A branch manager hiring a teller wants to know one thing above all: can this person be trusted with a cash drawer? Your resume answers with accurate cash handling, patient and friendly service, comfort with banking software and a habit of catching errors before they cost anyone money. Teller work can feel routine, and routine tasks are hard to make impressive. Transaction counts, balanced drawers, referrals and the right certificates change that.
How to Write a Bank Teller Resume - Key Takeaways
- Put your jobs in reverse-chronological order and fit them on 1 page, even with several years at the window.
- Open with a 2- to 3-line summary naming your years, the type of branch, the transactions you handle and your balancing record.
- Give bullets teller numbers: transactions a day, shifts in balance, surprise counts passed, referrals made and fraud you stopped.
- List the teller platform and Microsoft Office with your skills, and name the platform again in a bullet.
- Put a Notary Public commission, the SIE and bank training certificates under Certificates, with the issuer and the date.
- Keep personal details off the page, then test the file with an ATS resume checker before you apply.
What hiring managers look for in a bank teller resume
A branch or operations manager scans a teller resume for 3 things: proof that your cash balances, proof that customers leave your window satisfied, and signs that you follow procedure when something looks wrong. The BLS lists counting the drawer at the start and end of each shift, accepting deposits and payments, answering account questions, preparing money orders and exchanging foreign currency as typical duties. O*NET adds verifying signatures and available funds before paying out cash, and monitoring the vault.
Banks also hire for character. The BLS names detail orientation, integrity with confidential account data, math and customer service among a teller's key qualities, so back each one with a bullet, not just a line in your skills. Build the page from these sections:
- Name, headline (for example, Bank Teller, Notary Public) and contact details
- A short summary under your name, 2 to 3 lines and no heading
- Work Experience, with your current or latest job first
- Skills, with your teller platform and office software inside
- Certificates, a notary commission first if you hold one
- Education
- Optional extras: Languages, plus volunteer work or achievements if you have them
Best format for a bank teller resume
Choose the reverse-chronological resume format and start with your current or most recent job, giving each role its title, the bank or credit union, the branch city and start and end months. A teller's path is easy to read in this order: cashier or customer service work, then teller, then lead teller, head teller or personal banker. Even if you are coming from another field, keep this order and let your summary explain the move.
- Best for most bank tellersReverse-chronologicalYour jobs, newest first, with your results under each one.Best for: A steady work history in your field
- FunctionalSkills grouped up top, with a short work history below.Best for: Gaps or very little experience
- CombinationA skills section first, then your full work history.Best for: A career change with strong skills
Keep the resume to 1 page. Few teller jobs need more, and a branch manager reading a stack of applications wants your volume, your accuracy and your certificates without turning the page. If you have held 4 or more jobs, keep the oldest to 1 or 2 bullets or drop the ones that have nothing to do with cash or customers.
| Setting | What to use |
|---|---|
| Length | 1 page |
| Dates | MM/YYYY on every role, with Present on the one you are in |
| Job title line | The title your employer used |
| Employer line | The bank or credit union name with the branch city beside it |
| Layout | Clean and conservative, with standard section headings and no tables or text boxes |
| Photo, age and ID numbers | No photo for most US and Canadian employers; no Social Security number, age or family details |
| File type | PDF, or Word if the bank's careers portal asks for it |
Most US and Canadian resumes carry no photo. If you apply through a bank's careers portal, plain headings help the system sort each part of your resume into the right field.
Bank teller resume summary vs. objective
If you have worked a teller line, write a resume summary that names your years, the kind of branch, the transactions you handle and one accuracy or service result. If you are new to banking, write a resume objective instead: the teller role you want and the best proof you can already offer. Either way, keep it to 2 or 3 lines and take its number from your bullets.
Bank teller resume summary formula
Title with X years at a bank, credit union or branch type, handling transaction types. Balancing, service or fraud figure. Certificate, exam or language.
Example
Bank teller with 3 years at a 6-window savings bank branch, handling deposits, check cashing and loan payments. Balanced the drawer on 311 of 314 shifts in 2025. Passed the SIE exam in 2026.
Don't
Friendly and reliable bank teller with excellent cash handling skills, looking to grow with a reputable financial institution.
Do
Credit union teller with 2 years at a 3-window branch, serving about 90 members a day in English and Spanish. Earned the ABA Bank Teller Certificate in 2026.
The second version gives the setting, the daily volume, a language and a credential instead of adjectives.
