Personal banker position?

I have recently applied for a personal banker position at Chase and have received a call back to schedule a time for a test. What exactly do they expect from this position? I know that it is primarily a sales position which I am fine with, but one email I got explaining the position from Chase said the position would require an individual to pull people in from the lobby or drive -thru. My question is, Is that how aggressive you need to be? I'm about selling customers what they need, not pulling people in from outside to try to get them to take out a second mortgage to buy a Playstation 3.

Did you pass the assessment? Is it for the position of pb at the main branch is south bend

zach987 said: Did you pass the assessment? Is it for the position of pb at the main branch is south bend

I have yet to take the assessment, though it is scheduled. The position is for a pb, though the location has not yet been determine.

i just took that assessment today in mount prospect illinois and failed. there were 2 sections. one short one that included math and problem solving questions similar to those in ACT and SAT tests. the second and largest section contained personality questions. i find it hard to believe that i didn't pass the personality part so i must have missed a few too many questions in the first section. i didn't do too well on my ACT test but graduated college with honors. i think it sucks that i didn't get a chance based on some questions that have no relevance in life. those questions/situations are never worded that way in real life.

that said, i make 50k at my current job and heard the people that schedule these exams tell prospects that the position has a 30k base and most people make 40 to 55k. she called these prospects for the entire hour i was there. either they have many jobs to fill or high turnover. most people i talk to say commercial banking is the way to go. i still think i could have been successful as a personal banker. many of the other reviews i've read on this site say its not great. whatever you decide, good luck!

what is the math like on the second assement test

The questions are not difficult, but they do require some thought. I never had to take the SAT's, but from what I hear, the questions on the assessment compare with ones you might find on the SAT's. They give you paper and a calculator and plenty of time to do it, so don't feel rushed. Make sure you know how to figure percentages. You need to pass the the questions on the assessment so that they know you will be able to pass the tests needed to receive your series 6, 63 license.

How soon did you get the result?

They called me about two hours later to schedule an interview. They never told me I passed, but if you don't pass the test you don't get an interview.

Hi there, I took the assessment test on Friday and they told me I did not pass. I sent her an email asking the breakdown of the test, but she hasn't emailed me back. I am a salesman now and I don't think it was the second half. I think it was the word problems. She said I can take it again in 6 months, but how in the heck are you supposed to pass it in 6 months. I don't know where else to apply for a personal banker spot, I really had high hopes with Chase. Any suggestions where to go or how to pass that test in 6 months?

kelly said: I too failed the test. Get this, I did that EXACT position at another LARGE bank in Mi and have a series 6/63, so they can't tell me that the stupid test determines if you can sell or not. That test to me didn't even make ANY sense. I think I KNEW about 3 or 4 answers, the rest was a total guess. I didn't go to Harvard or Yale, but I am a high producing sales person who has over 15 years of banking experience, including being a branch manager, so go figure. I will try again when the time allows, but I think they need to redo the test to make it more closely related to the job itself!!!

Do you know if they have been doing this the whole time or is it something new? I guess I am not a real analytical person, but I am one good salesman. How in the heck do you study for something like that? I don't know where else to try to be a personal banker.

Does anyone know if this test is something new? I am just wondering if they will continue to use this? I hate waiting 6 months and how in the heck do you study for something like that?

I am not sure how new the test is. I took the test and passed. It seemed to mostly deal with percentages. I was given a calculator and paper and pen. My suggestions would be to use those items and take your time when taking the test. It is quite simple if you take the information that is in the problems and write it out and organize according to what it says. I believe there is some rhyme and reason to the test, Chase would not be one of the largest financial firms in the world if they did not know what they were doing. Good luck!

