What is a consumer banker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

A consumer banker, sometimes called a personal banker, works with individual consumers as opposed to bankers that work with businesses. They help clients set up and access banking services such as accounts and loans. They are able to match clients with the best services for their needs thanks to their extensive financial knowledge, which allows them to assess a client's application and recommend the bank's services. Besides their financial acumen, consumer bankers need excellent communications and sales skills to build relationships with clients and attract new customers to the bank. They also need to be highly organized to manage client data and handle the paperwork that comes with opening a bank account.

Some consumer bankers only need an associate's degree to find a job. However, most banks require at least a bachelor's degree in business or a related subject.

Consumer bankers don't need much experience in banking, but it helps if they have a few years of customer service experience. They earn an average salary of $31,393 a year and are in a prime position to advance within the bank.

ScoreConsumer BankerUS Average
Salary
3.1

Avg. Salary $39,462

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
6.9

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 10.68%

Black or African American 5.65%

Hispanic or Latino 11.82%

Unknown 4.14%

White 67.51%

Gender

female 57.14%

male 42.86%

Age - 43
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 - 43
Stress Level
6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
7.1

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
6.6

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Consumer Banker career paths

Key steps to become a consumer banker

  1. Explore consumer banker education requirements

    Most common consumer banker degrees

    Bachelor's

    59.4 %

    Associate

    17.6 %

    High School Diploma

    11.8 %
  2. Start to develop specific consumer banker skills

    Skills
    ascdesc
    Percentages
    ascdesc
    Financial Services22.05%
    Securities11.32%
    Cash Management8.67%
    Excellent Interpersonal6.97%
    Bank Products4.62%
  3. Complete relevant consumer banker training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New consumer bankers 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 consumer banker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real consumer banker resumes.
  4. Research consumer banker duties and responsibilities

    • Work one-on-one with clients to gather requirements and identify cross-selling opportunities and leverage customer leads and referrals to identify new prospects.
    • Handle vault, safe-deposit, ATM and night-drop activities.
    • Facilitate monthly auditing by conducting cash counts for vault and ATM.
    • Develop new business opportunities, send securities and mortgage referrals to other departments.
  5. Prepare your consumer banker resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your consumer banker 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 consumer banker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable Consumer Banker Resume templates

    Build a professional Consumer Banker 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 Consumer Banker resume.
    Consumer Banker Resume
    Consumer Banker Resume
    Consumer Banker Resume
    Consumer Banker Resume
    Consumer Banker Resume
    Consumer Banker Resume
    Consumer Banker Resume
    Consumer Banker Resume
    Consumer Banker Resume
  6. Apply for consumer banker jobs

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

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

How Did You Land Your First Consumer Banker Job

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Average consumer banker salary

The average Consumer Banker salary in the United States is $39,462 per year or $19 per hour. Consumer banker salaries range between $27,000 and $56,000 per year.

Average Consumer Banker Salary
$39,462 Yearly
$18.97 hourly

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How do consumer bankers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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Consumer Banker reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2023
Pros

Talking to other people and never being still. Always on the move handeling money and everyday is something new

Cons

Constant stress and fear when dealing with big transactions. Customers always complaining and getting paid by the hour


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Pros

Serving people to meet their financial needs and planning Fininancial analysis of their funds with best utility Feeling motivated while meeting people from different demographic backgrounds


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019
Pros

I enjoy engaging with clients, finding solutions to their financial needs, as well as account opening/personal lending.

Cons

I am not a sales/production driven individual. That aspect of the job- needing to worry about how many accounts I open or getting a certain amount booked in loans does not appeal to me. I enjoy the work, I like being challenged and busy, but I hate being a set of production scores.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.