How to hire credit counselors

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
• Advise clients or respond to inquiries about financial matters in person or via phone, email, Web site, or Internet chat.
• Assess clients' overall financial situations by reviewing income, assets, debts, expenses, credit reports, or other financial information.
• Calculate clients' available monthly income to meet debt obligations.
• Create debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets to assist clients to meet financial goals.
• Explain general financial topics to clients, such as credit report ratings, bankruptcy laws, consumer protection laws, wage attachments, or collection actions.
• Interview clients by telephone or in person to gather financial information.
• Maintain or update records of client account activity, including financial transactions, counseling session notes, correspondence, document images, or client inquiries.
• Recommend strategies for clients to meet their financial goals, such as borrowing money through loans or loan programs, declaring bankruptcy, making budget adjustments, or enrolling in debt management plans.

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: Bachelor's degree]
• Strong active listening, critical thinking, reading comprehension, speaking, active learning and writing skills
• Working knowledge of customer and personal service, English Language, administrative and education and training
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $25.11 an hour ($52,230 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

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

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for credit counselors

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 advise clients or respond to inquiries about financial matters in person or via phone, email, Web site, or Internet chat. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to assess clients' overall financial situations by reviewing income, assets, debts, expenses, credit reports, or other financial information. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to calculate clients' available monthly income to meet debt obligations. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to create debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets to assist clients to meet financial goals. 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. Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
7. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
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 counselors do

• Advise clients or respond to inquiries about financial matters in person or via phone, email, Web site, or Internet chat.
• Assess clients' overall financial situations by reviewing income, assets, debts, expenses, credit reports, or other financial information.
• Calculate clients' available monthly income to meet debt obligations.
• Create debt management plans, spending plans, or budgets to assist clients to meet financial goals.
• Explain general financial topics to clients, such as credit report ratings, bankruptcy laws, consumer protection laws, wage attachments, or collection actions.
• Interview clients by telephone or in person to gather financial information.
• Maintain or update records of client account activity, including financial transactions, counseling session notes, correspondence, document images, or client inquiries.
• Recommend strategies for clients to meet their financial goals, such as borrowing money through loans or loan programs, declaring bankruptcy, making budget adjustments, or enrolling in debt management plans.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionSpeakingActive LearningWritingCustomer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageAdministrativeEducation and Training

Education, experience and outlook for credit counselors

• Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
• Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: +3.3% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 2,000 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay credit counselors

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

See credit counselors pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Accountants and Auditors
• Property Appraisers and Assessors
• Budget Analysts
• Credit Analysts
• Financial and Investment Analysts
• Personal Financial Advisors
• Insurance Underwriters
• Financial Risk Specialists
• Financial Examiners
• Loan Officers

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.