Loan Officer Resume Example

The aim of this article is to equip you with all the knowledge required to create a resume that positions you to succeed in your loan officer applications. You'll find useful insights on constructing a resume that makes the most of your unique skills, experience and strengths. You'll also learn how to tailor your resume according to the job description, and depending on your experience levels. Read on to access expert insights from Jobseeker that will help you create a winning loan officer resume.

Core sections to include in a loan officer resume

Most resumes contain similar key sections, with a loan officer resume being no different. If you're lacking relevant work experience, you might choose to add sections that showcase your skill set earlier than in a traditional resume layout. These sections might include projects, education, hobbies and interests, skills and other optional sections.

While the content and format of your resume may vary depending on your experience levels, it's important to always include the following sections:

Resume Header

Your loan officer resume header is the place to add your contact details. Start by adding your full name and underneath, include your email address, phone number and location. Adding your LinkedIn profile, if you have one, can help the employer get a better insight into your skills and industry expertise. You don't need to include any additional personal information or a photo. Make your resume header clear, concise and as brief and compact as possible. Consider different layouts that spread the information horizontally across the page rather than using a different line for each piece of information.

Opt for a professional-looking email address based on your name. If your email address could be construed as unprofessional or inappropriate because it contains nicknames or unsuitable language, create a new, more professional email address for your job applications. Always check your contact details to make sure they're up-to-date before you send your resume.

Resume Summary

In your resume summary, write a short paragraph that highlights two or three of your key achievements and skills for loan officer roles. You could also call this section 'resume objective' or 'personal profile'. A resume summary covers your career experience to date, while a resume objective focuses more on your ambitions for the future. Additionally, make sure your resume summary reflects the job description and focuses on qualities that are relevant to working as a loan officer.

Alternatively, use this summary to introduce your personal career ambitions and explain why loan officer roles are a good fit for you at this stage of your career.

A great resume summary should highlight why you're an ideal candidate for loan officer roles by showing key skills and qualities that reflect the job description and provide evidence to support them. It should also introduce your personality and unique qualities to the reader, to help them start to form an opinion about you as a candidate. You can see some positive examples of a resume summary for loan officer jobs below.

Conversely, an ineffective resume summary would include generic, unspecific information on your skills and experience, while failing to provide any useful information on what makes you a unique and interesting candidate. In the graphic above you can find some negative examples of how to write a resume summary.

Hard and Soft Skills

Listing your key skills can help to prove your suitability for loan officer jobs. These could be underwriting procedural knowledge, emotional intelligence (EI) or various other relevant skills. Again, refer to the job description and make sure you include skills that the employer has listed as essential or desirable for employment as a loan officer.

How to list hard skills on your loan officer resume

For your hard skills list, include any technical abilities or specific industry knowledge that's essential to working as a loan officer. These could be skills gained through work experience or qualifications. Furthermore, your hard skills list helps to show employers how competent and experienced you are at key loan officer duties and responsibilities. It's best to aim for four or five key hard skills that match the job description. These can really showcase your suitability for the job.

If you want to make a strong impression with your hard skills list, focus on hard skills that align with your specific industry expertise, and that reflect the job description. For inspiration on the right type of hard skills for a loan officer resume, see below.

How to list soft skills on your loan officer resume

Your soft skills are the core qualities and personal characteristics that make you a good employee. They tend to apply to multiple professions and jobs, though the soft skills you'll require may change as you move from junior to senior positions. In fact, you can develop soft skills throughout your career, and they tend to be suitable for various roles and professions. You should generally look to include up to five soft or transferable skills that match the job description.

A strong soft skills section should play to your strengths, listing skills that reflect your personal qualities while also reflecting the skills listed in the job description. For some examples of good soft skills for a loan officer resume, see below.

Education

Under education, add details of any degrees or professional qualifications relevant to loan officer roles.

Typically, working as a loan officer requires a university or college degree, which you'll need to list on your resume. If you're working in this sector, it's usually a good idea to highlight your Bachelor of Science in Finance degree or other relevant qualifications. Focus on qualifications that showcase your financial risk assessment or credit analysis expertise.

Include any qualifications relevant to the role. For each, add the name and level of the award, the institution name, its location and your dates of study. If you have space, include some bullet points outlining any specialist areas of study, awards or high grades, so the employer can learn more about your unique skill set and knowledge.

Membership or leadership of any societies, clubs or causes while studying can also make a positive impression on hiring managers. Consider adding these to your education section for more insight into how you used your time as a student.

