Highlight your knowledge of collection practices and laws

Employers want to see that you understand the legal requirements and best practices in collections. Showcase your knowledge by including examples like:

• Maintained 100% compliance with FDCPA, FCRA, and state collection laws across 500+ accounts
• Completed 20 hours of continuing education in debt collection practices and regulations

Avoid being vague or generic about your understanding of collection laws. Instead of saying:

• Familiar with debt collection regulations

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   Quantify your collection results and performance

Use specific numbers to demonstrate your ability to collect on delinquent accounts and negotiate payments. Strong examples include:

• Collected $50K+ in overdue accounts per month, outperforming team goals by 15%
• Maintained a 95% quality assurance score based on monitored calls and documentation accuracy
• Recovered $1.2M in delinquent debt over 2 years while managing a portfolio of 1,500 accounts

Don't just list your responsibilities without providing concrete results. Weak examples are:

• Called customers to collect past-due bills
• Documented account activity in the system

   Emphasize your communication and negotiation abilities

Successful collection agents excel at communicating with customers and negotiating payments. Highlight examples of how you've used these skills:

• Skillfully negotiated payment plans with delinquent customers, resulting in a 20% increase in recovery rates
• Consistently maintained a professional and empathetic demeanor, even when faced with difficult customer conversations
• Collaborated with internal teams to develop customized scripts that improved connection rates by 15%

Avoid generic statements that don't convey your specific communication strengths, such as:

• Good communication skills
• Experienced in customer service

   Include metrics around your productivity and efficiency

Employers value collection agents who can manage a high volume of accounts efficiently. Use numbers to show your productivity:

• Consistently met or exceeded daily goal of 100+ outbound calls while maintaining detailed account notes
• Managed a portfolio of 800 accounts, 20% above the team average, while maintaining a 98% accuracy rate
• Streamlined the skip tracing process, resulting in a 25% increase in right-party contacts

Simply listing your tasks without measurable outcomes is less impactful. Weak examples include:

• Made outbound calls to debtors
• Managed a portfolio of accounts
• Located hard-to-find customers

   Showcase your experience with relevant tools and systems

Highlight your proficiency with collection-specific software and tools. This shows employers you can hit the ground running. For example:

• Expertise in debt collection systems including FACS, CollectOne, and Artiva
• Skilled in skip tracing using tools like TransUnion TLOxp, LexisNexis Accurint, and Experian
• Proficient in using auto-dialers and predictive dialing systems to improve contact rates

Avoid broad technical skills that aren't specifically relevant to collection roles, such as:

• Microsoft Office
• Data entry
• Typing skills

   Tailor your experience to the specific collection role

Collection agent roles can vary, from entry-level positions to specialized roles in healthcare, student loans, or government collections. Customize your resume to the job requirements.

For an entry-level position, emphasize your customer service background and communication skills:

Customer-focused professional with 2+ years of experience in high-volume call centers. Proven ability to handle difficult conversations with empathy while consistently meeting performance goals.

For a specialized role, highlight your industry-specific experience:

Skilled medical collections agent with 5+ years of experience recovering unpaid healthcare debts. Deep understanding of HIPAA requirements and insurance billing processes. Recovered $2M+ in delinquent accounts while maintaining positive relationships with patients.