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INDUSTRY NETWORKING
SESSION with
Cindy Tong, Business Development Manager
Royal Bank of Canada
Date: Thursday, October
28, 2004
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Ms. Cindy Tong presented on the Banking Industry in
Calgary, professional development requirements,
opportunities, and sector trends.
Royal Bank of Canada is
one of the largest banks in the country, with over
1,300 branches across the provinces and 4,151 banking
machines. They service 2.5 million clients online and
2.4 million telephone clients. They were voted the top
banking/financial institute in Calgary in the 2004
Calgary Herald Reader�s Choice Awards.
AGENDA
. Introductions
. Careers in Banking
. Designations and Continuing Education
. Interviews
. Networking
. Questions
Notes from the Session
1. Traditional Roles
. Entry level positions include Tellers (Customer
Service Representatives or CSR) and training program
employees
. Training programs provide on-site job training as
well as the flexibility to work in various locations
(salary ranges from $30,000 to $40,000)
. Intermediate positions include account managers
(Personal Financial Services or Business Banking) and
Personal Financial Services Representatives (PFSR)
. Commission based positions include: Insurance Sales
Representatives, Financial Planners, Mortgage
Specialists and Investment Advisors
. At RBC, Financial Planners may be Investment &
Retirement Planners and Relationship Financial
Planners
2. Unique Roles in the banking industry include:
. Information Technology and programming occupations
. Marketing and Public Affairs
. Wills & Estates Consultants (Law practitioners)
. RBC Insurance consultants such as health care
personnel
. Oil & Gas consultant (Engineers)
. Risk Management
. Human Resources personnel
. Recruitment officers
3. Education and Designations
. Do not necessarily have to have an accounting or
finance background to be employed in the banking
industry.
. Education includes taking Investment Funds in Canada
(IFIC) courses and Canadian Securities Courses (CSC).
. Designations that banking professionals pursue
include:
. PFP (Professional Financial Planner)
. CFP (Certified Financial Planner)
. CFA (Certified Financial Analyst)
. MBA (Masters of Business Administration
. MTI (Member, Trust Institute)
. AMP (Accredited Mortgage Professional
4. Interviews
. Behaviorial interviews focus on your past
performance in previous situations to predict your
future performance in similar situations. You may be
asked:
. Tell us about a time when you had a conflict with a
co-worker, how was it resolved?
. What would you do in a situation where you knew a
co-worker was not performing their responsibilities
and tasks on team project?
. Consider the following elements when framing your
answers: the Situation, your Actions, and the Results
or Outcomes
. Listen carefully to questions in interviews and
always ask for clarification if you do not understand
the question or would like it to be repeated
. Provide the most recent examples, they can be from
past work experiences, classes, activities, team
involvement and community services
5. Networking
. It�s not what you know, it�s who you know�
. Take opportunities such as attending seminars,
workshops, community events and special career fairs
to learn more about the industry and gain possible
contacts
. It can be anywhere, even at your child�s bake sale!
The more people you meet, the wider your network of
contacts will grow�
Other tips:
. Volunteer
. Take some self-development courses � register for a
course at the Institute for Canadian Bankers
. Research! Learn as much about your skills and
experience as possible and how they may apply to
various positions within the banking industry
. Convince employers that they SHOULD hire you
. Be up to date on industry trends such as growing
diversification in Calgary�s population and the need
for banking associates that speak languages other than
English
For further information
contact a Royal Bank branch in Calgary or view their
career opportunities at
http://www.rbc.com/uniquecareers/
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