I worked as a personal banker for Chase (formerly Bank One) in Columbus, OH between 2004 and 2006. I noticed someone on here say that they have 15 yrs sales experience and bank manager experience...listen to me, you do NOT want this job. You can easily find something far better somewhere else that will pay you accordingly. They will try to lowball you salary wise, and pay you somewhere between $28k to $32k (at the absolute MOST, and almost unheard of). Commission-wise, you will be lucky to make $10-$12k on top of that salary. It really all depends on the geographic location of the branch they place you in, but the commission figure I gave is assuming you are in a branch that is in a good, high traffic, high income area. The person with the first question/comment on here asks about how the selling is done, and references an e-mail he received stating it is done by pulling people from the drive through and lobby, basically using aggressive tactics. Well, let me tell you, not only do they encourage aggressive and predatory sales tactics, but they force you to practice them. If you are worried about selling financial products to people who do not need them, then this job is not for you at all. That was my primary problem with this job, other than the crap pay. It is funny that there was mention on here earlier of convincing someone to take out a second mortgage to buy a playstation, because that is eerily close to the truth. We would have constant sales 'blitzes' where we would have to push whatever products our district managers and/or market managers wanted us to push on people, and I remember trying to pull people in to my cubicle from the lobby and try to convince them to get that second mortgage. It was terrible. In fact, Chase was barred in the Cleveland region (or atleast stringent restrictions were placed specifically on them in that region)in the entire lending arena, the official reason being their 'incessant predatory lending practices.'

Countdown66 said: I am not sure how new the test is. I took the test and passed. It seemed to mostly deal with percentages. I was given a calculator and paper and pen. My suggestions would be to use those items and take your time when taking the test. It is quite simple if you take the information that is in the problems and write it out and organize according to what it says. I believe there is some rhyme and reason to the test, Chase would not be one of the largest financial firms in the world if they did not know what they were doing. Good luck!

I am going for the test in a few hours and after reading most people failed! Now I am nervous. I will take your advice in writing out the problems on paper which makes sense to me. I have applied for a PB position and really need a job since I just got laid off. Do you know if they let you know right away if you paseed or failed?
Once again thanks for your advice :)

They called me within several hours of taking the test to schedule an interview. Take your time on the test, you will do fine. Don't get discouraged by all the negative comments about Chase on this message board. It sounds to me as though they are filled primarily filled with disgruntled or former disgruntled employees. Chase employs almost 200,000 people. The number of people complaining on here is minuscule. Good luck!

I am scheduled to take the assessment in Chicago How soon do they schedule the next interview after the assesment is passes, and how many more interviews do you have after the assessment before you recieve an offer? Just trying to get an idea of how long the process is.
Thanks

After I took the assessment they scheduled a phone interview, then there was an interview with a branch manager and district manager, then an interview with the regional manager. you are looking at a total of 2-4 interviews. Everyone is different though. I had three interviews.

How much time was there between interviews?

Just a couple of days for me.

So how much time elapsed total from the first to the final interview do they do a credit check?

jd said: who the hell keeps taking down my posts? screw you!

This is a moderated forum. Please refer to the terms of service before posting.
Thank you.

I had everything completed in one week. Monday was a phone interview, Wednesday interview with the District and branch managers, Saturday interview with the marketing manager. Your background check consists of finger prints sent to the FBI, drug test and a credit check. All this is done AFTER they offer you the job. Have you taken the assessment yet?

No I have not I will take that next tuesday. I am excited about it and can't wait. I have read everyones negative comments, but I look at that as nothing more than stinkin thinkin. I know that I can do what ever I put my mind to and the Key is taking your time to read the questions. Do you think I will be alowed to use my own real estate calculator?

I have noticed lately that all anyone seems to do is bash their former companies. It is not just this forum, but every one that I go to. I would like to hear some good comments for once. So far Chase seems like a pretty good company to me, and they spend a whole lot of money training their employees.

They also have excellent benefits. They help with child care, tuition reinbursment, discounts on their financial services as well as discounts from the corporations that they do business with, such as GM, Ford, Sprint etc.

I agree, I hear nothing but bad things on these forums. Somone has a bad day at work and they come here to give their company a bad name. Oh well. The price we pay for have the freedom of speech.

