ISM- INTERVIEW ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Student Name:
Printed Name of Person
Interviewed:
Role of Individual:

Ali Ahmed

Period:

6th

Hazem Ahmed

Place of Business:

__x_Mentor ___Other Professional #1

Integrity Bank

Business Address:

6025 Crenshaw Rd, Pasadena, TX 77505

Phone Number:

713-800-2350

Date of Interview:

4/12/15

___Other Professional #2

Type of Interview: ___ In Person __x_ Telephone* ___Email*

1. For someone working in your field, please describe the fantasies versus realities of the job.
Fantasies: Some people have a simplistic approach as to what job role is. That banks make a lot of money by
taking advantage of the customer.
Realities: You have to build relationships that last over a long period time that allow you to grow with the
customer.
2. What is your current educational level? What continuing education and training are required?
I have a BA in Finance and a Masters in Banking from SMU. Ongoing education includes keeping up with new
regulation and various industry educational requirements as needed.
3. Please describe the typical day to day activities of someone working in your field.
A typical day includes attending loan committee meetings for new loan requests as well as renewals of existing
loans requests, having client meetings (prospective and current), prospecting and marketing, making prospect
calls, and annualization of financial documents for current and prospective clients.
4. How secure are you in your current position? What do you think is the future of your field?
I feel secure based on my performance related to my organization, but insecure about future of community
banking as regulatory burdens increase due to recent economic downturn.
5. What is a typical (average or lowest to highest) salary of someone working in your field?
Successful lenders can make about 100,000 300,000 annually, a number that varies with the organization that
employs the lender as they determine how much their salary is base pay or performance based.
6. What potential for growth is there in your field?
With hard work and experience on can aim to establish and manage their own institution.

Revised Fall 2013

7. What is the typical timeline of progression for your career?

Start with a business degree related to finance or accounting
Gain experience in analysis of credit.
Develop marketing and portfolio building skills.
Build a portfolio with strong asset quality.
As you gain experience, you gain opportunity to gain responsibility in the form of management of others.
8. How interrelated are your personal life and your career?
They are significantly related, as social and community events cross both personal and business lines.
9. What are the pros and cons of your career?
Pros: Having the ability to make others successful, as well as having the opportunity to work in a field that affects
the community in which you live.
Cons: The increasing amount of bureaucracy and paperwork in the industry, directly related to governmental
regulation.
10. What habits would you encourage someone to cultivate to increase chances of success in your field?
It is important to maintain a certain level of community involvement, develop strong verbal and written
communication skills, and practice habitually reading newspapers and magazines including the wall street journal.

Revised Fall 2013