Employment opportunities with RBC

by Heidi Riley

RBC is Canada’s largest bank. On PEI, over 100 staff work out of four branches and an RBC Dominion Securities office.

RBC offers a range of career opportunities. “New employees most often start in one of two paths, depending on their experience and education,” says Kaye Kelly, Community Manager.

One path is for a Client Advisor, previously known as a Bank Teller. In these part-time roles, they take care of transactions for clients, educate them in digital skills like online banking, and handle transactions such as wiring funds or purchasing bank drafts.

“We have a culture of helping people learn and develop, and they often move on to other more complex roles,” says Kaye.

The other stream people are hired into is the Banking Advisor role, which is full-time. They take on some front-line customer service, and also meet one-on-one with clients to provide services such as opening accounts, arranging loans and renewing investments. People hired for this role often have a university degree or college diploma. They also must have a license to sell mutual funds, which involves taking a course through Canadian Securities Institute.

---

Hiring needs

“Our hiring needs are continuous,” says Kaye. “We often give priority to our own internal employees who are looking for other roles but we hire externally as well. We hire people who have worked at other financial institutions, in customer service industries, and we also hire many newcomers because they come with lots of experience.”

They also offer co-op and summer opportunities for students.

Job titles at the branch level

• Client Advisor
• Banking Advisor
• Financial Advisors
• Assistant Branch Managers
• Branch Managers

Specialized roles

• Relationship Financial Planner
• Investment & Retirement Planner
• Mortgage Specialist
• Relationship Manager Business Markets
• Relationship Manager Commercial Markets
• Commercial Banking Advisor
• Relationship Manager RBC Group Advantage
• Group Consultant RBC Group Advantage
• Private Bankers look after high network clients often partnering with RBC Dominion Securities
• Investment Advisors, RBC Dominion Securities

Some employees work remotely from the branch or at home for call centres located in Moncton and Mississauga. “As technology evolves, the ability to do multiple roles has increased,” says Kaye. “The effects of COVID-19 have also contributed to that change.”

Training for new roles

RBC has a dedicated training program for new hires. New Client Advisors receive six weeks of independent learning, virtual classroom learning, and watching someone else do the job.

The Banking Advisor learning program runs 24 to 48 weeks. Each cohort of new hires learns together until they graduate. “Training programs are built on the foundation of learning our bank culture and our values and how we do the job. Then you watch someone do the job and move on to doing the job while someone oversees you until you are proficient and confident enough to work on your own. Each new employee has a mentor.”

---

Most important qualifications needed

“Customer service experience is the most important quality I look for when hiring,” says Kaye. “If I see a resumé with lots of education, that’s good, but I want to see how you have applied it. If you worked in fast food or in a volunteer role, that is customer service. I will want to know how you delivered more than the customer was looking for.

“We can’t change a person’s willingness to deal with customers, but we can teach anybody banking.

“A university degree in arts, business, or science shows your ability to understand complex things,” says Kaye. “However, a degree is not mandatory. We also hire people who stayed home to raise their kids and now want to come back into the workforce. I look at their education and previous work experience to see if their skills can transition to banking. They must be able to handle the pace of change and enjoy dealing with customers.

“Many people looking to be hired as a Banking Advisor come to us with the mandatory mutual fund course completed. Some are hired as a Client Advisor and study for their mutual fund license because they have aspirations to change roles.

“Sometimes when I interview someone, there are no opportunities on PEI, so I refer them to our call centre in Moncton or processing centre in Halifax. If they want to come back to PEI, we will try to help them find a job here.”

---

Employment journeys

Kaye Kelly has worked for RBC for 34 years. During her career she has held 11 roles including roles in branch and specialized roles across Atlantic Canada. She managed a group of Financial Planners in NB, NL and PEI prior to her present position as Community Manager.

Monika Wang has lived on PEI for 16 years. She earned a Master’s degree in England. Her first job on PEI was as one of the first certified immigration consultants on PEI.

She started with RBC as a Client Advisor 10 years ago at the Queen Street location. She moved to the University Avenue location as a Banking Advisor. Later, she took the Canadian Securities Institute’s personal financial planner program and went on to a specialized role as Investment and Retirement Planner. Then she transitioned into her current role as a Relationship Manager with RBC Group Advantage, helping large corporations and small businesses with their employee benefit plans such as retirement savings plans, tax free savings accounts and pension plans.

“I am a real-life example of building a career path at RBC, and I have had so many opportunities,” says Monica. “The day I started I felt so proud to be the face of RBC. I never dreamed I would be in the position of Relationship Manager.

“I am extremely happy with my career. If there is an internal opening, you are ready for that because of all the experience gained on the job. With the education and training offered by RBC you are learning all the time, and I love learning, I love challenges, and I love meeting with business owners and helping them achieve their investment and retirement goals.

“Our clients who are new immigrants from China or Vietnam are not familiar with how banking is done here. When they learn that the government will contribute 20 percent to an RESP for their children’s education, they are amazed. I am so happy to help them with their financial planning.

“The staff at RBC is like a family, and we socialize outside of work. As a mother of small children, work/life balance is very important. Technology advancements have allowed me to have a hybrid work arrangement where I can work at home and also meet with clients at the bank branch.”

Hailey Zhu has lived on PEI for seven years and joined RBC in May 2022. She has a business degree and a Master’s degree in Education and Leadership from UPEI. While still in school, she was looking for part-time work. She set up a LinkedIn profile and sent Kaye a message.

“Kaye said she was not currently hiring, but she referred me to another branch manager for an interview and a great conversation.” Haley encourages job seekers not to wait for a job posting, but to reach out to hiring managers and introduce themselves.

“I became a business consultant with a local consulting firm, and then went on to work as a business development manager at a PEI law firm. It has been an interesting journey.”

“In her previous jobs as a business development manager for law firms, Haley was connecting a lot of newcomer businesses to the law firm because many newcomers needed legal advice,” says Kaye. “Now she is translating those relationships and skills into banking. She is a great people person. Her training program is tailored to clients with complex needs. There is a lot to learn, and she had done a fantastic job.”

“Before I joined RBC I was a hesitant because I did not have a lot of banking background. However, I had a lot of related experience that is transferable to banking,” says Haley. “I had conversations with the RBC commercial team and with Kaye, and they were very supportive. It is like a family here, and even though I am new to RBC, I can get support anytime I need it.

“The training program is great – it is almost like a Master’s degree in finance. I was considering going back to school to earn my MBA, but I really think I made the right decision to join RBC instead. In my training program, I work with people in commercial banking across the country and with different industry specializations. I really appreciate the opportunity to get more banking knowledge and to understand what is happening in other markets.

“RBC is also very encouraging about the volunteer work I do in the community. They provide a donation for the organization I volunteer for through RBC’s community grant program. I really feel proud to work for RBC. The bank really does bring value to communities.

---

How to apply

“LinkedIn can be a powerful tool when looking for work,” says Kaye. “I respond to every job seeker who messages me through LinkedIn. I keep resumés on file and will refer to them when a hiring opportunity comes up.”