Anyone work for Alliance and Leicester?

ses6jwg

I have an interview next week for the position of "Personal Banker" which is a customer assistance/ bank teller role.

I have an interview at the branch, does anybody have any experience of one?

I'm guessing they will ask why I want to work for Santander, how my experience is relevant to the role etc.

Also this may be counting my chickens before they come home to roost, but do Santander offer a decent employee pension scheme and Share Options?

wontfallforit

ses6jwg wrote: »

I have an interview next week for the position of "Personal Banker" which is a customer assistance/ bank teller role.

It's a sales role, dressed up as a service role. Though you have to assist customers as part of your job, what being a Personal Banker actually involves is pro-actively chasing customers (by telephone, in writing, and in branch), and persuading them to sit down with you for a meeting/review.

Then you 'interview' the customer for 20-30 mins, following a very strict interviewing formula (your own tried and tested method), whilst simultaneously making the customer feel as if you're just having a general chit-chat with them. At the end of the discussion, you will magically produce some "solutions" to the customer, and this is where the sales aspect comes in. You'll most likely reccommend they switch some of their insurances - home, motor, life, travel - to Santander, and will also offer the likes of new current/savings accounts, credit cards, an appointment with a mortgage adviser, an appointment with a financial adviser, etc. - it totally depends on what the customer's circumstances are, and what you can get out of them.

That probably sounds really awful, but it is quite a ruthless role. You have to be really tenacious, and have to be prepared to work to strict targets.

I have an interview at the branch, does anybody have any experience of one?

I'm guessing they will ask why I want to work for Santander, how my experience is relevant to the role etc.

They'll want to know about what sales experience you have, and how you can make it slot into Santander. You'll have a maths test - very easy - and then a role play scenario (sell, sell, sell!), then a traditional 1 to 1 interview. Again, the focus is on sales. When asked what motivates you, make it related to meeting/exceeding sales targets.

ses6jwg

wontfallforit wrote: »

It's a sales role, dressed up as a service role. Though you have to assist customers as part of your job, what being a Personal Banker actually involves is pro-actively chasing customers (by telephone, in writing, and in branch), and persuading them to sit down with you for a meeting/review.

Then you 'interview' the customer for 20-30 mins, following a very strict interviewing formula (your own tried and tested method), whilst simultaneously making the customer feel as if you're just having a general chit-chat with them. At the end of the discussion, you will magically produce some "solutions" to the customer, and this is where the sales aspect comes in. You'll most likely reccommend they switch some of their insurances - home, motor, life, travel - to Santander, and will also offer the likes of new current/savings accounts, credit cards, an appointment with a mortgage adviser, an appointment with a financial adviser, etc. - it totally depends on what the customer's circumstances are, and what you can get out of them.

That probably sounds really awful, but it is quite a ruthless role. You have to be really tenacious, and have to be prepared to work to strict targets.



They'll want to know about what sales experience you have, and how you can make it slot into Santander. You'll have a maths test - very easy - and then a role play scenario (sell, sell, sell!), then a traditional 1 to 1 interview. Again, the focus is on sales. When asked what motivates you, make it related to meeting/exceeding sales targets.

Cheers,

Yeah I had kind of figured there was a big emphasis on the sales aspect.

I've not done a huge amount of "direct" sales but I've got experience of working in a retail environment (about 5 years on and off) and have done some "direct" sales as part of that.

I'm pretty well versed in financial instruments, ISAs, GEPs, credit cards so that should be a positive for me.

When you say maths exam I'm guessing its your typical "numerical reasoning" test?

I might do a few practice ones as havn't done much pure maths over the last few years.

wontfallforit

ses6jwg wrote: »

Cheers,

Yeah I had kind of figured there was a big emphasis on the sales aspect.

I've not done a huge amount of "direct" sales but I've got experience of working in a retail environment (about 5 years on and off) and have done some "direct" sales as part of that.

I'm pretty well versed in financial instruments, ISAs, GEPs, credit cards so that should be a positive for me.

When you say maths exam I'm guessing its your typical "numerical reasoning" test?

I might do a few practice ones as havn't done much pure maths over the last few years.

Sounds like you have suitable experience...is it a graduate application, or non-graduate?

If it's non-graduate, the maths test is really, really simple. Just a little bit of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and basic division. No calculator of course, but plenty of time to complete the test.

ses6jwg

wontfallforit wrote: »

Sounds like you have suitable experience...is it a graduate application, or non-graduate?

If it's non-graduate, the maths test is really, really simple. Just a little bit of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and basic division. No calculator of course, but plenty of time to complete the test.

I am a graduate, but it is a non-graduate role.

