3 strategies for hiring and onboarding the right credit professional

Credit professionals routinely make decisions that directly impact cash flow, customer relationships, and the financial health of their organizations. One small misstep, whether it’s approving the wrong account or overlooking a red flag, can lead to significant setbacks. That’s why it’s so important to have skilled, knowledgeable professionals in these roles.

Why it matters: Whether you’re hiring internally or externally, bringing on a qualified credit professional is key to maintaining compliance and staying competitive. The ideal candidate helps keep projects on track and ensures payments flow smoothly to every stakeholder. To support your onboarding process, here are three practical tips. 

Tip #1 Get to know the person behind the resume 

One of the most effective ways to find the right candidate is to take the time to genuinely get to know them. Ask where they’re from, what they enjoy outside of work and learn about their values. These simple conversations help build trust and make future collaboration easier.  

“We learn more details about our team members in meetings, asking them when their birthday is or what their family structure is like,” Carl Davidson, director credit and collections at Blue Water Industries LLC (Jacksonville, FL) said during a Credit Congress session, Mastering Construction Credit: Tips for Training and Success. “Getting to know them also helps build a better team, especially if you’re a tight-knit company.” 

Once you better understand a candidate, it becomes easier to see if they’re a good fit for your company. You can assess how well they align with departmental and organizational goals, how they might contribute to the company culture and how effectively they’ll work with others. In addition, you can see if there’s potential for growth and how they can bring value to your organization.  

Tip #2 Have them work with sales 

The sales force offers invaluable insight into customer behavior—insight that can help credit professionals better assess risk and build stronger customer relationships. In return, credit professionals provide regular reports on open credit lines, new accounts and inactive customers to help them identify sales opportunities. 

Encourage new hires to spend time collaborating with your sales team. “Have them join the sales team for lunch to learn more about their roles and how the departments work together,” said Marlene Groh, CCE, ICCE, regional credit manager at US LBM Holdings, LLC (Buffalo Grove, IL). “Even having them sit with your inside sales team can go a long way in helping them understand the dynamics.” 

Tip #3 Invest in training 

Change is constant. The way you run reports, track credit lines or manage tasks can shift overnight. By investing in proper training, sharing the right resources and offering educational opportunities, fresh talent will gain the essential knowledge and skills needed to succeed in their role. 

Start by encouraging them to join trade associations such as NACM National and their local affiliate. Active involvement provides industry knowledge and valuable networking opportunities to learn from experienced credit professionals. 

“Two weeks after hiring, we had our new hire attend Credit Congress because we knew it was critical to get him trained as soon as possible,” said Davidson. “We even tied his compensation to the training he completed, including earning his Credit Business Associate (CBA) and Credit Business Fellow (CBF) designations through NACM and FCIB’s six-level Professional Certification Program.” 

Bottom line: Hiring and onboarding a qualified credit professional is a strategic move that safeguards your payments, protects your projects and positions your company to win.