Credit controller CV

Credit controllers make sure customers pay what they owe, on time. The work combines detailed ledger management with a lot of communication: chasing payments, resolving disputes, agreeing payment plans and deciding when to escalate. Cash matters to every business, so a good credit controller can show their impact in very concrete numbers. Your CV should do exactly that.

What employers look for

• Collection results. Reduced debtor days (DSO), lower overdue balances, fewer bad debts.
• Communication. Firm but professional calls and emails, and the ability to keep customer relationships intact.
• Ledger size. The number of accounts and the value of the ledger you manage.
• Dispute resolution. Working with sales, operations and customer service to clear queries that hold up payment.
• Credit risk. Setting and reviewing credit limits, using credit reference agencies, managing accounts on stop.
• Process. Using the right systems and reports to prioritise.

CICM (Chartered Institute of Credit Management) qualifications are valued but rarely required.

Keywords from credit control adverts

• Credit control, debt collection, cash collection, sales ledger
• Debtor days, DSO, aged debt, overdue reduction
• Payment plans, disputes, query resolution
• Credit limits, credit checks, credit risk, Experian, Creditsafe
• Accounts on stop, escalation, debt recovery, small claims, collection agencies
• Cash allocation, unallocated cash, customer reconciliations
• Bad debt provision, write-offs
• Sage, SAP, Oracle, Dynamics, Chaser, Excel
• Customer relationships, telephone and email communication

A typical advert, decoded

A paraphrased example of what credit controller adverts usually say, and what each line is really asking for.

The advert says	What it really means
"Manage a ledger of several hundred accounts"	State the size and value of ledgers you've handled.
"Reduce debtor days"	DSO is their key measure. Quote your improvement.
"Resolve disputes"	Disputes are slowing payments. Show you've worked with sales to clear them.
"Set and review credit limits"	Credit risk is part of the role, not just collections.
"Confident telephone manner"	Most collection is by phone. Show you can be firm and polite.

Example CV profile

Credit controller managing a £6m sales ledger of 450 business customers in construction supply. I run collections by phone and email, set credit limits using Creditsafe, and work with branch managers to resolve disputes. Over 18 months I reduced DSO from 62 to 47 days and cut debt over 90 days by 55%, without losing a key account.

DSO and overdue reduction are the numbers hiring managers care about most. Lead with them if you have them.

Example achievements

Replace with your own figures.

• Reduced debtor days from 62 to 47 over 18 months on a £6m ledger.
• Cut debt over 90 days by 55% by introducing weekly prioritised call lists from the aged debt report.
• Cleared a backlog of £300k of disputed invoices by setting up a weekly dispute review with sales and operations.
• Agreed and monitored payment plans for 30 customers in difficulty, recovering 92% of balances.
• Introduced credit checks for all new accounts, reducing bad debt write-offs by £45k year on year.
• Reduced unallocated cash from £120k to under £5k by reconciling remittances weekly.

Common mistakes

• No numbers. Credit control is one of the easiest roles to quantify. Use DSO, overdue balances and recoveries.
• Leaving out ledger size. Value and number of accounts tell a reader your level immediately.
• Sounding only tough. Show you can collect cash and keep customers. Both matter.
• Not mentioning credit risk. If you've set limits or used credit agencies, include it. It separates you from a pure collector.

Interview questions to prepare for

• How do you prioritise which accounts to chase each day?
• Tell me about a difficult customer conversation and how you handled it.
• A key account is 60 days overdue and sales don't want you to put them on stop. What do you do?

See all 12 credit controller interview questions, with why interviewers ask each one and what a strong answer covers.