Making the Most of Credit Union Jobs
How to use your credit union employment to your best advantage
Most likely, you will begin your credit union career as a teller. Believe it or not, this is a great place to start. You will learn a lot of skills on the job and there are good opportunities to move up in the credit union and to transfer your skills to other organizations.Entry-level employment at credit unions is a good jumping off point for a career in the consumer finance industry. Even if you can't advance at your credit union, career opportunities will open up for you after about a year's time, if not sooner. Here are some reasons why:
1. Any credit union employment will help you learn how the financial industry works. This makes you a more valuable employee than someone that has no knowledge of the field.
2. Credit union jobs with public interaction give you lots of customer service experience. If you aspire to a career as a stockbroker or business manager, you will need these people skills.
3. You'll work closely with people in other positions, such as loan officers and branch managers. This will help you with making the most of credit union jobs. You may find someone who will serve as your mentor.
Learn from others with credit union careers
Put the word out that you're looking for opportunities for advancement in your credit union career. There are surely others that will be happy to help you, especially those that started out in your position and have since moved on to bigger and better things.
Try: Network with others at your credit union during work breaks or at company sponsored events. If you can, attend credit union conventions. Any Credit Union National Association sponsored event will attract people with connections. Also, check out financial job fairs, like the National Financial Mathematics Career Fair.
Use your credit union job as a way to get training
Ask your employer to send you to seminars that can help you learn more about finance. This will make your more knowledgeable on the job and can help you prepare for future employment.
Try: Use the Credit Union National Association's website to find the credit union league for your state and see if it offers any training courses. Most do, and you may get a discount for being a credit union employee. Also, look for finance courses on the Web. Your company may allow you to take them while you're on the clock. Anne Arundel Community College has some good ones.
Don't focus solely on future jobs in credit unions
With your financial and customer service experience, there are a lot of opportunities out there for you that are not in credit unions. Consider jobs at banks, brokerage firms and call centers.
Try: Check out job search engines that specialize in financial positions, such as Jobs in the Money. This will give you a good idea of the opportunities available. Also, look for employment with the federal government. The government often hires people with financial skills and there are good benefits and job security.
- Take advantage of your time working in credit unions. Jobs can materialize in unexpected places. Consider any interpersonal communication to be a networking opportunity. You never know who can connect you with your dream job. Don't rely solely on people in credit union positions. It may be someone you're waiting on in the teller line.
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