When beginning a career in the banking industry, the position of the Probationary Officer is the entry-level position at which a bank officer starts their career. It is the same case in the State Bank of India (SBI) as well.
The position of a Probationary Officer (PO) is considered quite lucrative. It offers high career growth and prospects for an exciting career in banking. That being said, a Probationary Officer has many roles and responsibilities that are very important for the smooth functioning of the bank.
This article will give details about the roles and responsibilities of an SBI PO.
Career Growth of an SBI PO
Once a candidate has passed the SBI PO exam, they will start off as a PO and will be on probation for two years. After completing the training period, they will undergo a thorough screening process. Those officers who pass the selection process and meet certain predetermined standards will be placed in the higher grade, i.e., Officer Middle Management Grade Scale-II. In retrospect, the SBI PO Exam is the gateway to such promotion
In case they don’t meet the standards and still pass the selection process, the candidates will be assigned the Officer Middle Management Grade Scale-I position. Neither meets the standards or passing the selection process will lead to termination from services.
Role and responsibilities of SBI PO
As mentioned above, candidates will become SBI PO after writing the exam. The exam, conducted in three stages, is designed in such a way that the best candidates will be selected in order to manage certain responsibilities in the State Bank of India.
The roles and responsibilities of an SBI PO are as follows.
- Managerial tasks: The SBI PO is one step above the clerical position. An SBI PO is tasked with verifying clerical work. The probationary officer also makes decisions with regard to the functioning of the bank. In addition, the PO is responsible for any amount of cash that the bank possesses. In the vent, if some cash is lost, then the PO is responsible for it.
- Role as a public relations officer: It is important that banks also remain in touch with their customers even after providing them with the services required. This is where a PO comes in. A PO will address the queries and issues of the customers, explain the latest schemes and issue the ATM cards. As such, this will enhance the image of the SBI bank branch in question.
- They are in charge of planning, budgeting and marketing: A PO is in charge of planning, budgeting and marketing of the bank branch they work at. With enough knowledge and experience in the bank’s procedure and environment, a PO can execute the planning and budgeting of the SBI bank branch with relative ease.
- Maintaining records: The SBI PO is responsible for generating reports about deposits, withdrawals etc. It is done in order to check there is no loss being faced by the bank. These reports are needed to prevent any discrepancies in the accounts. The PO is now directed to maintain good interactions with other departments.
Additional responsibilities of the SBI PO also include,
- Once they get acclimated to the bank environment and gain enough experience in the bank’s working procedures, based on their personal skills and aptitude, they can be assigned more responsible work, namely, planning, budgeting, marketing, loan processing and approval, investment management etc.
- The work of a bank PO also includes managerial tasks, such as supervision of clerical work, making decisions for the benefit of the bank, managing cash balance etc.
- They take care of the loan related documents and perform on-site visits to the loan taking parties as and when required.
The career growth prospect of an SBI bank PO also with other banks, is very high as compared to other government jobs. Candidates can find similar growth aspects in other banks as well. To know more about other upcoming bank exams, candidates can visit the linked article.
