Pros
- consistent hours
- consistent expectations
- positive staff (depending where you’re located)
- positive client interactions (depending on where you’re located)
- guaranteed walk in business (depending on where you’re located)
- annual raises/bonuses based upon branch performance (depending on….you guessed it - whether or not the entire branch performs well)
Overall, a great place to train, work, and start a career. The difficulty with any retail job is the location and people you work with. If you aren’t a good match for that community or branch culture, it could be difficult to exceed. Bonuses are based upon the entire branches performance, which can really be a shot in the butt. Might work yourself to the bone, but if you have a bad month, you bring everyone down, and you will feel pressure (from staff and management) because of it. I’ve been at branches where the community appreciated me, but branch staff did not.
Cons
Primarily the same cons of working any retail sales job. Get stuck with a bad manager, and maybe all the walk ins get sent to a different teller/banker. Most of the cons of Fifth Third are just instances of bad hiring or someone manipulating their position in a way where corporate can’t do anything. Bad apples seemed few and far between, though I did see a manager or two that met the description.
Career advancement is also a difficulty. I’ve seen staffers with less experience and less calm hired over more qualified candidates because of an eager attitude or desperation. Want a promotion? You might not get it if they can’t fill your shoes once you leave! You could exceed performance goals for multiple months and not get a shot to step up.