I am a banker with over 12 years experience. New to Chicago, I too applied to Chase for a PB job near my home. Had a seemingly great interview on the phone, took the assessment test and FLUNKED!!!! Couldn't believe it. The test was not only measuring your math skills but also your personality. Wasn't interested in hog tying customers and cramming products down their throat but do have the skills to sell bank product successfully... just not their way. HR made me wait an hour before they called me in to tell me they didn't want me... Oh! Well! Glad that I wasn't the only one with that experience. Don't want to work for a company that can't see beyond the end of their nose. Thanks but no thanks.

So sorry to hear. I worked for credit card services. I was offered the personal banker job and took the assessment test. Unfortunately, I flunked the test too. Employees have to wait 6 months in order to take the test again. I submitted my resume to another bank and was hired instantly!Screw Chase!

Do you have to use the calculator that they provide you or are you able to use your own calculator if you have one with you? I guess this is a question that I can call the personel person and ask. What kinds of math questions are there on the test are they word questions calculus what?? Does anyone happen to remember one that was typical of the math questions that are on the test?? Please advise Thanks

They are primarily questions about percentages. You won't need anything more then a basic calculator.

The facts about Chase:
They are the SECOND largest bank in the world.
They are currently only in 17 states in the U.S, and that is why there are many job postings... they are growing.
They have almost 200,000 employees! A very, very, very, very small fraction of a percentage are in here complaining.
I certainly would not take what I hear in a forum, good or bad and start basing my life decisions on it.

How else are you supposed to find out about a job/company without getting opinions from those who've worked there and/or know what the position entails? Isn't that the point of these forums? Everyone is entitled to an opinion and those considering applying for these jobs can either take them or leave them. I think forums like this are awesome!

I am scheduled for testing for PB next week, glad I checked this forum out so I know what to brush up on.

A small fraction are complaining. Former employees are you kidding??? Tell that to the 6000 people JPMC laid off 1 year ago. I am not a former employee, contractor or vendor juts have friends who work there and have worked there. This company will run you into the ground. Go ahead and work there. Your first day at JPMC will be great, all smiles and welcomes. But then it deteriorates. Someone will not like the way you look, may not like the way you talk, or may not like the way you dress, the list goes on but let me guarantee its downhill from there. Obviously you are desperate for a job. Do not say you were warned.

I was first approached for a part-time teller position. Gave an assessment test from home. Then received a phone interview and was asked whatI was interested in. I said a full-time position. Then I was asked to come to the HR office to give another assessment test. It included 10 multiple answer questions with guaranteed correct answers. Some were pattern oriented and tough. But take your time and you can get the answers right. Then I was asked some questions in a face top face interview with a initial rejection that I was not billingual and my area required Spanish speaking person. That was a surprise to me. However I tried to continue with the interview asking questions and trying to downplay my lack of being a billingual. That was almost 2 hours worth of my time including the test in which I took as much time as I wanted. That was March 10th and today is March 31st but I have not heard from that recruiter. Neither yes or a rejection to my thankyou email. However today another recuiter called me for another teller position and I told her of being considered for a position before but being turned down on the spot for lacking Spanish as a second language. She still has called me Monday for a PB positon in another branch. Lets see what happens. They never told me about the assessment that I took from home or the result of the assessment of the test I took in the HR office downtown. I have spent 17 years in the IT world ranging from a starting salary of 35K in 1985 to 78K in 2002. My last real job in 2002 my company was considering offshoring and 9/11 just confirmed there decision for them and many departments got closed overnight. Since 2002 I had nothing till 2005. I have made my way up from $6/hr to $14.5/hr all through 2005. Since 2005 I have had a stable job with 14.5/hr so a PB job with 32K with commissions does not look bad unless there is cause for high turnover?

No you do not need the real estate calculator as the questions are simple math and logic, pattern questions. Take your time on the test as it is NOT timed at all. If you are interested in getting the correct answers use the paper, pencil and calculator and do not give up. This maybe your lucky day. Good Luck!

Thank you all for your help in my preparing for the interview. I am going for it on Tuesday and I am sooo excited. I want the Job with Chase. Some people have had bad experiences, but I'm one of those people who create my own destiny, and know that no matter where you work you are going to face challenges. Haven't we all learned from highschool years and years ago that not everyone is going to like you or get a long with you. It really doesn't matter it's all about being professional and getting the job done and knowing how to work with people. You don't have to be friends after work. Do your job go home, pay your bills and enjoy your life. Work is business never personal. I'll keep you all posted on the outcome of my interview. Good luck to everyone else who is interviewing...

