In college, Ashley Pond became a teller to avoid uniforms. She never expected that job to lead to a career in banking at INB.
Ashley came to INB in January 2017, working at the Pleasant Plains branch. With her teller experience, she helped in the teller line at the branch while simultaneously serving as a Relationship Banker.
“Being a smaller branch, sometimes you wear multiple hats throughout the day!” she says.
Shortly after she started, INB switched online banking platforms, and Ashley seized the opportunity to take on additional projects to ensure a smooth online banking transition.
That sparked her interest in learning more about “how things worked behind the scenes,” she notes. She applied for an open position in INB’s Deposit Operations.
“My branch manager supported me throughout the application and interview process,” Ashley says. “When I accepted the position as a Deposit Operations Specialist, it was hard to leave my coworkers and clients that I saw on a daily basis, but I was excited to learn and grow in a new department.”
Familiar Story: “I Started as a Teller.”
Ashley’s story is familiar to many staff members around INB who began their careers as tellers and moved into positions in other departments.
In fact, INB prioritizes internal hiring, so becoming a teller is a great way to get your foot in the door and learn more about what other areas of the bank might interest you!
Tellers spend their first week with a trainer in the branch working with customers. Then they are paired with a mentor for the next six weeks to ensure they have a solid understanding of their job duties, says Kelly Raison, VP, Retail Operations and Process Improvement Manager at INB.
After some training sessions and one-on-one coaching with their manager, tellers can start cross training for duties that could eventually help them be promoted into other positions.
As for Ashley, she worked as a Deposit Operations Specialist for two years before she was offered the opportunity to fill her current position, ACH Operations Specialist. She is also studying to become an Accredited ACH Professional and will take the exam later this year.
INB “Village” Supports Employees
“Without the encouragement from my managers and coworkers, I’m not sure that it would have been something that I would have thought to pursue on my own,” Ashley says.
No matter what area of the bank she’s worked in, she always feels supported by INB and encouraged to continue learning.
“INB is great about making it possible for you to attend outside learning sessions to be able to grow as a professional,” Ashley says. “Earlier this year I had the opportunity to attend my first work conference. I learned a lot about the financial industry and was able to network with others in my field.”
Ashley encourages anyone interested in banking to apply to be a teller: “And once in a teller position, keep an open mind. You never know what door it may open for you down the road. We work in an industry that is constantly evolving and there is always something new to learn.”