If you’re interested in a job in the area of operations; processing, underwriting, collections etc.. proceed with CAUTION. In the interview process, ask the hiring manager good, open ended questions about the culture, hierarchy and God forbid, the office politics that you may have to endure. I would also urge candidates to speak with others in the department before accepting the job.
While I have known some very good and fair managers at Citizens, there are also some bad seeds. Bad seeds that create a toxic and unproductive work environment by way of favoritism and nepotism to levels I have never witnessed in my 30 years in the labor force. The bad and incompetent manager will quickly hire her “friends” and immediately give them the favorable work assignments. Said managers’ friends are also allowed flexible work schedules while flextime of any kind for the rest of the department suddenly is no longer allowed.
When it comes to work assignments, certain individuals this manager decides she “does not like” will receive the most difficult and time-consuming daily work assignments. Some are nearly impossible to complete in 8 hours, but if they’re not complete and error free, she will gladly give those folks a sub-standard performance review. While at the same time, this manager’s “friends” typically complete their daily work assignments by 3:00 and have a good hour or two to chat and shop on Amazon before they go home.
Now, with the managers’ friends naturally being the “t
1.0
Senior Personal Banker | Rhode Island | Nov 22, 2014
Take note of the high turnover and beware
Before reading this, please keep two things in mind: I was a top performer for this company and have no problem with sales. I always made my goals and never had any issues making them. That said...
I worked for this company for years and have never experienced anything so horrible at a financial institution. The company lays off entire departments at random (the most recent one being the fraud claims department!) and under-staffs its branches to the point where you will not get a single day off. Actually, you'll be lucky to get lunch. Teller counters designed for a team of 12 will have 1 to 2 people manning all windows simultaneously, making each day extremely stressful.
The compensation package is a sham and top performers are routinely screwed out of our bonuses. It sounds excellent on paper; you can potentially earn six figures if you hit all your goals consistently. However, I hit every goal every quarter upwards of 245% for years and never received a single bonus. The company will do whatever they can to take away your quarterly payouts, including punishing you for the failure of others. For example, they will revoke your bonuses if there is a lazy colleague in your branch who is put on a warning for low sales performance. Everyone else loses their bonus; YOU'RE A TEAM AFTER ALL!
Every account you open, the incentive management department will try to argue a reason you should not get credit for it, and the reasons are nuts. For example, if the computers are down
ProsOut of work at 5pm. Can't beat that.
ConsNo payouts, dwindling benefits, and deaf/mute/blind upper management
Roles and Responsibilities
Training new engineers.
Backup queue dispatcher.
1ST escalation over the weekends
On call rotation.
In early daily to catch any high severity cases in the queue
Daily Problem Management report, review and email teams( backup role)
Tracking emails over the weekend
Data center walk around (opening tickets and fixing hardware issues not reported by agents or SIM)
After patching process (make sure servers are online after patching)
Monitor Hardware SharePoint site for any out of warranty issues that need parts ordered. Order parts in P2P Oracle
Supporting differences infrastructures:
• Messaging support.
Help with Recover Deleted Items for users
Performed Restores/Fix .pst files
Troubleshoot LV2 Receiving/Sending Issues with Outlook for the End User
Create QA Mailbox/QA User Accounts
Review/Approve SMTP Relays
Perform Mailbox size checks
Educate End users of or messaging Environment
Troubleshoot Level 1 and Level 2 SharePoint issues
• VMWare support
Create Snapshots/Clones
Upgrade VM Tools/VM Hardware
Migrate servers to different Data stores
Increase/Decrease VM spec settings
Remediate performance issues with VM
Troubleshoot broken VM
Disk Alignments of VM
Use Foglight to monitor the VM Environment
• Citrix User’s support
Fix end user Citrix profile issues
Review/Verify users have correct Access
Perform reboots of Citrix servers
Use the Citrix console to add/
I worked for this bank for a total of 10 years. In those years I held many positions from banker/platform up to corporate office positions in Pittsburgh.
This bank is the worst. They hire you in at a wage that makes sense but raises are at BEST 2% per year and that only goes to 1 employee per 20, ex: If there are 3 people meeting and exceeding their goals who are fantastic employees, Citizens Bank won’t allow management to give all 3 the raise they deserve or even the terrible 2%. As a manager, I was literally told to look for reasons to fire someone to save money, yesthats correct I was told who to fire and to purposely set them up for failure. Prior to being a manager I was many times forced to work overtime to make sales calls or to audit drawers etc, but no one was allowed to have more than 40 hours, so you extent paid at all and you were locked in so you can’t just leave. They had a lawsuit for this overtime practice, but many of us were told that if we wanted to keep our jobs we better not join the lawsuit, so we never saw a dime. Citizens gives you “PTO” time, all your sick days and vacation in one pool. They tell you to save 5 days for emergencies, but you can’t call off kore than 3 times a year or you're on a final written warning for a rolling year, no exceptions. So basically they give you time and tell you that you can’t take it.
