Explore Jobs
Find Specific Jobs
Explore Careers
Explore Professions
Best Companies
Explore Companies
What is a credit officer and how to become one
A credit officer is someone who assesses credit reports and gets relevant information from the applicant to decide if they are eligible for a loan. A credit officer has to collect documents from customers to assess their application, process credit applications from end-to-end, and then approve or decline the credit or loan. They answer questions from customers, maintain records of repayments, and prepare documentation for repossession. A credit officer is also saddled with the role of liaising with financial institutions regarding customers' accounts and contacting referees to verify employment records and income details.
Credit officer has to combine financial acumen with communication and sales skills. One strong quality a credit officer must have is attention to detail to know if a customer can pay back the loan or not. You must also be able to build a relationship with the customers. Credit officers with a bachelor's degree in finance, economics, or business are usually more preferable, but the minimum requirement is a high school diploma. A credit officer earns $66,282 on average per year.
Avg. Salary $129,478
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth Rate 17%
Growth Rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.27%
Asian 10.72%
Black or African American 8.02%
Hispanic or Latino 9.70%
Unknown 2.67%
White 68.61%
Genderfemale 35.59%
male 64.41%
Age - 38American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 38Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity Level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work Life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Credit Officer career paths
Key steps to become a credit officer
Explore credit officer education requirements
Start to develop specific credit officer skills
Skills 
Percentages Risk Management 9.79% Credit Risk 6.62% Credit Analysis 5.35% Real Estate 4.40% Credit Approval 4.31% Complete relevant credit officer training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New credit officers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a credit officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real credit officer resumes.Research credit officer duties and responsibilities
- Manage credit risk and provide independent oversight of the bank portfolio.
- Manage the global function for an ERP software company that has a niche market in manufacturing companies.
- Manage SBA construction/tenant improvement projects submit until project is completed.
- Partner with small and entrepreneurial business to develop business plans and assist business owners with achieving payroll.
Get credit officer experience
Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a credit officer. The most common roles before becoming a credit officer include credit analyst, vice president team lead and assistant vice president.Prepare your credit officer resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your credit officer resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a credit officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Credit Officer Resume templates
Build a professional Credit Officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Credit Officer resume.
Apply for credit officer jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a credit officer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How Did You Land Your First Credit Officer Job
Are you a Credit Officer?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average credit officer salary
The average Credit Officer salary in the United States is $129,478 per year or $62 per hour. Credit officer salaries range between $85,000 and $196,000 per year.
What Am I Worth?
How do credit officers rate their job?
Credit Officer reviews
The job is self motivating and result oriented .
Its very demanding where by you have to closely monitor the portfolio every time and now to be able to report the right information .
Updated January 8, 2025
