to permanently relocate to Canada before becoming a citizen, apply for a Canadian visa. A Temporary Resident Visa will allow you to live and work in Canada for an extended period of time. This document can also make it easier for you to become a full citizen of Canada. You can start the application process for a Canadian visa online. Learn more here: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/apply-visitor-visa.html.
Pass a securities course if you plan to become an investment banker. In Canada, there are a number of securities courses you can take. Once you’ve passed the course, you’ll be eligible to work as an investment banker. The primary securities course is the CSI’s Global Education’s Canadian Securities Course (CSC). You can also take a securities course offered by the Institute of Canadian Bankers. Securities courses will familiarize you with Canadian financial services. They will also give you in-depth knowledge about banking-industry practices like assessing company performance and understanding industry standards. You can choose between courses that let you specialize in areas including investment management and financial planning. Find out more about the CSI’s CSC course at: https://www.csi.ca/student/en_ca/courses/csi/csc.xhtml. If you’re only planning to work as a bank teller, you won’t need to pass these exams.
Earn a BA in a finance-related field to make yourself hirable. Investment banks like to hire young people with Bachelor’s degrees in fields that directly prepare them for working in a banking environment. While a generic business degree may suffice, you’ll be a more competitive candidate if you earn a degree directly related to banking. These fields include: Finance Business Administration Economics Accounting
Apply for a banking internship before you graduate college. If you are currently a college student, look into opportunities for a position within a bank through an internship or work co-op. Internships and work co-ops often lead to full-time job offers once you graduate school. Contact your college career academic adviser if you are currently a student to help you in making arrangements for an internship within a bank in Canada. Many Canadian banks offer summer programs as well as scholarships for college students seeking to gain valuable skills and acquire some knowledge in the banking industry while still in school. Most colleges and universities get actively involved in placing students within internships, setting up appointments, and arranging interviews.
Earn a Master’s in Finance for a career as an investment banker. A Master’s in Finance is a 2- or 3-year graduate program that prepares you to work in a financial field or institution. Through your graduate courses, you’ll be able to find out about banking internships and jobs. This is a great way to get your foot in the door of a bank. In general, a Master’s in Finance will make you a better-qualified candidate for all types of banking jobs. If you’re considering going back to school and want to work in banking, a MF is the way to go.
Finding Job Leads
Network by reaching out to personal and professional contacts. Networking is a great way to make personal connections that can lead to Canadian banking jobs. Networking face-to-face removes much of the impersonality of online job applications. For example, if you have a friend of a friend who manages a bank in Ottawa, ask your friend if they could set up a coffee meeting between you and the bank manager. Either an undergrad program in business or a Master’s in Finance will also provide you with plenty of opportunities to network with banking professionals and hiring managers.
Look for banking jobs at a local job fair. Job fairs are a great way for companies—including banks—to find interested and qualified applicants. A job fair will also allow you to speak with several hiring banks in a single afternoon. You can ask the bank representatives how many positions they’re hiring for, how many branches are hiring, and what types of positions need to be filled. To find information about upcoming local job fairs, search online for something like, “job fairs near me.” For a more banking-specific search, look for “banking job fairs in my area.”
Browse online boards to look for jobs in the Canadian banking industry. Popular job-search websites include LinkedIn, Monster, and Indeed. Expand your search to include the subject of “finance” and “investment,” as openings may be listed under several categories. Make notations and bookmark those links with the best prospects. For example, check out the listings of banking jobs through the Canadian website Hays. Or, if you’re looking for jobs in a specific city (e.g., Toronto), you could scan the CareerBuilder banking jobs listing for that city. You could also browse the banking listings at Indeed for Toronto or other major cities.
Find job listings on the websites of reputable banks in Canada. Read about the companies and the type of work that they do, and check for possible openings for banking jobs. Look for a menu button that says “Career” or “Jobs.” Keep a listing of those companies that provide some promising opportunities for a banking job so that you can revisit them later to apply for a position. For example, check out job listings online for the Royal Bank of Canada at: https://www.rbc.com/careers/index.html. If you’re interested, you could also check out the websites for finance and investment firms. While these aren’t technically banks, the work you’d do would likely be similar.
