What exactly is a PO ?

This article comes to life after a student asked us this question; "What exactly is the job of a PO ?".

The question, in turn, makes us realize that every year, a humongous number of students appear in the IBPS BANK PO exam, but very small number of them exactly know what is in store for them on the job as a BANK PO.

• Probationary Officer or more popularly known as PO, is an entry level job for graduates with no experience in the banking sector. As the term includes the term "Probationary", the selected candidate is on probation for a period of 2 years, during which, he/she reports directly to the senior officer who closely monitors and evaluates the candidate's performance. It is imperative that the candidate should keep a good conduct, at all times, during this period of 2 years. 
• A candidate selected to work as a BANK PO, must be ready to work in different work areas, as he/she will be made to work, during this period of two years, in various departments within that bank. So, ability to adapt and good communication skills are two most important skills a candidate must possess to work as a BANK PO and then progress upwards in his/her career. 
• During the period of probation, a BANK PO is trained in areas of finance, accounting, marketing, billing, investment. 
• Post completion of this probation tenure of 2 years, the candidate is then instated as an Assistant Bank Manager in any branch of that bank. The job duties of an Assistant Bank Manager is to handle daily operations in the bank and also look towards increasing the overall business of the bank by getting more cash flows, deposits, investments etc. 
• The ability to communicate easily and resolve conflicts comes handy when dealing with the public, which is an essential part of the job in discussion.

Looking at the above points, it becomes evident that a candidate aspiring to become a BANK PO, must be ready to go that extra mile to learn various skills, from IT to marketing, finance to human resource management, public dealing to accounting etc. In short, an ideal BANK PO candidate is the one who is:

1. a quick learner
2. adapts fast
3. communicates well
4. has good people skills

We hope the above article was helpful to all those who are writing the exam this year, or are thinking of sitting for the exam in the near future.