Wanted: creative, lateral thinker, some knowledge of finance.
Accounting types need not apply

"Many credit union jobs almost defy description, they require such a multitude of skills, education and talents. If an employee has his or her eye on higher office, the fastest way there might be bouncing about from department to department.

Credit unions are also increasingly accommodating when it comes to helping staff branch out into areas where they have a dearth of skills. “If we identify high-potential individuals in a non-financial specialized field who want to broaden their skills so they can reach a particular job one day, we could offer them a job that was beneath their present position and freeze their current salary for one or two years,” says Hahn...

Gayle Johnson, executive vice-president at ConexusCredit Union in Regina, Saskatchewan, believes that front-line staff who don’t have a degree should be able to progress just as fast as those with a piece of paper. “There’s ample opportunity to get the appropriate education while working,” she says. Johnson started as a teller and has worked in audit, sales management and branch management. “All you have to do is show initiative.”

- by Laureen Griffin

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