I had the same question on accurate reports. Its a very reasonable answer and the response seems to be coming from a very successful interviewer who will get the PB job! Good luck!!

Im glad i stumbled on this webpage. I am scheduled to take the assessment test tomorrow morning and have no clue of what the test will look like. you guys really helped me because now i know what to expect although i have only few hours before the test. i need to brush up on my math skills and may God help me.

Bears85 said: I have recently applied for a personal banker position at Chase and have received a call back to schedule a time for a test. What exactly do they expect from this position? I know that it is primarily a sales position which I am fine with, but one email I got explaining the position from Chase said the position would require an individual to pull people in from the lobby or drive -thru. My question is, Is that how aggressive you need to be? I'm about selling customers what they need, not pulling people in from outside to try to get them to take out a second mortgage to buy a Playstation 3.

Chase is extremely agressive when it comes to selling. They want you to sell everyone a credit card, checking, savings, loans, etc. Even if all they have is $25 to open their account. If I had talked to a personal banker before I took this position I would have not accepted it. I only learned about after I had signed the paper that I had to work here for one year or I had to pay them back for the training. All I can say is find somewhere else ... I've finished my sentence and am looking for another position elsewhere.

Being a PB at Chase is very challenging, they want you to sell something to everyone and if you dont they are disappointed and critical. i work at an instore branch and it is very difficult. You think going into the lobby to talk to customers is difficult try going out into a grocery store and bringing back leads from people who just want to shop! Now that is a challenge!!

Not Happy,

Today I had an interview with the Branch Manager. Within hours I received another call for an interview with the District Manager tomorrow. I am working in an horly job that pays $14.5/hr. They make us do some overtime from December to May. I make 30K with nominal benefits. My time off today for the Brach Manager interview was NOT approved. Should I put my current position in jeopardy for this PB job? I need an answer in the next 4 hours!

Ajay Jain said: Not Happy,
Today I had an interview with the Branch Manager. Within hours I received another call for an interview with the District Manager tomorrow. I am working in an horly job that pays $14.5/hr. They make us do some overtime from December to May. I make 30K with nominal benefits. My time off today for the Brach Manager interview was NOT approved. Should I put my current position in jeopardy for this PB job? I need an answer in the next 4 hours!

If you need an answer from someone else to tell you if you should take another job, then you better stay where you are. If you don't feel confident enough about the new job based on your OWN interview experience, then it isn't right for you.

How do you develop cold call leads? Is there a database to work with or you just have to be creative? Are the Chase applications user friendly? The Branch I visited at MacArthur Road in Irving Texas today has a problem lacking traffic so they are moving to a new building in June. The Branch manager was saying things are so bad that there no where to go but UP!

You thought that was bad?? I'm in NYC... I have 3 other Chase's in a 10 block radius, plus 6 other banks... !!

Most of the branches has assigned leads for you to call.. So once you start with Chase, the branch manager assigns clients to you.

Wow ajay,

If that branch manager told you a)that they have to move cause traffic is so bad, and b)there is no place to go but up, then RUN!! I have said it before that it is a mistake to not only work for this company, but especially to work as a personal banker (or whatever they call it now, they change the name every year or so- used to be called 'relationship banker'). When I first started with Chase (formerly Bank One) in 2004, I was at a horrible branch in the worst part of town. I was only able to earn my base salary of $28k, even while trying to use their predatory sales tactics. The area was just so awful that 90% of the people could not even qualify to open a checking account (there is a system called Chexsystems that you will come to know well if you work in an area that is less than desirable). So if customers can't even qualify for a basic account, how would they ever have the money for investments, or the credit to get a loan? They wouldn't, which was my problem. But I ended up getting [somewhat] lucky and I was moved to a much better branch (without even having to ask, which is the only positive note I'll make about Chase). Even though I was now in a branch that was as good as it could get, my commission was only $12k before tax! And I was a national achiever!! So that puts my before tax earnings at $40k! That makes the take home equal FAR less than $35k, more in the range of $28-$32k take-home. For those of you without a college or high school degree, hallelujah! Yov'e hit the JACKPOT! But those, like me, that actually got a 4 yr. college degree, you will know that this is crap. Complete crap. I eventually left for a real sales job, a company that had better benefits (Chase's were horrible, I heard someone comment on here earleier that they were good, but they got worse and worse every year, and they are truly awful. And don't get me started on their caremark prescription plan). The company I went to pays $40k base, $35k commission.

