Dear job seeker,
I will keep this page short and to the point. Here’s what I have for you today:
In the eBook, you will find multiple great answers to each of the following questions:
- Why do you want to work as a branch manager here?
- How do you imagine a typical day in work?
- What do you want to accomplish as a manager of this branch?
- What do you consider your greatest weakness as a manager?
- How do you go about hiring new staff? What criteria do you set for your new employees?
- Tell us about a situation when you demonstrated your leadership skills.
- Imagine that a customer complained about one of the tellers (other staff member). How would you react as a branch manager?
- What was the toughest managerial decision you had to make in your career?
- Do you have any experiences with finance banking software applications?
- How do you plan to monitor the performance of your staff members in this bank?
- What does an excellent customer service mean to you?
- Imagine that we gave you a key from our new banking branch. You were the first and only employee of the branch. What steps would you take to ensure that the branch did run as soon as possible?
- What do you consider the main challenges you will face when leading the branch of our bank?
- What information would you use to forecast sales revenues of the new branch?
- … and ten other tough questions you may face in your branch manager interview.
Check the sample to see how this eBook can help you:
Sample from the eBook
Q: How would you motivate the employees in this branch to work harder?
Hint: Individual approach is the key. Tell them that you would analyze each problem of motivation as it arises. Trying to understand what motivates the particular employee (or why they lost their motivation), you would act accordingly.
I do not suggest you to speak about offering a raise as a way of motivating someone. This is an obvious solution, plus it never works in a long run, and can easily backfire (suddenly all employees start to demand a raise).
What is more, you most likely won’t have an authorization to raise someone’s salary just like that. Try to go for more creative ways, or for an holistic approach. See sample answers for your inspiration.
Sample answers
– I think that we should try to build a positive and motivating atmosphere in the workplace. People should feel as a part of a team, they should feel responsible for one another, and they should also feel that we, the managers, care, and try out best for them.
We should also have a clear system of benefits in place, so people know that once they work harder, and achieve better numbers, we will reward them.
This is the key in my opinion. When a problem of motivation arises in such a climate, I’d approach it individually, will have a one-on-one with the employee, and see what we can do to address the problem.
– External motivation never works—at least not in a long run. We should try to help people to see the connection of their personal goals (hopefully they have any) and the goals we try to achieve in the bank.
Once I see someone struggling with motivation, I’ll do my best to help them rediscover that connection, to help them see the meaningful purpose in their job. If it doesn’t work, however, and if we try for long enough with no results, we may have no other option than relocating or dismissing an employee. Because sometimes a negative person spoils the atmosphere in the workplace, overall motivation drops, and the impact on the financial results can be significant. This is something we cannot risk.
Q: What does an excellent customer service mean to you?
Hint: Everything. Or almost everything. Excellent customer service is the alpha and omega of a success of each commercial institution, and the branch you’ll manage is no exception. Ensure the interviewers that you understand how an excellent service results in returning customers and higher profits.
Then you should describe how you imagine such a service. Approaching each customer in a cheerful yet respectful manner, listening attentively to their financial (and sometimes also personal) needs, and trying everything within your possibilities to help them satisfy their needs, is a good answer.
Or you can go with a more holistic approach, saying that a visit to your bank should be an unforgettable experience for each customer—unforgettable in good means.
Another alternative is focusing on tangible goals, such as no (or almost no) customer complaints, number of positive reviews for your bank, etc.
One way or another, interviewers should feel that you understand the essential role of an excellent customer service, and will do everything in your power to deliver such a service to each single customer.
Sample answers
– It means everything to me. We can’t be successful in a long run unless customers are extremely satisfied, unless they recommend our bank to their relatives and peers, unless they do business with us repeatedly. Of course this doesn’t mean approving loans to people who do not meet requirements, or breaking any other rules.
It simply means to listen attentively to the needs of our customers, and do everything within our abilities and options to help them satisfy their needs.
