Kelly Newman

Employer: Halifax (HBOS plc)

Qualifications: accounting and financial management degree, University of Gloucestershire

I worked for an accountancy firm after graduating but six months of sitting behind a desk for 40 hours a week proved it wasn’t for me. I wanted to apply my degree but also have a customer-facing role. I applied for the retail scheme at HBOS, selection for which included online application forms and tests, a telephone interview and an assessment centre. I am now in the second year of the scheme. You are placed in different branches and it’s expected that by the end you will be a bank manager at one of the smaller branches or an assistant manager at a larger one.

The job

The job’s not what people imagine. For example, I don’t have an office – to the surprise of many customers! I’m responsible for a team of seven and manage sales, customer services and HR considerations, and ensure compliance with external regulations. Each day is different; I could be observing interviews, running one-to-one coaching sessions, dealing with customer complaints or facilitating an HR issue.

Best and worst

When you have met your targets, have motivated your team or have retained an initially dissatisfied customer’s business, the feeling is fantastic. The hours are long – I usually work from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm – but you need to put the hours in if you’re committed to being a strong bank manager.