The Results-Oriented Financial Services Workplace

Financial services jobs, whether bank loan operations, appraising or mortgage underwriting, are involved in a lot of detail. When financial services people are so engrossed in the details of their jobs, it's easy for them, for anyone actually, to lose sight of the job's major contribution.

A Results-Oriented Financial Services Job Description is different from a traditional job description because it focuses an employee on the several job results that answer the question: What results must this financial services job accomplish for the organization?

Financial Services Job Standards added to job expectations tighten management controls by clarifying how well and when results must be accomplished.

Financial Services Job Objectives establish management and employee plans by highlighting important current and future results needed.

Job-specific Financial Services Employee Management Forms maintain consistent and legally sound management actions by basing manager-employee interactions on job results.

The Purpose of Financial Services Jobs

Stated in a results-oriented, three-line style, financial services jobs--

PROVIDES FINANCIAL SERVICES TO CLIENTS by

advertising financial services; maintaining consumer deposit accounts and safe deposit boxes; offering consumer loans and mortgages and commercial loans as well as credit and debit cards; providing investment advice and account management.

Types of Financial Services Jobs

Some financial services jobs take and keep your money safe while other jobs invest it after identifying your investment goals and establishing your portfolio. Other jobs interview clients for loans or provide access to safe deposit boxes.

Still other jobs work behind the scenes analyzing loan applications, verifying information, tracking information, transferring money, mailing payment reminders, recording payments.

Somebody needs to appraise goods and property, while someone else finances automobile dealerships, while still someone else maintains and secures an inventory of credit and debit cards. And, of course, somebody has to manage and supervise the financial services people and processes.

Financial Services Job Management Tools

Here are actual job examples of how financial services job actions can be focused on results and kept on track using each of our job management tools:

Results-Oriented Financial Services Job Descriptions form the foundation of all job management tools. Our uniquely structured job descriptions focus on the result to be accomplished first and prominently, followed by the duties performed in order to accomplish the result. For example,

RECOMMENDS FINANCIAL SERVICES ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Financial Services Job Standards sharpen employee attention and management control by defining and communicating how well the financial services results must be accomplished and what benchmarks will be used to measure job results. For example, for the job result above, the job standards might be:

• Financial Services situations are correctly understood.
• All options are identified and evaluated.
• Financial Services recommendations are ready when needed.

Financial Services Job Objectives point the direction for employee actions by focusing job efforts on current and future financial services issues. Job objectives are written in the three-line, results-oriented structure. For example, for the job result above, a job objective might be:

SPEED-UP DECISION MAKING by

reducing time to deliver financial services recommendations by 10% by (date).

Financial Services Employee Management Forms tied specifically to each financial services job description are more helpful (and legal) than generic forms used for all different kinds of jobs. Job-specific forms are used to state job qualifications, guide job interview questions, orient new employees, plan job training, and appraise job performance.

Financial Services Job Qualifications are stated in the same terms used in the job description. They are not translated into generic (typically behavioral) terms. For example:

RECOMMENDS FINANCIAL SERVICES ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Financial Services Job Interview guide questions are inserted directly below each job result in the job description: For example:

• "What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?"
• "Where did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "When did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?"
• "What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?"
• "In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?"
• "How did you overcome the challenges?"

The Financial Services Job Orientation guide reformats the job description sequence so that job explanations, policies, protocols, processes, and procedures are logical and complete and can easily be checked off. For example:

RECOMMENDS FINANCIAL SERVICES ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Here's the procedure and format we use to analyze and present financial services recommendations."

The Financial Services Job Training plan guides a thorough examination of actual job knowledge, skills, and abilities as described in the job description that need improvement or that might be enhanced. For example:

RECOMMENDS FINANCIAL SERVICES ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Analytical skills would be improved by enrolling in a statistical analysis class."

The Financial Services Job Performance Appraisal guide is a job-specific form. It is not a universal form used for all jobs. The guide adds an appraisal scale below each job result in the job description so that attention can be drawn to each job requirement and expectation. For example:

RECOMMENDS FINANCIAL SERVICES ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

__ Great! Just want we wanted.
__ We have a problem.
__ Improvement is needed.
__ Much, much more than we asked for.

Comments: _________________

Financial Services Résumé Template

Potential employers want to know what a job applicant has accomplished in his/her financial services work career. They don't want to be bored with minor details. Our Résumé Template provides:

• an outline to help assemble personal background information.
• a Results-Oriented Job Description to provide the financial services job language-focused on results-needed to write an effective résumé.
• Financial Services Job Objectives to orient thinking in terms of accomplishments.
• instructions on how to use a Results-Oriented Financial Services Job Description and Financial Services Job Objectives to express job accomplishments.

Use the financial services job description responsibility statement as a base:

RECOMMENDS FINANCIAL SERVICES ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Select the financial services job objective that fits your experience:

REDUCE COSTS 10% by

improving financial services processes.

Combine the two into a résumé statement:

Reduced costs 10% by analyzing, identifying, and recommending new financial services system controls.

Financial Services Career Links

Careers in Finance, Investment Banking

Skills and talents, job options, salaries, links & resources, facts & trends, top firms, job market outlook, life as an associate or analyst, job listings.

Career Voyages, Financial Services - Banking

Collaboration between the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education to provide information on high growth, in-demand occupations along with the skills and education needed to attain these jobs.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Career Guide to Industries

Nature of the industry, working conditions, employment, occupations, training and advancement, outlook, earnings.

CareerOverview.com, Investment Banking

Non-commercial website dedicated to providing aspiring career professionals and students with relevant, reliable and up-to-date career and job information whereby helping them to make better, more informed career choices.

Emory University, Goizueta Business Library, Career is Media & Entertainment - Television

Career information, researching the industry, tracking industry trends, associations, targeting companies, directories, industry terminology.