Pros
When I began looking for a job in banking, with the ultimate goal of becoming a financial planner, I literally walked into branches of the 5 major banks to pick up brochures, check things out. I came away with the impression that all of the banks are pretty much the same. After working at RBC for 10 years, I can tell you that there is a difference that RBC has, and it's that the overall quality of people working there is just that one level higher than those of other banks. Many times I've met new co-workers that came to us from various competitors and I always ask what the other bank's culture is like, why'd they change, etc....almost without fail the other person, after working at RBC for a while, believes they are in a much better organization that where they came from. I remember speaking to one individual that left RBC to take a promotion at another bank, and he told me that "If you're average at RBC, you're a superstar here." That pretty much says it all!
Cons
I find a very low level of engagement amongst probably the single largest employee group, our front-line customer service team (tellers). Turnover is constant which I guess is expected for an entry-level position, but I often wonder is a serious attempt was made to pay top $ to really outstanding people for those roles, if you wouldn't get a more engaged group that would opportunity-spot like crazy and make referrals to partners....they have such a huge opportunity to contribute to the success of our clients that goes far beyond what I perceive is happening now.