(Estimated reading time: 4 minutes 35 seconds)

A career in Banking can take you in any number of directions. Working with Bank of Ireland means you will have the development and support to ensure you take the opportunities that come your way. Let's hear more about life at Bank of Ireland from some of our colleagues.

Matthew, a Compliance QA Manager in Bank of Ireland's NI Consumer Direct team gave us his insights into working with Bank of Ireland.

Can you give us a brief outline of your career to date?

I joined Bank of Ireland in 2013, working in Branch Banking. My first role involved working on the Cash and Customer Service desks. For me, moving to Banking was a big change. Until that point, my only experience had been in hospitality businesses. I’ve since had the chance to be part of the NI Consumer Direct team since its creation in 2017. The team acts as the main sales source for personal product sales for Bank of Ireland UK.

I have had the opportunity to work on major projects including technical changes to our phone systems, new products, and most recently I have been involved in a project to enable our colleagues to work from home while continuing to have access to the systems necessary to serve our customers brilliantly.

What does a typical day look like for you and your team?

My day can vary greatly, but typically it starts with updating our sales figures and sending out various pieces of information to relevant stakeholders.  I am in charge of our department’s risk and control environment which means that I act as an advisor to others where things have gone wrong and support them to fix mistakes.

I typically spend a lot of time doing exploratory work for potential future improvements and projects that may come down the line. This means a lot of time is spent reaching out to different people and finding out how they implemented better processes and then considering how we could match that approach.

I really enjoy this element as it gives me the freedom to put across my opinions and ideas of how we as a department and a bank could significantly improve the processes that directly impact customers and staff.

What do you enjoy most about working with Bank of Ireland?

I enjoy that the Bank always strives to do better and overcome any obstacles as best we can. This approach, whether it’s to make life easier for staff or customers, is a great motivator to always seek out the next improvement and to not get comfortable with where we are.

The bank also offers a lot of opportunity for self-development. For instance, I am currently undertaking a course that is focused on data fluency which will help me in the future in an industry that is deriving more and more value from the data we hold.

How do the ways of working in Bank of Ireland enable you to thrive at work?

The flexible working patterns really help me to thrive. Not everyone can work the traditional 9-5 and for me, I prefer logging on during the quieter hours of the day. This means I can get caught up on emails without the usual hustle and bustle of working in a contact centre. The Bank has also provided me with all the technology I need to do my job effectively.

"I have seen first-hand how hard we work for our customers and how customers are at the forefront of our minds"

How do our values impact how you work day to day?

One of our values that resonates strongly with me is Customer Focused. I regularly look to incorporate new technologies and processes that will ultimately improve the customer experience. I also take this approach outside of normal work when I am looking at financial products for myself where I’ll consider if this would appeal to our customers as well.

Our team success is driven by our customers. We measure a range of topics such as our telephony metrics (how quickly we answer our calls), any complaints we have received within the month (and finding out how we can prevent similar issues from reoccurring) and how we are operating from a conduct perspective (i.e. are we operating in an ethical manner and in the best interests of our customers), all with a view to being better for our customers.

Is there anything about working in Bank of Ireland that you think might surprise people who are considering applying?

Thinking back to when I was about to start to work for the Bank I couldn’t have imagined the type of work that I have ended up doing. I think many people have an impression of what it’s like to work for a Bank, but the variety is huge.
I can genuinely say I really enjoy the job, especially the range of topics that I am involved in.

What makes you proud to say you work with Bank of Ireland?

I have seen first-hand how hard we work for our customers and how customers are at the forefront of our minds when we’re making improvements. This is my reason to be proud.

Anything else you would like to add?

I think something else that is extremely important is the attitude of our staff. When our department recruits we put a lot of focus on candidate’s softer skills because we can teach you all the skills and knowledge you need.

I would suggest that in any job application, whether for a Bank or otherwise, let your passion for the role/industry come through.

I think that it can often be more important to hire someone for the right attitude.