These New Jobs Are Unlike Anything You’ll Imagine In A Bank

Not your typical bankers

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Talk about working at a bank, and many people space out. Sure, it may interest those who are into Finance, but seeing your team clad in monochrome, crunching numbers all day behind a firewall… Well, let’s just say, it may not appeal to many.

But these are just stereotypes, far from the whole picture. We did a little bit of digging, and uncovered unique jobs in banks that might become your next dream job. Here are 4 jobs you wouldn’t expect to find! 

1. Ethnographer: Find out why people do things even before they know it

Sit by a cafe, with a cup of coffee, and observe strangers walking by… What sounds like a chill Sunday afternoon people-watching could be how you spend your entire day as an Ethnographer in a bank. Why? You ask. Having that curiosity is already half the battle won.

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Being an ethnographer is not all about sitting and sipping coffee – there are technical parts of the job to tackle, such as transcribing interviews and sifting through all the data to find the trends that matter. 

This role is relatively new for banks, and comes about as banks are doubling their efforts to understand customers better. Ethnographers’ roles are crucial –  they make recommendations that entire companies’ policies can be based on. If they existed 30 years ago, they would have been finding out why people were hiding their savings under their mattresses instead of gaining interest on it in a bank, then convincing their bosses to engineer campaigns to persuade them of a better way to do things.

What they do: Observe people in their natural contexts, understanding if there are unexpected reasons that affect the overall customer experience. 

What you need: Be observant, able to talk comfortably, and listen to strangers with an open and reflective mind. Photography, videography, and knowledge of cultural theories are a plus.

2. Industrial Designer: Lead the #startuplife and travel the world to find new tech

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You can go to work in sneakers and jeans every single day as an Industrial Designer. The  teams that focus on user experience in banks today are on the constant look-out for innovative and new technology to make banking simpler and faster for customers. Working closely with startups and FinTechs – it’s the start-up life for them, except without having to worry about overheads and bootstrapping. There’s no typical day here as each day is different. 

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What they do is fun: travel the world, search for exciting start-ups and find new technologies that they’ll be able to incorporate in the bank. Think robotics, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. They even run 24-hour hackathons to find exceptional talents!

The job: Scout for emerging technology and consult on design/prototyping projects for the bank.

What you need: Basic design skills, a positive attitude, and flexibility. 

3. “Industry Specialist”: Organise super fun events at Marina Bay

Organise events like this pop-up beach! Source

You don’t have to be a coach to make your lifelong passion in sports a full-time career. Former Olympian Lo Man Yi is testament to that – from sailing across the world for Singapore, she now works in DBS spearheading the DBS Sailing At The Bay programme. Because when you’ve spent many years pursuing your passions in one field, there’s no reason why this experience can’t be used in another. 

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This one-of-a-kind job is unique, but it just goes to show how diverse jobs in banks can be. Far from a 9 to 6 desk job, this role has her out and about planning events with Singapore Sailing Federation, and constantly being on the lookout for new ways to leverage the sailing programme for the bank’s initiatives and events, creating the best experiences for the public.

The job: Manage the DBS Sailing At The Bay programme, plan monthly event calendars and look for refreshing ways to leverage the sailing programme for other initiatives and events by the bank.

What you need: To be kept updated with the latest happenings in a relevant industry.

4. Social Media Relations Manager: Being on social media all day… with a purpose

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Get paid for doing things you already do every day, like check out what people are posting on Facebook, keep tabs on public sentiment, emotions and opinions, and respond to comments before they say you dao. That takes up most of a day in the life of a Social Media Relations Manager, a job your friends – and maybe even CEOs – will envy.  

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Simply put, you’d be the voice of the bank on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media, and you’ve to make sure everyone’s happy with you. While it sounds easy, it can be a challenge to get your message across in just 140 characters! To get the job done, you’ll need to write clearly and concisely, yet be able to reach out to any man on the street, or web. 

The job: Talking to customers in real time over social media, getting to know how to improve their experiences and keep them as customers.

What you need: Possess excellent writing skills, enjoy memes, and understand what rekt means. Oh, and be passionate about helping customers meet their needs.

Boring? Don’t bank on it.

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These jobs may seem vastly different from one another, but they all have one thing in common: they’re all about better meeting the needs of customers. The world is changing and new jobs are popping up, even within banks! So before you tune out and and say “not interested” when the next banking job comes along, stop and find out what it’s about first. Who knows, the door to your dream job might be open. 

DBS Sparks: The mini-series

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Interested to find out more? Check out DBS Sparks – inspired by true stories, each webisode of this mini-series follows a group of bankers as they navigate through their work and personal lives. 

Watch the DBS Sparks miniseries here

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This post was brought to you by DBS.