How to hire a collections/account manager

How to hire a collections/account manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step collections/account manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a collections/account manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new collections/account manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your collections/account manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a collections/account manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A collections/account manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, collections/account managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of collections/account manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Collections/Account Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Collections/Account Manager	Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They produce financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop strategies and plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.	$16-32
   Manager/Finance Accounting	A manager of finance accounting's role is to oversee the financial activities in a company or organization. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with other departments to gather financial data, analyze the revenues and expenditures, and develop written reports and presentations... Show more	$31-61
   Tax Manager	A Tax Manager is responsible for managing tax reporting and compliance within an organization. They provide innovative tax planning and prepare state and federal tax returns for companies.	$33-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Payment Arrangements
   • Debt Collection
   • Delinquent Accounts
   • Student Loans
   • Past Due Accounts
   • FDCPA
   • Customer Accounts
   • Collection Efforts
   • ACH
   • Inbound Calls
   • Outbound Calls
   • Collection Calls
   • Credit Card Accounts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve historical low of six percent in A/R over 30 days past due and reduction of DSO to 53 days.
   • Process payroll and employee benefits, mediated/resolve personnel issues and assure EEOC and OSHA compliance.
   • Handle high volume incoming/outgoing calls, skip-tracing to find location information by following FDCPA regulations and hit monthly budget.
   • Maintain and ensure a working knowledge of all federal, state and local governmental regulations including FDCPA, TCPA and FISMA.
   • Negotiate and execute contract labor, outsourcing and payroll servicing contracts.
   • Resolve delinquency by ACH payment collections, implement payment programs and negotiate settlements.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your collections/account manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A collections/account manager can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, collections/account managers' average salary in maine is 39% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level collections/account managers 50% less than senior-level collections/account managers.
   • Certifications. A collections/account manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a collections/account manager's salary.

   Average collections/account manager salary

   $48,753yearly

   $23.44 hourly rate

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   Entry-level collections/account manager salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a collections/account manager job description

   A good collections/account manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a collections/account manager job description:

   Collections/account manager job description example

   Do you want to part of something BIGGER than you? Do you want to have FUN and go home at the end of the day feeling like you made a positive impact? What could be better than having a hands on influence on bettering peoples lives?
   
   At Showplace; it's our mission: To be a special place to work, a special place to shop and the best RTO in town . We pride ourselves on the culture and our focus of employee empowerment. We hire diverse, unique, friendly and interesting people to carry out our mission.
   
   Account Managers are experienced in managing assigned customer accounts and achieving established levels of delinquency, charge-offs and revenue. A continuing challenge for the Account Manager is to maintain firm control over late customers while maintaining good customer relations. The Account Manager explains the rental agreement and terms and conditions of the agreement in a thorough manner with customers. Create positive and lasting customer relationships
   
   Showplace offers comprehensive benefits including a competitive compensation package with major medical and life insurance, vacation, incentive bonuses, referral bonuses, an effective training program and a 401K with employer match.
   
   With many leadership opportunities available, the Account Manager position allows you to get to know the industry, our customers, business, culture, what makes us-US and find out why, there is No Place Like Showplace!
   Pay:
   $13.00 to $17.00 an hour plus monthly bonuses, full benefits and more... Requirements/Responsibilities Here are some of the skills and work experiences we are looking for:
   
   * Previous account management/collections experience preferred
   * Excellent telephone skills
   * Positive attitude and professional image
   * Reliable and effective team member
   * Educate customers on the features and benefits of our program and products
   * Provide outstanding customer service
   * Ability to build lasting relationships
   * Ohio Drivers License
   * Ability to pass driving and criminal history background check
   
   Work Hours: Must be available to work a varying 40 hour work schedule from 9:30 am- 7:30 pm Monday through Saturday. (Closed Sundays with a midweek day off) Special Instructions Please do not send any emails, resumes, or call.
   We are making it really easy to apply for this position.
   
   Simply submit a ZippyApp application package which may include the Common Employment Application, Resume, and a Cover Letter. In your Cover Letter, please write a short paragraph describing yourself and why you would make a great addition to our team. ZippyApp is the Common Employment Application for online and mobile that allows you to apply for jobs with one click, and is being accepted at a growing number of businesses each day.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right collections/account manager for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your collections/account manager job on Zippia to find and recruit collections/account manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting collections/account managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new collections/account manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect collections/account manager candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new collections/account manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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