Banking & microfinance

What interviewers look for

• Honesty with money: you balance to the cent, report every shortage or overage, and never cover one yourself.
• Compliance sense: you follow KYC even for people you know, and you report suspicious activity without tipping off the customer.
• Clear explanations: you can explain a product, including Murabaha or a mobile wallet, to a customer who has never used a bank.
• Customer care under pressure: long queues, angry customers and complaints handled politely, quickly and by the rules.
• For loan roles: sound judgement of whether a person can repay, and respectful, steady follow-up.

Questions they ask

1. 1“At the end of the day your till is 30 dollars short. What do you do?”

   Why they ask: The most common teller question. They want a method and honesty: recount, check, report. Putting in your own money is the wrong answer.

   How to answer

   • Recount the cash by denomination and recheck the day's transactions in the system for a wrong amount or a missed entry.
   • If it is still short, report it to the supervisor the same day and record it in the shortage register as the procedure says.
   • Never cover a shortage from your pocket or keep an overage; both hide errors that may affect a customer.

   First I would recount the cash by denomination, because most differences are counting errors. Then I would check the day's transactions in the system: a withdrawal paid twice, a deposit entered as 130 instead of 100, or a wrong note given as change. If I still could not find it, I would report the 30-dollar shortage to my supervisor before closing and record it in the register as the procedure requires. I would not add my own money. If a customer was overpaid, the bank needs to know so it can contact them.

2. 2“A customer wants to deposit a large amount of cash and refuses to explain where it came from. What do you do?”

   Why they ask: They test AML basics: you follow the source-of-funds procedure, stay polite, report internally, and never tell the customer you are reporting.

   How to answer

   • Ask politely and neutrally, the way you ask every customer: the bank needs to know the source of large cash deposits.
   • Follow the procedure: the required form, your supervisor, and the compliance officer if it still looks suspicious.
   • Never warn the customer that a report may be made; that is called tipping off, and AML rules forbid it.

   I would stay calm and polite, explain that, like every bank, we ask about the source of large cash deposits, and ask him to complete the declaration form. If he gives a reasonable explanation and documents, such as the sale of livestock with a receipt, I follow the normal procedure. If he refuses, or the story does not fit what we know about him, I do not argue and I do not accuse him. I inform my supervisor and the compliance officer through the internal report, and I say nothing to the customer about it.

3. 3“A customer says Murabaha is just interest with another name. How do you explain the difference?”

   Why they ask: Islamic banks need staff who can explain their products simply and correctly, without overselling and without getting defensive.

   How to answer

   • Explain it as a sale: the bank first buys the goods, owns them, and sells them to you at cost plus a profit you both know.
   • Give the key difference: the price is fixed when you sign; it does not grow with time the way interest on a loan does.
   • Stay respectful: say the question is fair, and offer the product sheet or the bank's Sharia board if they want more.

   I would say it is a fair question. With a loan on interest, the bank lends money and charges more the longer you take. With Murabaha, the bank first buys the item you need, for example stock for your shop, and owns it. Then it sells it to you at the cost plus a profit that we both agree and write down before you sign. You pay in instalments, and that price does not grow as time passes. If you want more detail, I would give you our product sheet approved by the bank's Sharia board.

4. 4“How would you assess a loan request from a woman who runs a small shop in the market?”

   Why they ask: For loan and credit officers this is the core skill. They want the 5 Cs in practice: a visit and real cash flow, not just paperwork.

   How to answer

   • Visit the shop: check the stock, sales records or mobile money statements, and talk to neighbours or references.
   • Work out capacity: monthly sales minus business costs and household needs, and set an instalment she can pay in a slow month.
   • Cover the other Cs: her repayment history, her own money in the business, guarantors or collateral, and the purpose of the loan.

   I use the 5 Cs, but I start with a visit. At the shop I look at the stock and at her sales book or mobile money statement for the last few months, and I ask about slow seasons. From that I estimate monthly profit after business costs and household spending, and I set an instalment she can still pay in a weak month. I check her character through past loans, her savings group or market references. I note her own capital in the shop, the guarantor or collateral, and whether the loan is for stock that sells quickly. Then I write a short recommendation for the credit committee.

5. 5“A borrower has missed two instalments. What do you do?”

   Why they ask: They check follow-up discipline and respect. Portfolio quality matters, and so does treating customers with dignity.

   How to answer

   • Act early: a call on the first missed day, then a visit, because every week of delay makes recovery harder.
   • Find the reason: a sick child, lost stock, a drought, or unwillingness to pay; each needs a different response.
   • Agree a written plan and use the policy: rescheduling if approved, the guarantor, escalation; never threats or public shaming.

6. 6“A man calls and says he is a customer's brother. He needs her account balance urgently. What do you do?”

   Why they ask: In close communities this happens often. They check that you protect confidentiality politely, even under family or social pressure.

   How to answer

   • Say politely that you can only give account information to the account holder or a person she has authorised in writing.
   • Offer a safe route: she can call or visit herself, or give written authority following the bank's procedure.
   • Do not even confirm that she is a customer, and record the call if the procedure says so.

   I would be polite and say: I understand it is urgent, but I can only discuss an account with the account holder, or with someone she has authorised in writing with the bank. I would not confirm whether she has an account with us at all. I would suggest that she calls us herself from her registered number or visits the branch, and if she wants him to act for her, she can sign the authority form. Even if I knew the family, I would give the same answer, because confidentiality protects her.

