Loan Officer Resume: Example and Tips
A loan officer handles loan applications and other financial matters in banks, credit unions and mortgage companies, helping clients identify and apply for loans, and determines how much a customer is qualified to borrow by evaluating the income, job and overall creditworthiness. Success in this position requires sound judgment, and expertise in evaluations, authorizations and approvals. To nab the right loan officer job, submit the right resume using these examples and tips.
Table of Contents
Featured Resume Example: Loan Officer
Name: JAMES SAUNDERS
Address: City, State, Zip Code
Phone: 000-000-0000
E-Mail: email@email.com
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Multi-talented Loan Officer consistently rewarded for success in planning and operational improvements. Experience in policy development and staff management procedures positively impacting overall morale and productivity.
WORK HISTORY
Company Name, City, State
- Developed and maintained relationships with local real estate agents increasing referrals by 35%
- Successfully closed average of 2-3 loans per month
- Developed prospects for new loans by conducting 20 cold calls weekly
Company Name, City, State
- Originated, reviewed, processed, closed and administered up to 25 customer loan proposals per year
- Advised over 30 clients per day on mortgage, education and personal loans
- Assessed clients’ financial situations to develop strategic financial planning solutions
- Communicated with customers daily to request information and ensure completion of paperwork
- Assembled important paperwork and disclosures for borrower
- Monitored key dates to ensure information is obtained by deadlines
SKILLS
- Practiced at FHA loan process
- Deep knowledge of bankruptcy processes
- Strong Banking Ethics
- Financial Analysis Aptitude
- Moody’s KMV CreditEdge
- Experian Transact SM
- Financial Transactions Expertise
- Financial Advising
EDUCATION
Top 4 Characteristics of a Best-in-Class Loan Officer Resume
- Summary In a few crisp sentences, explain job accomplishments and specific skills that show you’re the right candidate for the job. Make sure you provide details when describing your achievements. For example: “Committed loan officer adept at providing outstanding customer service throughout the loan origination process while adhering to all federal and state compliance guidelines.”
- Skills Go through the job description carefully and match job-specific abilities with your skill set. Focus on practical and technical skills such as credit analysis, accounting acumen and analytical skills, as well as soft skills such as customer service and relationship building.
- Work History Show how you’ve progressed in your career by highlighting achievements in previous jobs, using metrics to demonstrate your effectiveness. For example: “Developed and maintained relationships with local real estate agents, increasing referrals by 35%.”
- Education List all your degrees and certifications under this section, including any training you’ve had in finance, economics, business administration or related fields. You should also add any related professional certifications or licenses (e.g., SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 Certified, NMLS Certification).
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Find the Right Template for Your Resume
Make sure your resume looks its best by using one of these free templates to build your document.
Contempo
This template uses color headings to draw attention to each section of your resume, while the job seeker’s name and contact information is arranged on the right for a unique look.
Artistic
The use of mixed colors for the applicant’s name and contact information make this template stand out, while the dividing lines make it easy to navigate each section.
Executive
This professional layout arranges section headings along the left margin for a neat, organized structure. The bold use of fonts, colors and a centered heading add to the sleek appearance.
For more templates you can use to create a loan officer resume, check out our selection of templates.
Do’s and Don’ts for Your Resume
- DO quantify your achievements. To give employers more insight on your capabilities, highlight your work achievements with detailed numbers or statistics. For instance, “Interviewed over 35 loan applicants in a month to obtain personal and financial data” is more effective than “Interviewed loan applicants regularly.”
- DO proofread and review before submitting. Just as a loan officer is expected to not miss out on the smallest details while processing a loan application, make sure your resume is error-free. Always go through the resume a few times to ensure that all the information included is correct, and to spot grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. When you use our Resume Builder to create your resume, our tools will do the checking for you.
- DO emphasize your soft skills. While this position requires a lot of skills with financial processes and paperwork, it also requires intangible qualities like excellent communication, time management, customer service and attention to detail. When putting together your resume, list these soft skills and align them with your work accomplishments.