How to write bank teller work experience bullets with numbers
Your current teller job gets 3 to 4 bullets; each earlier role gets fewer, and every bullet starts with a verb. Teller work is counted all day by the branch itself, in transactions, drawer differences, audits and referrals, so list your work experience with those counts and the results behind them rather than a copy of the job description.
| Area | What to count | Example bullet |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction volume | Transactions a day, transaction types, windows at the branch | Handled about 130 transactions a day at a 4-window branch, including commercial deposits. |
| Drawer and vault accuracy | Shifts in balance, size of differences, surprise counts | Passed 8 surprise cash counts in 2025 with no differences. |
| Compliance | Currency transaction reports, holds placed, ID checks | Prepared 22 currency transaction reports in 2025 with no corrections returned by compliance. |
| Referrals and sales | Referrals made, accounts or loans opened, goal reached | Made 12 referrals a month to the branch loan officer, 110% of the teller goal. |
| Service | Survey scores, wait times, complaints resolved | Kept the average lobby wait under 4 minutes during Friday paycheck rushes. |
| Coverage and training | Branches covered, new tellers trained, shifts opened or closed | Covered 5 branches as a float teller and trained 3 new hires on the teller platform. |
Here is a teller who started on a grocery register. The current job carries the volume, the balancing record, referrals and fraud caught; the cashier job keeps 2 bullets about cash and training.
Work Experience
- Process 120 to 150 deposits, withdrawals, check cashing and loan payments a day at a 6-window branch.
- Balanced the cash drawer on 311 of 314 shifts in 2025 and kept every difference under $5.
- Referred 46 customers to personal bankers in 2025; 19 opened a CD or a home equity line.
- Caught 3 altered checks worth $7,850 before they posted by comparing signatures and amounts against account records.
- Took $3,000 to $4,500 in cash and card sales per shift at a 9-lane store.
- Trained 5 new cashiers on refunds, voids and counterfeit bill checks.
Don't
Responsible for cash handling and balancing my drawer.
Do
Closed in balance on 248 of 252 shifts in 2025 with a $12,000 drawer limit, and traced all 4 differences the same day.
A branch manager reads accuracy as a ratio, so give the shifts and the drawer size.
Don't
Helped customers with their banking needs and watched for fraud.
Do
Escalated 5 suspected elder-scam withdrawals to the branch manager in 2025, stopping $18,200 from leaving customers' accounts.
Bank teller skills and software for your resume
Choose 6 to 8 skills from the posting that your bullets already back up. Teller ads lean on customer service skills as much as cash skills, so pair each soft skill with a bullet that shows it: a wait time, a survey score or a complaint you settled at the window.
Hard skills for bank tellers
- Cash handling and drawer balancing
- Check cashing and endorsement review
- Deposits, withdrawals and transfers
- Cashier's checks and money orders
- Counterfeit and altered check detection
- Vault and ATM balancing
- Currency transaction reports
- Foreign currency exchange
- Product referrals
- Notary services
Soft skills branch managers value
- Accuracy under time pressure
- Patience with upset customers
- Confidentiality
- Clear explanations of fees and holds
- Following procedure
- Teamwork on the teller line
O*NET flags Microsoft Office as a hot and in-demand technology for tellers, and it lists teller platforms such as Premier Teller, TellerPro and Jack Henry's Vertex, plus OnBase for document management. Banks run many other core systems, so copy the platform name from the job ad if you have used it, and write it into a bullet as well as your skills. Cash recyclers and currency counters count too when the posting mentions them.
Notary, SIE and bank training: certificates for a teller resume
No license is required to work as a teller, and the BLS says new tellers usually learn on the job from a head teller or another experienced teller. A few credentials still help, and the usual way to list certifications on a resume is a Certificates section with the issuer and date. A notary commission lets you notarize documents for customers where the branch offers it, and bank training such as the American Bankers Association's Bank Teller Certificate belongs here too.
| Credential | Issued by | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Notary Public commission | Your state (in Pennsylvania, the Department of State) | Rules vary by state. Pennsylvania asks for at least 3 hours of approved notary education within 6 months before you apply and an exam for first-time notaries, and the commission lasts 4 years. |
| Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam | FINRA | Open to anyone 18 or older with no firm sponsor needed; 75 multiple-choice questions on products, risks, markets and regulators; a pass stays valid for 4 years. |
How to list BSA and anti-money-laundering training
Banks train tellers on the Bank Secrecy Act, because FinCEN requires a currency transaction report whenever one person's cash in or cash out totals more than $10,000 in a business day. That in-house training is not a certificate, so leave it out of Certificates. Show it in a bullet instead, with the reports you prepared or the suspicious activity you escalated.
