JOB WHERE PEOPLE COUNT
THE banking sector may suffer from a perception problem from time to time but looks can be deceiving.
In Roy Morgan’s 2017 Image of Professions Survey 33 per cent of Australian respondents rated bank managers as “high” or “very high” for ethics and honesty.
While they rated lower than nurses (94 per cent) and doctors (89 per cent) which topped the list, they rated higher than federal and state politicians (both 16 per cent) and talkback radio announcers (14 per cent).
However it may not be what workers expect, as many current bank employees enjoy being able to help others.
Paul Collins, NAB general manager of retail for Queensland, says before he started his career in banking he didn’t realise what the sector was really like.
“I naively thought it would be all about numbers and balancing books but it’s all about people,” he says.
“One of my roles as a small business banking manager involves having people come in with goals. It surprised me how much of a role we could play in helping them be the best they can be.”
Collins says banking is an honourable job.
“As a bank manager, what I do each day is about more than money,” he says.
“I help customers by backing bold decisions that have the potential to make a real difference to people’s lives.
“That is my purpose and why I chose to be a banker.”
Despite recent job cuts in the sector, Government data forecasts about 1200 more bank jobs will be created in the five years to May, 2022 and another 5700 new jobs are expected for financial brokers as well as another 3400 for finance managers.
Collins says there is lots of opportunity for career progression in the banking sector.
He personally feels as if he’s had five different careers without leaving his employer.