Skills
Loan Officer Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in loan officers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do loan officers need?
Loan Officers need technical skills such as credit analysis, loan products and guidelines, and loan origination software, plus people skills like communication and trustworthiness. They also use tools such as Loan origination systems such as Encompass and Credit reporting tools.
Technical (hard) skills
- Credit analysis
- Loan products and guidelines
- Loan origination software
- Financial calculations
- Lending regulations
- Sales and referral development
People (soft) skills
- Communication
- Trustworthiness
- Persistence
- Relationship building
Tools, equipment and technology
- Loan origination systems such as Encompass
- Credit reporting tools
- Pricing engines
- CRM software
- Spreadsheets
- Video meeting tools
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how loan officers put their skills to work:
- How to prequalify a homebuyer
- How to calculate debt-to-income ratio
- How to clear underwriting conditions
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Credit analysis” and “Loan products and guidelines.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “communication,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as NMLS Mortgage Loan Originator license near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our loan officer glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Loan Officer training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.