The Results-Oriented Credit Workplace

Credit jobs, whether account analysis, investigation or counseling, are involved in a lot of detail. When credit people are so engrossed in the details of their jobs, it's easy for them, for anyone actually, to lose sight of the job's major contribution.

A Results-Oriented Credit Job Description is different from a traditional job description because it focuses an employee on the several job results that answer the question: What results must this credit job accomplish for the organization?

Credit Job Standards added to job expectations tighten management controls by clarifying how well and when results must be accomplished.

Credit Job Objectives establish management and employee plans by highlighting important current and future results needed.

Job-specific Credit Employee Management Forms maintain consistent and legally sound management actions by basing manager-employee interactions on job results.

The Purpose of Credit Jobs

Stated in a results-oriented, three-line style, credit jobs--

PROTECT ORGANIZATION ASSETS by

collecting, analyzing, and summarizing financial and personal information; verifying financial history and status of customers and potential customers; adhering to credit policies; approving and rejecting credit; establishing financial priorities and a budget.

Types of Credit Jobs

Some credit jobs accept credit applications and then study them to determine the applicant's ability to meet financial obligations; the application information must also be verified. Other jobs monitor credit accounts for compliance to credit policies, and make adjustments in credit limits from time to time.

Some jobs are aimed at helping people who have trouble paying their obligations-examining expenditures, setting up budgets and payment priorities, and negotiating new contracts with vendors. And, of course, somebody has to manage and supervise the credit people and processes.

Credit Job Management Tools

Here are actual job examples of how credit job actions can be focused on results and kept on track using each of our job management tools:

Results-Oriented Credit Job Descriptions form the foundation of all job management tools. Our uniquely structured job descriptions focus on the result to be accomplished first and prominently, followed by the duties performed in order to accomplish the result. For example,

RECOMMENDS CREDIT ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Credit Job Standards sharpen employee attention and management control by defining and communicating how well the credit results must be accomplished and what benchmarks will be used to measure job results. For example, for the job result above, the job standards might be:

• Credit situations are correctly understood.
• All options are identified and evaluated.
• Credit recommendations are ready when needed.

Credit Job Objectives point the direction for employee actions by focusing job efforts on current and future credit issues. Job objectives are written in the three-line, results-oriented structure. For example, for the job result above, a job objective might be:

SPEED-UP DECISION MAKING by

reducing time to deliver credit recommendations by 10% by (date).

Credit Employee Management Forms tied specifically to each credit job description are more helpful (and legal) than generic forms used for all different kinds of jobs. Job-specific forms are used to state job qualifications, guide job interview questions, orient new employees, plan job training, and appraise job performance.

Credit Job Qualifications are stated in the same terms used in the job description. They are not translated into generic (typically behavioral) terms. For example:

RECOMMENDS CREDIT ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Credit Job Interview guide questions are inserted directly below each job result in the job description: For example:

• "What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?"
• "Where did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "When did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?"
• "What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?"
• "In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?"
• "How did you overcome the challenges?"

The Credit Job Orientation guide reformats the job description sequence so that job explanations, policies, protocols, processes, and procedures are logical and complete and can easily be checked off. For example:

RECOMMENDS CREDIT ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Here's the procedure and format we use to analyze and present credit recommendations."

The Credit Job Training plan guides a thorough examination of actual job knowledge, skills, and abilities as described in the job description that need improvement or that might be enhanced. For example:

RECOMMENDS CREDIT ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Analytical skills would be improved by enrolling in a statistical analysis class."

The Credit Job Performance Appraisal guide is a job-specific form. It is not a universal form used for all jobs. The guide adds an appraisal scale below each job result in the job description so that attention can be drawn to each job requirement and expectation. For example:

RECOMMENDS CREDIT ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

__ Great! Just want we wanted.
__ We have a problem.
__ Improvement is needed.
__ Much, much more than we asked for.

Comments: _________________

Credit Résumé Template

Potential employers want to know what a job applicant has accomplished in his/her credit work career. They don't want to be bored with minor details. Our Résumé Template provides:

• an outline to help assemble personal background information.
• a Results-Oriented Job Description to provide the credit job language-focused on results-needed to write an effective résumé.
• Credit Job Objectives to orient thinking in terms of accomplishments.
• instructions on how to use a Results-Oriented Credit Job Description and Credit Job Objectives to express job accomplishments.

Use the credit job description responsibility statement as a base:

RECOMMENDS CREDIT ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Select the credit job objective that fits your experience:

REDUCE COSTS 10% by

improving credit processes.

Combine the two into a résumé statement:

Reduced costs 10% by analyzing, identifying, and recommending new credit system controls.

Credit Career Links

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Credit Managers

Information about the training and education needed for credit manager jobs, earnings, expected job prospects, what workers do on the job, and working conditions.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Credit Authorizers, Checkers and Clerks

Information about the training and education needed for credit authorizer, checker, and clerk jobs, earnings, expected job prospects, what workers do on the job, and working conditions.

National Association of Credit Management

Professional association of credit and financial executives, primarily representing manufacturers, wholesalers, financial institutions, and varied service organizations.

Association of Credit and Collection Professionals

Knowledge base for the credit and collection industry.