I passed the test!! I was told that I scored very highly and guess what I don't even like math. So all you have to do to pass the test is take your time, take lots of time... write out the questions on paper so you can break it down because they are filled with useless information that have nothing to do with the answer. They are designed to confuse you. But if you take your time you will get the right answer. Also the other tests have to do with percentages, no real math all word questions, which I happen to be good at. After the test I immediatly met with the recruiter, then went to meet the brach manager and was going to meet with the district manager, but by that time hours and hours went by and I was starving. I needed to eat. I am hoping to hear back from them today. Chase has to hire 250 people by the end of the quarter so if you pass the test then you may very well be in like flinn. I still have some ways to go because I need to meet with the district manager. I want to address the people who are putting down those with no college degree. I don't have a degree, I have been to college, and just need a few classes, but I have ackomplished quite a bit in my life with Gods help. I bought a beautiful home on my own, I have 2 cars that are paid for, I have made more money in a year than my mother who is an attorney, and I am highly respected in the community and my church. A degree does not guarentee you more income hun, it is only a piece of paper and is great to fall back on. You don't need to have a degree to be a sales person, entrapanuer, or real estate investor, which from what I have seen are the people making the most money. Don't be sooo judgemental. Degrees prove that you have been formally educated, but they don't promise you any particular salary unless you went for something specialized like to be a neuro surgeon. Just wanted to address that because I think who ever is saying that is shallow minded or very young.

MP02 said: I applied for the PB position on Chase's website. The recruiter called me in 2 days and I went through the phone interview. After that she told me that she would like me to come in to take a test and to meet with the senior recruiter for an interview. I went in, took the test, and passed. It took me about 35-40 minutes total. The first 10 questions deal with mostly patterns, critical thinking, and word/order recognition. One question for example had the following percentages that indicate accuracy on reports:
97, 98, 96, 96, 97, 98, 96, 96
If you had to order the next reports and you needed exactly 195. How many reports should you order?
a) 201
b) 189
d) 195
e) 203
The answer would be A) - If you look at the pattern you'll see what percentage would be next which is 97. If you take 195 and divide it by 97% you'll get 201. The numbers are rounded so you may have some decimals, but I'm just giving you an idea of what the first 10 questions are like.
After the test I had an interview w/ the senior recruiter which couldn't have went any better then it did. I then received a call 2 days later and now have my 3rd interview with the Branch Manager. Everything has gone smoothly so far and we'll see what happens w/ the 3rd interview.
I have some friends and family members that work for Chase. I've heard nothing but great things. Of course with any company, you'll have your pros and cons, but it really comes down to what you make of the situation and the opportunity. Everyone will have different experiences, so you just have to go through it yourself and see it first hand if you and the company are a good fit or not. So that's exactly what I'm doing. Just wanted to provid my input.

This post is helpful. Thanks! I have an interview scheduled to take the two assessments on Monday. I am going to look up sample percentage problem questions online before then to brush up on my math skills.

Danne,

How was the interview with the Branch Manager? I didn't know there was a district manager involved with the process either. Hopefully he's present when I go in tomorrow for the interview, so I can get it both out of the way in one shot.

For the problem solving questions, are those very hard? Can anyone give an example? Thanks!

I had my interview with the District Manager yesterday. He was very kind and polite during the whole interview. He said the decision may come within the week. So I will keep my fingers crossed. I was promised $32K the higher end of the scale for a Personal Banker. I currently make $30K for 40hr/week with some overtime from December to May.