Every phone call we make, every talk to the customer, greeting, anything—they should feel important and heard out. That’s what an excellent customer service means to me.
– I would say that each visit of our bank should be an unforgettable experience for the customer—in good means. They should remember how kindly and politely we approached them, how we tried to explain everything in a simple way, how we did our best to help them. From the first minute to last they should feel like the most important person in the bank, or even in the world.
Then, of course, I realize that in peak hours it won’t be possible. Customers will have to wait a little, and some may not like it, but we can’t control that and should focus on things we have in our hands—and there are many of them when we talk about customer service.
– Excellent customer service is one of the most important things in every bank. People should feel welcome, heard out, respected, regardless of their status or financial situation. They should feel that we really try our best.
Then, we should also measure the level of customer satisfaction. This can be done with the help of questionnaires (anonymous), or with monitoring customer retention, number of positive reviews and complaints published online, and other things.
If you hire me for this job, I will try my best to ensure the highest possible level of customer service in this branch of your bank.
End of the sample
These are just two questions. You will find 25 in the eBook, including personal, behavioral, and technical questions. But that’s not all.
To ensure you will get the job, I included in the book six principles you need to understand before you can ace this interview.
Without talking too much about them, let me show you another sample from the book:
Sample no. 2
Principle no. 2: Demonstrate your leadership skills and proactive approach to work
You won’t be given a free hand in your new job. Banks (and other big retail companies that run countless branches) work like franchises—they have rules and manuals for everything, and you will study thick books (or participate in a top class training program) once they hire you.
However, not inventing the wheel doesn’t mean that you won’t be a leader in this job. You won’t invent the rules and processes, but will be responsible for the fact that the branch works according to these rules, and achieves the desired results.
You will be the one to lead, motivate, and sometimes even to boss employees. You will be the one who should go by an example, and typically a last person to leave the building.
And unless you have a proactive approach to work—talking to employees, trying to identify problems early—before they turn into something bigger, you won’t be a good manager.
Anytime they ask you about your idea of the job, typical day in work, goals you plan to set for yourself, etc, try to demonstrate proactive approach with your answers.
The best candidate for the job (at least in the eyes of the majority of interviewers) is one who can navigate a thin line. One that separates a devoted follower (when it comes to general rules, processes and corporate identity), and an excellent leader and decision maker (when it comes to a daily life of branch, and to managing employees).
If you succeed to convince them that you can balance………………….
End of the sample
So that’s it. I do not want to waste your time with lengthy sales pages, and imaginary discounts or fake reviews, just like other people do on their websites.
You have read the samples, you know what the eBook is about, and surely you can tell whether it will help you.
I sincerely believe it will. And you can read it easily in two to four hours, it’s 14,000 words. Only things that truly matter, no secondary content.
Plus, of course, like with everything else we sell here on InterviewPenguin.com, you have a risk free sixty days money back guarantee. If you don’t like this eBook for any reason, or no reason at all, just let me know (email me at matthew[at]interviewpenguin[dot]com) within 60 days and we will give you a full refund.
Quick Summary
- Brilliant answers to twenty-five difficult questions you may get in your interview for a job of a branch manager.
- Published in 2020, updated in Feb. 2024.
- Several sample answers to each question, so you can choose one that reflects your values and experience (including answers for people with no working experience).
- Six principles of acing the interview, things you simply need to know in order to make the right impression on the hiring managers.
- Instant download, .PDF format (you can read it on any device (mobile, kindle, PC), and you can easily print it).
- Secure and simple checkout with PayPal, you can pay with your credit/debit card, or with your PayPal account.
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That’s it. Your interview does not have to be stressful, or difficult. You can interview with confidence, and give brilliant answers to all tough questions. Download the guide today, and succeed in your interview.
Sincerely,
Matthew Chulaw,
Your personal job interview coach
P.S. Feel free to send me a message if you are still not sure how this guide will help you to get a job. I try my best to answer all messages within twelve hours (matthew[at]interviewpenguin[dot]com).