Certifications and Training

Under certifications and licenses, add any further qualifications that show you're a good fit for the job. Add any official certifications or accreditations that increase your level of qualification and suitability for working as a loan officer. Therefore, make sure you list the dates of your certifications and licenses so employers can see they're up-to-date and valid.

Read on to see some relevant example certifications for a loan officer resume:

Work Experience

In your work experience section, list any previous relevant roles you've worked in, as well as your key achievements as a loan officer. List each relevant role in reverse-chronological order starting with your current or most recent role. Add your job title, the organization name, its location and the dates you worked there.

Add some bullet points under each job entry, explaining your achievements in the role, so the reader can see how you contributed towards success for the company. Provide evidence of your impact and make sure each point addresses a requirement listed in the job description.

A successful resume work experience section will always showcase skills and experience relevant to the job description, and how you put each to good use in your previous roles. Offering quantifiable evidence in a loan officer resume proves you're a strong candidate for the job, such as client feedback, project outcomes, KPIs or financial results. Take a look at the examples below for some guidance on what works best for your work experience section.

See above for some of the pitfalls to avoid with your resume work experience section. A bad resume work experience section might fail to address skills and achievements that relate directly to the job description. Falling back on clichés, vague descriptions and basic responsibilities, rather than showing the impact you made, is likely to disengage the reader.

Optional Sections

As well as the main sections of a loan officer resume, optional sections can help you prove your credentials to employers. Add any of the sections below that help you showcase your key skills and experience.

Personal Hobbies and Interests

Add any hobbies and interests that reinforce your credentials for the position. Your hobbies and interests are useful for a loan officer resume if you want to show a different side to your personality, or to stand out among other candidates. They can also be valuable if you're a junior candidate without much relevant work experience. Just make sure any hobbies and interests you include in your resume add genuine insight into your personality, in ways other sections of the resume can't.

Voluntary Work

Voluntary work can help you develop useful skills, so it's a valuable addition to your loan officer resume. Add your volunteer job title or role, the name of the organization, its location and the dates you were involved.

References

Standard loan officer resumes don't tend to include references, but you might find them requested occasionally. Check the job advert to see if you'll need to add references to your resume. Before adding any referees to your resume, ask them for their assistance and prepare them for contact by the employer.

Best action words for your loan officer resume

Add strong verbs to your work experience section to show the hiring manager the impact you made in your previous roles. Choose from the list of words below to increase the impact of your work experience section.

For help creating an eye-catching resume design to catch the attention of hiring managers, see Jobseeker's professional resume layouts. You can also use our clear, effective cover letter templates to complete your application.

Example of a loan officer resume

The loan officer resume example below includes all the sections above, so you can see how a completed resume looks:

How to make your resume ATS compliant

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help recruiters and employers to streamline their hiring process. They can store and process data, including applications and applicant data, quickly and efficiently. One of the jobs ATS applications are increasingly responsible for is initial candidate screening. The systems can quickly scan and rank resumes based on how closely they match the job description. When you're writing your loan officer resume, there are several things you can do to make sure your resume stands the best chance of passing the ATS stage.

Here a some simple tips to follow for an ATS-friendly resume:

• Adopt a traditional structure for your resume, such as a reverse-chronological format or a functional format. These are likely to be the easiest layouts for ATS software to scan.
• Add keywords that match the job description throughout your resume, as ATS applications scan for these and well-placed, considered use can help your resume rank more highly.
• Include clear headings in each section that match the traditional resume structure and format. This will make it easier for the ATS software to scan your resume.
• Adopt a clean, unfussy design that gives your content enough white space to breathe. Use professional, readable fonts and subtle use of color and other design elements.
• Keep your resume as concise as possible, to make it easier to read, and for ATS software to scan.

Key takeaways for your loan officer resume

The key to a strong resume is to showcase your relevant skills and achievements through your work experience and other activities. Pick a resume format that matches your experience levels, and tailor the content of your resume to reflect the details of the job description.

HR-approved resume templates and other tools by Jobseeker are the easiest way to create a winning job application. Sign up and follow the simple instructions to complete a resume that stands out from the crowd. To make the best possible impression with your applications, write a cover letter with the help of Jobseeker. You can also find plenty of expert-designed cover letter examples for inspiration.

Sources:

(1) Writing a Resume, California Department of Human Resources: https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/resume-tips.aspx

(2) Resumes, Cover Letters and Job Applications, New York State Department of Labor: https://dol.ny.gov/resumes-cover-letters-and-job-applications