Working as a teller was the perfect job for Justin Coy while in high school and college, giving him the chance to gain banking experience while also being flexible for his school schedule.

Those years of experience paved the way for him to narrow down what he wanted to do in the long run.

Justin started as a part-time teller during his senior year of high school in August 2011, working in the drive-through after school at INB’s Pleasant Plains branch. Now he’s one of two consumer loan underwriters for the bank. 

He attended Lincoln Land for two years and worked as a teller at other INB branches before moving to Bloomington to pursue a finance degree from Illinois State University (ISU). During breaks, he worked as a float teller.

“During this time, I got ‘loaned out’ to a few other departments here and there with special projects that they needed extra hands for, which was a great opportunity to learn about what other departments in the bank do,” Justin says.

Teller Positions Offer Great Opportunities

Justin is one of many INB employees who have been able to explore opportunities in other departments while working as a teller. In fact, teller training, mentorship and support are a core piece of the position.

“Many staff have gotten their foot in the door as a teller, and when an opportunity arises, they apply for other positions within the bank,” says Jenni Snow, AVP, Human Resources at INB.

Tellers work with a trainer and a mentor in their first weeks, and then participate in one-on-one training with their manager.

“Beyond that, once the employee has a complete understanding of their job, we may start cross training them on other duties that could help them get promoted into other positions, if they are interested,” says Kelly Raison, VP, Retail Operations and Process Improvement for INB.

Part-time Teller Job Travels to College

As for Justin, he was able to transition to INB’s Bloomington office while at ISU, working part-time as a teller/office assistant at our mortgage loan office there. This opened the door for him to become a mortgage loan processor when he graduated from ISU in December 2016. 

“That gave me some great experience with what residential mortgage lending looks like,” he says. “I was only the second mortgage processor at that time, and as a result, I got the opportunity to work with a lot of very helpful people in other departments to optimize the process for everyone involved.”

Justin eventually started underwriting loans as well, and the INB consumer loan department expanded to include home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), second mortgage loans, car loans, and personal unsecured loans.

Justin seized each new opportunity as it came his way – all thanks to the decision to apply for a part-time teller position in high school.

“INB has been very supportive and given me so many opportunities for learning new skills along the way,” he says.