How To Become A Bank Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a bank analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Clemens Kownatzki PhD, MBA

Bank analysts guide companies and investment firms on financial decisions. They analyze companies' annual results to help them make sound investment decisions. They identify potential markets and market trends as well as conducting thorough investigations of the companies. They also make inquiries about potential buyers or investors and participate in marketing events for the company.

Bank analysts earn a median sum of $85,000 annually or $41 per hour. Bank analysts are professionals who work for the business media or other research houses. They are vital to the growth of a company, and they are expected to be updated with the current economic trends and industry changes. They also prepare complex financial analyses and models to aid in investment decisions while assessing the management team's strength.

Bank analysts typically have a bachelor's degree in finance, business, or other relevant fields. They may be required to have a license to sell financial products. However, some companies don't need these licenses before hiring analysts. Bank analysts are expected to possess excellent analytical, communication, computer, and decision-making skills.

What general advice would you give to a Bank Analyst?

Clemens Kownatzki PhD, MBA

Associate Dean, Full-time & Part-time Programs, Assistant Professor of Finance, Website

To be successful today requires essentially the same basic skills and behaviors that made people successful in the past. It’s a lot about who you know, not what you know. Having some basic skills is a necessary condition but it’s not sufficient. You have to be a good communicator, have to be likeable and be a good team player. And to do those things, you need to be around people enough, develop the most important social skills and remember the important things you learned in kindergarten. Show up on time, do what you say and not say what you do and be nice to people. Essentially the golden rule: “Do unto others…” But there are also some important practical things you should do. Think about getting a CFA license or others like CAIA, CMA, CPA, FRM etc. These professional designations won’t hurt you, they can be a requirement in some jobs or at least a differentiator as you apply for jobs. You can also take the Securities Industry Examination as a precondition to getting the more recognized Series 7, 63, 65 etc. But also consider some very easy things like getting certified with the Bloomberg Market Concepts. If your business school has a Bloomberg terminal (we’re lucky because we have 4 terminals), it’s a self-paced exam that’s free on the Bloomberg terminal. Also think about joining some associations to help with getting to know people in positions. You have to network every day and keep on working that network constantly. Lastly, don’t be afraid to negotiate. Yes, it is a competitive industry and there’s always more than just a handful applying for a position but you should know your worth. While you’re networking and having conversations with executives through your network, find out what reasonable expectations should be for the work being delivered.

ScoreBank AnalystUS Average

Salary

6.7

Avg. Salary $85,532

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.8

Growth Rate 9%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.10%

Asian 14.09%

Black or African American 5.64%

Hispanic or Latino 7.67%

Unknown 4.50%

White 68.00%

Gender

female 41.18%

male 58.82%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress Level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.3

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a bank analyst

Explore bank analyst education requirements

Most common bank analyst degrees

Bachelor's

74.0 %

Master's

12.2 %

Associate

8.8 %

Start to develop specific bank analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
PowerPoint	5.91%
Financial Services	5.60%
Cash Management	5.60%
Corporate Banking	5.16%
Risk Management	5.07%

Complete relevant bank analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New bank analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a bank analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real bank analyst resumes.

Research bank analyst duties and responsibilities

Manage and maintain information in worldwide-military database which include exemptions, transfers, retirements, and payroll records.
Redesign PowerPoint reports to show more with less effort.
Complete formal credit training and rotations in high yield securities, private placements of debt, and middle market lending.
Structure and analyze cash flows for mortgage-backed securities in housing finance transactions.

Prepare your bank analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your bank analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a bank analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Bank Analyst Resume templates

Build a professional Bank Analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Bank Analyst resume.

Apply for bank analyst jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a bank analyst job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do bank analysts rate their job?