What is the career path for commercial banking?

The career path for commercial banking includes jobs as a credit analyst, relationship manager, and credit officer. It's not necessarily required, but often a commercial banker needs to have a bachelor's degree in finance, business administration, or accounting. It's also important to have ample experience in the financial industry. Many states require specializations in specific areas. These can be determined on a state-by-state basis.

How To Become A Commercial Banker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a commercial banker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Commercial bankers provide clients with information about banking solutions and credit products. They advise customers on loan options and cash management services, analyze credit conditions, and manage accounts. Working as a commercial banker, you will assist customers in storing their money, taking out loans, and paying for their credit card purchases.

You might also advise on savings methods, investments, and financial planning. You will need strong analytical thinking as well as a customer-friendly attitude to succeed in this position. A solid understanding of commercial banking operations is a must. You will need to know everything about financial ratios, credit metrics, and all technical aspects of personal financial performance. But being friendly and inquisitive will prove just as important in the long run.

ScoreCommercial BankerUS Average

Salary

6.1

Avg. Salary $78,697

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.48%

Asian 6.63%

Black or African American 9.67%

Hispanic or Latino 14.73%

Unknown 4.66%

White 63.83%

Gender

female 36.51%

male 63.49%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a commercial banker

Explore commercial banker education requirements

Most common commercial banker degrees

Bachelor's

77.0 %

Master's

14.5 %

Associate

5.1 %

Start to develop specific commercial banker skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	8.79%
Business Development	8.04%
Treasury	7.88%
Commercial Banking	6.65%
Client Relationships	5.55%

Complete relevant commercial banker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New commercial bankers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a commercial banker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real commercial banker resumes.

Research commercial banker duties and responsibilities

Establish leads by building upon existing clientele and developing relationships with major centers of influence including CPA's and attorneys.
Manage and develop commercial lenders and administrative assistants.
Manage commercial customer portfolios by using profile analysis to identify cross-sell opportunities to sell other products and services.
Manage origination initiatives associate with business accounts, treasury products, and loans while adhering to bank compliance procedures.

Prepare your commercial banker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your commercial banker resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a commercial banker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable commercial banker resume templates

Build a professional commercial banker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your commercial banker resume.