Beyond the above rediculousness, this bank does not care at all about their people although they claim to. They force sales down
ProsNone
ConsNo advancement; horrible practices
5.0
Quality Assurance Tester | Cranston, RI | Jan 23, 2015
Good place to work
Worked as a quality assurance and testing specialist for multiple projects in Citizens Bank.
Environment: SQL, Oracle, Microsoft Office, VB script, HP Quality Center, QTP, Windows, XML, SOAP UI, HTML
Responsibilities:
● Worked with Business analysis team to prepare a detailed Test plan of the application
● Involved in writing and implementation of Test cases for various modules.
● Experience in writing Test Cases by analyzing the use case documents and also reviewed test cases for quality testing.
● Created manual Test Cases in HP QC/HP ALM for various User Stories based on Release and Sprint plan.
● Used Quality Center (QC) for executing the test cases and defect management.
● Participated in the development of test software to execute test cases using HP Quick Test Professional (QTP)
● Experience in Design Test cases and implementing of test design technique
● Executed Test Cases and Test Scripts of manual and automation testing. Defects are raised in the HP Quality Center/HP ALM for logging, tracking and reporting bugs in the application
● Created automation scripts and updated test scripts using Quick Test Professional (QTP) also involved in enhancing the scripts.
● Analyzed test results and logging defects in Quality Center 8.0
● Conducted defect call meetings and walk through meetings for all testing issues and defects
● Involved in comparing output to expected results and review the results of test execution.
● Performed Functi
Sr.ETL Developer-Banking and Finance services Data Collection
• Responsible for Data requirements gathering, Design, Development, Unit Testing and Implementation. Provided Production support of the Data Mart on 24/7 basis. Involved in the Business Analysis, System Analysis, Design and Data modeling.
• Interacted with Business users to analyze the business process and requirements. Worked with the Business Analyst and Data Modeler during the functional design and technical design phases.
• Prepared High Level (HLD) and Detail Level Documents (DLD).
• Designed and developed various Informatica Mappings using Active & Passive Transformations.
• Developed standard and re-usable mappings and mapplets using various transformations like expression, aggregator, joiner, source qualifier, router, lookup, and Router.
• Monitored workflows and collected performance data to maximize the session performance. Unit Testing and debugging of ETL objects. Involved in reviewing the Test Cases written by the peers.
• Data quality checking and interacting with the business analysts.
• Created Task Session, Email and Workflow to execute the mappings. Used workflow monitor to monitor the jobs, reviewed error logs that were generated for each session, and rectified any cause of failure.
• Wrote SQL, PL/SQL, stored procedures for implementing business rules and transformations.
• Developed UNIX Shell scripts. Created & Scheduled jobs to run daily and weekly.
• Worked on performance tuning of mappings, identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks
ProsInformatica Power Center 9.1/8.6, Cognos, Oracle 10g, SQL, PL/SQL, Toad 9.1, UNIX, SQL Server 2008
My typical work day consists of a preset list of daily activities that must be completed before actually meeting with clients. This includes going over past results, action plans per banker for the day/week, a skills review of what areas need additional coaching, and one-on-ones with staff. Additionally, conference calls are a frequent occurrence in some cases two to three day. A kick off call with the region, a Quality Kept Appointment call for investment appointments or lack there of, lending call for appointments, action plan call to hit said goals, and an end of day check out where you have to explain why/how you hit said goals or not with an explanation of activities for the next day/week. If you do not hit the goals you have to stay late for call night, not one day a week but three days you are staying till 7pm (schedules are adjusted).
This is great if you have a full staff (many do not), but you have many new hires without banking experience so the need to coach is evident. It would seem to be a great opportunity to build a team however there is not a "ramp up" time allotted to the staff or the branch. This means that you are the manager/sales person/business banker/ appointment setter/sales coach/assistant branch manager/and licensed baker, all while doing your required daily tasks which are documented in your "binder". This binder is the "bible of the branch" it does not matter if you hit the sales if the binder is out of order, and when you get the binder
ProsAlways hiring
ConsAlways hiring, low compensation to retain top talent, lack of training, lack of support, conflicting communication, conflicting priorities
Citizens Bank has undergone many changes since I became a colleague there. On a daily basis, there are many tasks to perform, and many customer service issues to deal with, making multitasking and time management an important component of the role. These skills I have honed since taking on the ABM role there, and I believe I have improved greatly in this area of my employee skill set. Problem solving skills are of paramount importance as a colleague of the bank, and these skills have been challenged and overcome as I have continued my tenure with Citizens Bank. Outreach, both active and proactive, are constant considerations there as well, and these skills, while put to some use at Tweeter Etc, became for me much more prevalent on a day to day basis as a member of the bank.
