Last Week of Training Week 6

So far I am really impressed with the bank’s training program. 6 weeks is really generous and should be enough to prepare one to succeed in this job. There were 5 weeks of E-class in which I met online in the morning with 22 other students across Canada and we went over some general knowledge in the bank. The cool part of online classes is when we broke into 4 different groups and discussed what we would do in different client scenarios. In the 4th and 5th week, I got to watch my mentor as I sat on the side and watched her do the transactions and eventually I did the transactions with my mentor sitting beside me for support. It was hilarious, sometimes the customer couldn’t tell who was the trainee. Is it because I look like the manager? LOL. We went through many videos of scenarios with customers and also what customers expect out of RBC. The Negotiation Triangle and The Perfect Hour have been instilled into my brain.

This week I have started to be pretty much on my own. Boy, it’s a challenge! Things I really need to work on include doing exchange rates, counting money in a professional way without losing track! Being able to explain a customer’s financial background to my supervisor for an override without stumbling. There’s just so much info to look out for. I think I should write it down. Putting checks on hold and having to explain it to the customer. Regarding to transactions, I feel I’m still on the slow side trying to make sure I get everything processed correctly. Leaving cash unattended, definitely got in trouble for that one. Need some work on referrals. The Park Royal branch has been busy during the Christmas season. This branch has definitely been a great training ground for my development as I have been able to be exposed to many different transactions and requests from customers.Time goes by so fast too!

I really like RBC’s culture. Teamwork and training is big here. Coming in to a new role, you get a lot of support from your colleagues and managers. I also like our weekly meetings where we get to hear our colleagues who’ve been nominated by their peers for excellent work. I nominated my mentor and it was really great to hear my nomination read aloud. She really deserved the praise and I could tell she was pleased. I feel it is these times that help boost the morale of the group and also make sure people get recognized for their efforts. Thumbs up.

What I really like about working at RBC is the people. Everyone has a really positive attitude and teamwork is key. Next is the training. I feel I am supported not only by my two mentors but others around me. I feel comfortable asking people questions and it’s not as intimidating. Customer interactions would then be next. I will only chat with someone if it’s an easy transaction otherwise I won’t be able to concentrate!  Sometimes an open ended question leads to something interesting about a customer. For example I talked to someone about music and artists and into the jazz scene, and then one time talking about a woman’s son who was a musician. There was an old grandma from Shanghai that I met and she wouldn’t stop talking! Lol. She asked me if I knew any 36-ish year old guys from Taiwan to recommend to her daughter lol!  One customer saw that my hand had eczema and mentioned it to me. I told her yes, I did have eczema and had a hard time with it because they were always dry. She said she used Epizone E a cream she bought in South Africa which helped her foot. She asked me if I would be willing to try it I said sure. Sure enough couple of hours later she came back and gave me her cream in a nice little bag! That made my day! That’s the Christmas Spirit! I find great satisfaction especially in helping my mandarin speaking clients. I love giving away our RBC Chinese calendars. Our Chinese clients always have this intrigued look on their faces when I tell them there is a RBC Chinese calender would you like one? I feel thankful that I picked up Mandarin and feel useful. Thank you Taiwan,  my Chinese teachers at TAS, and my parents of course.

I leave you with an unintentional joke from my mentor. J asks a Mrs. Wong if she wants a calender.

“Mrs. Wong, would you like a Mandarin calender?”

I just stared at her with a huge grin on my face. When the client left I explained to her that Mandarin is a dialect same as Cantonese and the writing was all the same. So therefore, the calendar could not be called a Mandarin or a Cantonese calender but a Chinese calender.