- DON’T make your resume too long. As a banking employee, you know the value of keeping things short and sweet for clients. Do the same with your resume. Recruiters generally spend only a few seconds to review most resumes, so make those seconds count by emphasizing only relevant practical skills and job accomplishments, and limiting the work history section to 10 years at most. Aim for two pages, at maximum.
- DON’T include first-person pronouns. Use simple and direct statements while building the resume. Using clichés, idioms or personal pronouns sounds unprofessional. Try statements like “Worked collaboratively with loan team to ensure the accurate assessment,” instead of saying, “I worked in collaboration with the loan team and I ensure the accurate assessment”.
- DON’T forget to optimize your resume for an ATS. Applicant tracking systems (or ATS) are increasingly being used by employers to scan job candidate applications (including resumes), and filter candidates based on appropriate phrases and industry-specific keywords. Take your cue from the job description, and make sure key phrases such as “portfolio administration” and “front-line sales knowledge” are mentioned in your resume, to ensure it passes ATS.
Loan Officer Resume FAQs
- 1. What skills should you emphasize for the role of a loan officer?
- 2. What format should you use for a resume?
- 3. How should you craft a resume if you are looking to take your next step in your career?
- 4. How can you make use of keywords in your resume?
- 5. How do you customize your resume for the position you are applying for?
1. What skills should you emphasize for the role of a loan officer?
Here’s some important loan officer-related skills you should consider including in your resume:
| Technical skills: | Soft skills: |
| Closing procedures | Active listener |
| VA guidelines | Time management |
| Processing underwriting | Decision making |
| FHA guidelines | Communication skills |
| Federal lending regulations | Confidentiality |
| Credit assessment | Customer service |
| Financial skills | Salesmanship |
| Analytical skills | Problem-solver |
| Knowledge of MS Office tools | Goal-oriented |
| Proficient with financial software | Leadership skills |
| Multitasking | |
| Efficiency |
| Technical skills: |
| Closing procedures |
| VA guidelines |
| Processing underwriting |
| FHA guidelines |
| Federal lending regulations |
| Credit assessment |
| Financial skills |
| Analytical skills |
| Knowledge of MS Office tools |
| Proficient with financial software |
| Soft skills: |
| Active listener |
| Time management |
| Decision making |
| Communication skills |
| Confidentiality |
| Customer service |
| Salesmanship |
| Problem-solver |
| Goal-oriented |
| Leadership skills |
| Multitasking |
| Efficiency |
2. What format should you use for a resume?
Your resume format primarily depends on your work experience. If you are a first-time job seeker or lack experience, use the functional format to focus on the skills you have that match the job description. If you have extensive experience as a loan officer, look to build your resume based on the chronological format, which focuses on your work history and shows how you’ve had a steady career progression. If you have just a few years of experience, or are moving over from a different career, use the combination format, which focuses on transferable skills and job accomplishments.
3. How should you craft a resume if you are looking to take your next step in your career?
Build your resume around the following skills and banking knowledge:
- Showcase your successes in performing financial analyses and using sound decision-making.
- Present examples of how you’ve worked within teams and with management to achieve sales goals and loan quotas.
- Emphasize your ability to problem-solve with dissatisfied customers.
- Highlight important statistics such as a decreased percentage of loan defaults, and your role in achieving them.
- Additional licenses or certifications in related areas such as Insurance License and Notary Public Certification.
4. How can you make use of keywords in your resume?
Go through the loan officer job description thoroughly for important phrases and requirements such as “building relationships and a referral base among small business and associations,” and include skills and experiences in your resume that address these keywords. For example: “Initiated and managed productive long-term business relationships with 50+ small businesses through referrals.” One note: Don’t just copy and paste keywords verbatim and stuff your resume with them. Instead, look to present them through your own unique accomplishments.
5. How do you customize your resume for the position you are applying for?
Each job posting will have different keywords associated with it. Customize your resume by adapting your summary, skills and work experience sections to reflect these keywords. For example, one loan officer job might emphasize preparing loan files for funding by reviewing analyses for accuracy, while another will focus on successfully managing a pipeline of 25-50 clients. Present achievements and qualifications you have that best fit what the job needs.
Pair Your Resume with a Matching Cover Letter
