How to hire credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks

A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.

$24.08U.S. median hourly pay
$40,520–$60,860Middle half, yearly
12,030People in this job in the U.S.

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Compile and analyze credit information gathered by investigation.
• Interview credit applicants by telephone or in person to obtain personal and financial data needed to complete credit report.
• Keep records of customers' charges and payments.
• Obtain information about potential creditors from banks, credit bureaus, and other credit services, and provide reciprocal information if requested.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent]
• Strong active listening, reading comprehension, speaking, critical thinking, writing and monitoring skills
• Working knowledge of customer and personal service, English Language and mathematics
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $24.08 an hour ($50,080 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Check your finished job post

Interview questions for credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

  1. Tell me about a time you had to compile and analyze credit information gathered by investigation. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  2. Tell me about a time you had to interview credit applicants by telephone or in person to obtain personal and financial data needed to complete credit report. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  3. Tell me about a time you had to keep records of customers' charges and payments. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  4. Tell me about a time you had to obtain information about potential creditors from banks, credit bureaus, and other credit services, and provide reciprocal information if requested. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  5. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
  6. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
  7. Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
  8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks do

  • Compile and analyze credit information gathered by investigation.
  • Interview credit applicants by telephone or in person to obtain personal and financial data needed to complete credit report.
  • Keep records of customers' charges and payments.
  • Obtain information about potential creditors from banks, credit bureaus, and other credit services, and provide reciprocal information if requested.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeakingCritical ThinkingWritingMonitoringCustomer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageMathematics

Education, experience and outlook for credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks

  • Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
  • Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
  • Job outlook: -7.4% over ten years, declining · about 900 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

StateMedian yearly pay
Texas$62,930
New Jersey$59,400
New York$56,510
California$51,950
North Carolina$47,340

See credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks pay in every state

Related hiring guides

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Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.