Management at Citizens Bank falls on both the Branch Manager as well as the Assistant Branch Manager, with myself as ABM taking control of the branch in the absence of BM. As such, I am responsible for day to day operations, overseeing account opening and maintenance, coaching new and existing employees, and fielding customer questions and problems. Problem resolution, especially in a timely manner, is also a key component to management at Citizens Bank.
Culturally, Citizens Bank is a diverse community of colleagues, which encourages goal setting, achievement, and promotion from within. Many roles are created for colleagues to choose from, and both lateral as well as promotional position changes are enco
ProsFlexible scheduling, very good benefits, room to grow.
ConsColleague incentive plan constantly changing, many branches in dire need of technology overhaul.
1.0
Senior Universal Banker | Cleveland, OH | Oct 4, 2018
Extremely Stressful.
If you are reading a review of Citizens Bank, and they use the phrase "fast-paced", as in it's an active and fun place, please replace that with "hectic and stressful". It's certainly fast-paced, but not in a positive way.
I worked for a couple years towards becoming a banker at Citizens Bank. As a customer, I always had stellar service from Citizens Bank, and every interaction was always very pleasant. It occurred to me that it would probably be an excellent place to work. So, I worked towards getting a banker position with Citizens Bank for a couple years.
After one interview - which I did extremely well at, for once - I was offered a banker position that was higher than the one that I originally applied for. I was excited because the job description was exactly what I was looking for - at least the first two paragraphs.
The job description was three main paragraphs. The first paragraph talked about customer service, and supporting the customer. I get personal reward from doing this. The second paragraph of the job description talked about problem solving with peoples' financial issues. This is also awesome, as I am excellent with both numbers and problem solving. It wasn't until the third paragraph that the job description mentioned selling financial products to customers. More on this in a moment.
At training, which was your standard corporate training for about two weeks, I noticed a large class size, and mostly younger people. It made me wonder i
Great place to work with a family-like atmosphere.
As a drive-thru teller you at this bank (Cloverleaf) you will be expected to at least do the following:
-receive and count working cash at beginning of shift
-identify customers, validate and cash checks
-accept cash and checks for deposit and check accuracy of deposit slip
-process cash withdrawals
-perform specialized tasks such as preparing cashier's checks, personal money orders
-perform services for customers such as ordering checks
-receive and verify loan payments, mortgage payments
-record all transactions promptly, accurately and in compliance with bank procedures
-balance currency, cash and checks in cash drawer at end of each shift
-answer inquiries regarding checking and savings accounts and other bank related products
-attempt to resolve issues and problems with customer's accounts
-ensure compliance with all internal controls and established policies and procedures
This company believes in helping their employees continue in their education. The managers will often help you workout a schedule if you are attending school, they will also invite you to workshops held at the nearby adult education center that could help you at your job; such as learning to work Excel.
When you work in the drive-thru you are typically going to be spending 10 hours a day with one or two other people, so it is VERY important to learn how to get along.
The hardest part of the job would have to be not being able to help out a customer because of certain regulations
ProsGreat bonuses, benefits, and celebrations
ConsExceptions to rules based on the person can make the job difficult.
Questions And Answers about Citizens Bank
How are the working hours at Citizens?
Asked Jul 2, 2016
The working hours were great, especially for a mother of two.
Answered Jan 15, 2018
They are fair and flexible
Answered Jan 12, 2018
When hired do you train at location you will work at?
Asked Sep 9, 2016
My training included links to websites and manuals with very little time spent by my manager helping me out. It was a very poor onboarding process.
Answered Apr 14, 2018
Yes. I train with employees on location.
Answered Jan 17, 2018
How long does it take to get hired from start to finish at Citizens? What are the steps along the way?
Asked Jun 18, 2016
Initially we used temp agencies, we monitored the performance and by the time the assignment was ending, if we had approval to hire, we would offer full time.
after that, direct hiring was performed thru out corporate office, it would take around 2-4 weeks after interviewing
Answered Jan 16, 2019
I was interviewed on a Monday and got a call back by Wednesday. I was given a file to complete after my interview.
Answered Oct 26, 2018
What tips or advice would you give to someone interviewing at Citizens?
Asked Jan 28, 2018
Not a good place to work. To them, you’re merely just a number, a statistic.
Answered Dec 27, 2019
Proceed with Caution Pay is extremely low in a lot of departmentstuff not worth acceptin the offer unless you really need a job then go for it but you've been for warn
Answered Dec 26, 2019
If you were in charge, what would you do to make Citizens a better place to work?
Asked Sep 2, 2017
No more micromanaging need team players not back stabbers
Answered Oct 26, 2020
Implement a more consistent management style. Without consistently staying on top of something you leave the door open for a free for all giving employees the opportunity to do whatever they want. As much as we want to empower colleagues and we do we also need them to do the job they were hired for. There are to many colleagues that get away with not doing the work.