7. 7“A customer says money left her mobile wallet after someone called and asked her for a code. What do you do?”

   Why they ask: Fraud follows money into digital channels. They check that you act fast to limit the loss, follow the procedure and treat the customer with care, not blame.

   How to answer

   • Act quickly: block the wallet or reset access following the procedure, and escalate to the fraud or digital team the same day.
   • Record the details: time, amount, the number that called and the receiving account, so the transfer can be traced.
   • Be kind, promise only what you can do, and explain that staff never ask for a PIN or a code.

8. 8“A customer you know well wants to open an account but did not bring his ID. He is angry that you ask. What do you do?”

   Why they ask: KYC applies to everyone. They test that you apply the rule the same way for friends, and keep the customer's goodwill while you do it.

   How to answer

   • Stay calm and explain that the bank must verify every customer's identity, whoever they are, and that it protects him too.
   • Tell him exactly which documents are accepted, and offer to prepare the form now so his next visit is quick.
   • Do not open the account without verified ID, and involve your supervisor if he keeps insisting.

Example answers are in English, the language most panels use. Say it in your own words.

Topics to revise

• KYC and customer due diligence (CDD)Know your customer: identify and verify the person with accepted ID, record occupation and expected activity, rate the risk, and keep the file up to date. Enhanced due diligence (EDD) applies to higher-risk customers, such as politically exposed persons (PEPs).
• AML: placement, layering, integrationMoney laundering hides where criminal money came from. Placement puts the cash into the system, layering moves it through many transfers, and integration brings it back looking clean. Tellers mostly see placement, for example cash deposits split into small amounts.
• Suspicious transactions and tipping offIf a transaction does not fit what the bank knows about the customer, staff report it internally to the compliance officer, who decides whether to report it to the authorities. Telling the customer about a report (tipping off) is forbidden.
• Cash handling and teller balancingCount in front of the customer, check notes for fakes and damage, and keep the till within its limit. At day end: opening cash + cash received − cash paid = expected cash. Count by denomination; any difference is reported, never covered.
• Dual control and vault limitsSensitive tasks need two people: opening the vault, moving large amounts of cash, changing limits. Tellers hand excess cash to the vault so no one holds more than their limit. Panels ask why: it protects both the money and the staff.
• The 5 Cs of creditCharacter (repayment history and reputation), Capacity (cash flow to pay the instalment), Capital (the borrower's own money in the business), Collateral (assets or guarantors), Conditions (loan purpose, season, market). Expect to apply them to a short case.
• Portfolio at risk (PAR 30)The outstanding balance of all loans with a payment more than 30 days late, divided by the total outstanding loan portfolio. It counts the whole remaining balance of a late loan, not only the missed instalment. Know how you keep it low: early calls, visits and honest assessment at the start.
• MurabahaA cost-plus sale. The bank buys the item (stock, a vehicle, equipment), owns it, then sells it to the customer at cost plus an agreed profit, paid in instalments. The price is fixed at signing and does not grow with time, which is how it differs from an interest-bearing loan (riba).
• Mudaraba and MusharakaBoth are partnerships. In Mudaraba one side gives the money and the other gives the work; profit is shared by an agreed ratio, and a loss of money falls on the capital provider unless the manager was negligent. In Musharaka both put in money, and losses follow each partner's share of capital. That is why an investment account cannot promise a fixed return.
• IjaraA lease. The bank buys an asset and rents it to the customer for an agreed rent and period; the bank stays the owner and carries the risks of ownership. In Ijara ending in ownership, the asset passes to the customer at the end of the contract.
• Customer confidentialityAccount details are shared only with the account holder or a person authorised in writing, or when the law requires it through proper channels. Do not discuss customers with family, friends or on social media, and lock your screen when you step away.
• Digital channels and mobile money fraudMobile banking, wallets, agents and bank-to-wallet transfers. Know the common frauds: fake 'I sent money by mistake' calls, SIM swap, requests for a PIN or one-time code, fake payment SMS. Staff never ask for a PIN; say how you would teach customers this.

Practical tasks you may get

1. 1Cash counting test: count and sort a bundle of notes by denomination, find a fake or damaged note, and give the total. Practise counting quickly with practice notes or paper slips, and always count twice.
2. 2Numeracy or written test: percentages, simple profit and instalment calculations, and short customer scenarios. Revise how to work out a Murabaha sale price (cost plus profit) and the monthly instalment.
3. 3Customer role-play: a panel member plays an angry customer or asks you to explain an account or Murabaha. Prepare two-sentence explanations of the main products and practise them aloud in English and Somali.
4. 4Loan appraisal case: a trader's weekly sales, costs and household expenses. Calculate monthly net cash flow, suggest a safe instalment and loan size, and name the risks. Practise with a family business you know well.
5. 5Compliance scenario: a list of transactions where you mark the suspicious ones and say what you would do. Revise the red flags: split cash deposits, activity that does not fit the customer, many unrelated senders, and quick withdrawals.

Mistakes to avoid

• Saying you would cover a till shortage from your own pocket, or keep an overage.
• Promising a fixed return on a Mudaraba account, or calling Murabaha profit 'interest'.
• Telling a customer that their transaction will be reported.
• Giving account details to relatives or 'known' people without written authority.
• Recommending a loan for a relative or friend without declaring the conflict of interest.
• Blaming the customer for digital fraud instead of acting fast to block and escalate.

Quick check

5 questions. Answer each one to see the explanation.