Certificates
- Securities Industry Essentials (SIE), FINRA, passed 04/2026
- ABA Bank Teller Certificate, American Bankers Association, 09/2023
How to list a high school diploma, GED or college on a teller resume
The BLS says tellers usually need to have finished high school or earned the equivalent; some take college courses or hold a degree, though banks do not typically require one to hire you. When listing education on a resume, give the diploma, GED or degree, the school, its city and the month you finished.
If you are in college, list the degree you are working toward with its expected date, and add finance or accounting courses only while you have little work history. Once you have a year at a teller line, Education moves below Work Experience and shrinks to 1 or 2 lines.
Education
Entry-level, part-time, roving and career-change bank teller resumes
With no teller job yet, use an entry-level resume layout: a short objective, your strongest cash or customer job first, and bullets that count money and people. The BLS lists no related work experience as a requirement, so these are the jobs worth showing:
- Cashier, barista or retail jobs: sales taken a shift, how close your drawer came at closing, refunds you handled.
- Call center or front desk work: calls or guests a day, account questions answered, complaints settled.
- Treasurer roles in a club, team or church: money counted and deposited, listed under Volunteer Experience.
- Second languages: under Languages with your level, since a branch serving Spanish or Vietnamese speakers will look for it.
Don't
Hardworking high school graduate seeking a teller position to start a career in banking.
Do
Grocery cashier with 2 years on a busy register, seeking a part-time teller role. Closed every drawer within $1 for the last 12 months and ran the store's money order counter.
Proof belongs in an objective too: a drawer record, a volume or a task close to teller work.
For a part-time job, write Part-Time after the title and list it like any other role; BLS data show some teller schedules include evenings or weekends, so say which shifts you cover. A roving or float teller lists 1 employer with the number of branches covered in a bullet, not a separate entry per branch.
Moving from a call center, retail or hospitality, stay with reverse-chronological order, and open with a summary that names what carries over: cash handled, customers served, accounts looked up. A career-change resume works best when the bullets under your old job lead with those transferable skills. Save the reason for the switch for the letter you send with it; these finance cover letter examples show how to keep it to a few sentences.
Bank Teller resume FAQ
Do you need experience to become a bank teller?
No. The BLS lists no related work experience for tellers and says new hires usually learn on the job. Banks still prefer some cash or customer work, so lead with a cashier, retail or call center job and count the money and people you handled.
How long should a bank teller resume be?
Keep it to 1 page. Teller roles rarely call for more, even with several years at the window. If space runs short, cut bullets from jobs with no cash or customer contact before you trim your current teller job.
Should I put my cash drawer balancing record on my resume?
Yes, if it is strong. Write it as a ratio with a period, such as shifts in balance out of shifts worked in a year, or as surprise counts passed. Leave it out if you cannot give a real figure from your branch's records.
Do bank tellers need a certification?
No certification is required to be hired. A Notary Public commission, the SIE exam from FINRA or the ABA Bank Teller Certificate can still help, especially at a branch that offers notary services or sells investment products. List any you hold under Certificates with the issuer and date.
Should I mention sales or referral goals on a teller resume?
Yes. Tellers may recommend products such as CDs or loans, the BLS says, and many branches track referrals. Give the count and what came of it, such as accounts opened, and keep the wording about helping customers rather than pushing products.
How do I list roving or float teller work across several branches?
Use 1 Work Experience entry with your title, the bank and the city where you were based. Then give the number of branches you covered in a bullet, along with what changed between them, such as different drawer limits, commercial lobbies or opening and closing duties.
How do I show part-time teller hours on a resume?
Write Part-Time after the job title, such as Bank Teller, Part-Time, and list it with full MM/YYYY dates. Add the shifts you cover, such as Saturdays or evening drive-up, in a bullet, so the manager can see where you fit the schedule.
Do banks run background checks on teller applicants?
Often, yes. Passing a background check may be part of getting hired, per the BLS. Make sure every employer name, job title and date on your resume matches what a former employer would confirm, since a mismatch can slow an offer.
How much does a bank teller make?
The BLS puts the median teller wage at $43,030 a year as of May 2025. Pay varies with your state, the bank and your shifts. Leave salary off your resume and discuss it in the interview or on the application form.
Next steps
Choose the example nearest your situation and replace its figures with your own transaction counts, balancing record and certificates. Our resume builder and resume templates give you a clean layout to put them in, and a short cover letter naming the branch and your strongest number finishes the application.