Apply to work in a rural bank if you don’t mind the commute. About 1/3 of Canada’s banks are located in rural or small-town environments. If you’re only considering working in a bank in a large city, you may be overlooking attainable banking jobs in less populated regions. So, in addition to searching online for jobs in major cities like Toronto or Montreal, look in smaller towns like Rainbow Lake, Alberta, or Toad River, BC. Even if you have to commute from a metropolitan area to a rural banking branch, it might be worth it to get your foot in the door at a Canadian bank.
Selecting a Field Within Banking
Look for entry-level jobs if you don’t have much experience. For example, you can apply to work as a bank teller or as an entry-level sales consultant. Also consider applying for data-entry clerk positions or for jobs as an administrative clerk. These jobs will help you gain necessary experience if you’d like to have a career in banking. You’re technically eligible for most entry-level jobs with only a high-school diploma. However, if a bank has received many applications for low-level positions, having a bachelor’s degree will give you a competitive edge.
Find positions for managers if you’ve worked in banking before. If you worked at a high level at a bank earlier in your career, plan to apply for bank management jobs. You’ll be especially competitive if you’ve earned an MBA or an MF. As a bank manager, you would be overseeing dozens of bank employees, meeting with high-level clients, and ensuring that operations run smoothly.
Aim to find a job as an investment banker to invest in companies. Investment bankers invest money in young start-up businesses and entrepreneurial ventures. In other instances, companies will hire an investment banker to purchase a smaller company or oversee a corporate merger. Most investment banker jobs require an MBA.
Search for a job as a financial analyst to work closely with investors. Financial analysts help investors analyze stocks, bonds, and mutual funds in order to assemble the best possible investment portfolio. Most analysts specialize in understanding financial trends in a specific region (e.g., Korea) or for a specific type of business (e.g., pharmaceutical companies). If you want to work with budgets specifically, look for work as a budget analyst. You’ll work to oversee the budgets of various corporations. Some analyst positions require an MBA.
Apply for a job as a loan officer to assess who receives a bank loan. Loan officers work with potential loan recipients to determine which recipients are too high-risk and should be denied a loan. These jobs require you to look through large amounts of paperwork before extending loans to, for example, car buyers, house buyers, or college students. Most loan-officer positions do not require an MBA. The hiring managers may want you to have a bachelor’s degree in a business-related field, though.
Preparing and Submitting Your Application Materials
Highlight your financial and banking experience on your resume. Regardless of your level of experience, when applying for a banking job, focus on presenting your financial background. This includes information like college classes in finance and any prior work in a financial institution. There are different formats to follow when creating a resume, including chronological and functional. The best format for you will depend on your employment history as well as educational background. Use a chronological resume if you have several years of work experience as well as having graduated from high school or college. A chronological resume is formatted based on your history and includes specific dates for employment and training. Choose a functional resume if you do not have a great deal of work experience and are still in college or have just recently graduated. A functional resume will highlight your skills and abilities and focus less on past work experience.
Submit applications to your top 5–7 banking jobs. Once you’ve reviewed a number of banking job postings online, narrow your list down to 5-7 jobs that you feel you’d enjoy and know you’re qualified for. All of the jobs you’re applying for should be in the same banking industry (e.g., investment banking). Visit the bank’s application portal, and fill in your personal and professional information as requested. The application will comprise your resume describing your work and education history, a 1-page cover letter, and professional or academic references. You should be able to apply for nearly all positions online. Some positions at older banks may request that you mail in a paper copy of your application and resume.
Prepare to answer questions about Canadian finance in the interview. Questions will differ from bank to bank and will depend on the position you’re applying for. But, most questions will deal with your knowledge of the banking industry, customer service experience (for teller positions), knowledge of economics, and knowledge of loans and interest rates. For example, the interviewer(s) may ask you about your knowledge of current financial events, recent turns on the stock markets, and your personal abilities with banking or programming software. They may also ask you to clarify aspects of your resume. Many Canadian banking companies do interviews in person and over Skype. You may be able to choose which format you prefer.
Follow up promptly after interviews. Send a short thank-you email to the bank representative(s) that met and spoke with you. Briefly mention your desire to work for the company and that you believe that you have the qualifications and necessary experience to successfully do the job. Be enthusiastic but also professional in your tone and your approach. For example, you could write, “Thank you for taking the time to interview me last Monday. I appreciated the time to speak face-to-face. I hope you’ll consider me for the position. Looking forward to hearing from you soon!”
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