Looking at the job description again:

Alliance & Leicester is now part of the Santander group. This vacancy will be in an Alliance and Leicester branch.
Ready to build your future with one of the UK’s largest banks and second largest provider of mortgages and savings? As part of the Santander Group, we enjoy all the backing of a global bank with 132,000 employees, 69 million customers and 11,180 branches in 40 countries – so we’re really going places. You can join us on our journey.
In this desk-based role at one of our branches, you will give our customers all the guidance they need to realise their personal financial goals. This will involve engaging people from all walks of life, gathering information, matching requirements to products and closing the sale or referring the enquiry to a colleague.
An assured and effective communicator, you will require the diplomacy to deal with the occasional customer complaint and the cash handling skills to coach counter staff, so you can expect variety and challenge every day.
Ideally you will have proven targeted sales experience in a retail-banking environment, with a good understanding of financial products and solutions. However if you can demonstrate a strong background in another target-driven sales environment, we’d really like to hear from you

I'm unsure as to whether the role is on the counter or behind the counter?

Or perhaps a bit of both?

We will see.

wontfallforit

ses6jwg wrote: »

I am a graduate, but it is a non-graduate role.

Looking at the job description again:



I'm unsure as to whether the role is on the counter or behind the counter?

Or perhaps a bit of both?

We will see.

I've never set foot in an A&L branch, to be honest, but in my experience with a certain other division of Santander, it's around 75% desk based (your own little desk ) - during which time you'll be on the telephone a lot, or otherwise dealing quite intensively with your own customers. When PBs have a slight lull in their workload, they'll generally help out on the counter. Also, when it's extremely busy in branch, and you're not with a customer, you're expected to muck in with the counter staff.

ses6jwg

Well this A&L is a very very very small branch, probably one of the smallest in the country and in a rural area, I think it only has about 3-4 staff at any one time.

Is there cold calling involved?

wontfallforit

ses6jwg wrote: »

Is there cold calling involved?

Technically speaking, when a bank calls their customers, it isn't classed as cold calling, as there is already an established relationship between bank and customer (which is why the telephone preference service doesn't work in blocking banks' calls).

However, when you call customers, most are actually quite happy to hear from you. Especially when you utter the magic words that you're calling from their local branch. Some people simply love going into their bank, even if there isn't much for them to discuss. The fact that banks have "personal bankers" is really attractive to many customers, and the whole process feels quite personal to them.

You shouldn't have to do any selling over the phone (unless of course the customer is quite happy for you to do so!), rather, you just arrange a time when you can meet. Plus, many of your leads will be supplied by the cashier staff within branch, who send customers over to your desk (if there's time!), or make an appt. for the near future.

Long story short - 90% of customers you call have no objection to hearing from you, even if they won't/can't make an appointment with you in branch. If anyone objects, you simply mark down on their account that they wouldn't like any further calls.

ses6jwg

Well, I had interview last Thursday.

It was very informal. Manager said she did not like formal interviews reading questions off a computer, which I didnt mind either!

Basically had a chat, my background, my degree, my experience in customer service and sales, how I work as part of a team.

No maths test etc.

Took my CV in as well which she liked as the application form was a bit rigid.

Did not hear anything until today so assumed I had not been successful.

Had a call, got the job, absolutely chuffed.

Its a bit of a step down money wise but no 40 mile commute (within walking distance of house), and better prospects I think.

In fact, we spent about 10 minute of the interview just talking about prospects. She said to me "Look, I wouldn't want anyone to come to the interview and say they wanted to be a personal banker for 40 years. Lets see how you go over the next 9-12 months and see where you can go from there"

She said how Santander is one of the best companies to work for at the moment for progression due to the expansions.

Dont start until April due to current notice, but asked whether I could do a few hours unpaid on a Saturday to get a bit of a feel for it and she obliged.

Very very happy and thanks all.

wontfallforit

ses6jwg wrote: »

Well, I had interview last Thursday.

It was very informal. Manager said she did not like formal interviews reading questions off a computer, which I didnt mind either!

Basically had a chat, my background, my degree, my experience in customer service and sales, how I work as part of a team.

No maths test etc.

Took my CV in as well which she liked as the application form was a bit rigid.

Did not hear anything until today so assumed I had not been successful.

Had a call, got the job, absolutely chuffed.

Its a bit of a step down money wise but no 40 mile commute (within walking distance of house), and better prospects I think.

In fact, we spent about 10 minute of the interview just talking about prospects. She said to me "Look, I wouldn't want anyone to come to the interview and say they wanted to be a personal banker for 40 years. Lets see how you go over the next 9-12 months and see where you can go from there"

She said how Santander is one of the best companies to work for at the moment for progression due to the expansions.

Dont start until April due to current notice, but asked whether I could do a few hours unpaid on a Saturday to get a bit of a feel for it and she obliged.

Very very happy and thanks all.

Ah, great. Enjoy it!