How to hire a collections senior representative

How to hire a collections senior representative, step by step

Here's a step-by-step collections senior representative 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 senior representative job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new collections senior representative
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a collections senior representative, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or 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 senior representative's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, collections senior representatives 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 senior representative salaries for various roles:

   Type of Collections Senior Representative	Description	Hourly rate
   Collections Senior Representative	Bill and account collectors, sometimes called collectors, try to recover payment on overdue bills. They negotiate repayment plans with debtors and help them find solutions to make paying their overdue bills easier.	$16-32
   Debt Collector	Debt collectors are also known as collection agencies and are responsible for recovering past due debts. Most of them are hired by companies to collect debt either for a fee or a percentage of the total amount recovered... Show more	$12-20
   Collector	Collectors are responsible for monitoring and providing immediate actions for client accounts with overdue payments. Collectors must be able to contact clients through phone or e-mail... Show more	$12-21

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Strong Customer Service
   • Data Entry
   • FDCPA
   • Collection Practices
   • Customer Service
   • Strong Negotiation
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Payment Arrangements
   • Customer Inquiries
   • Negotiation
   • Phone Calls
   • Delinquent Accounts
   • Repayment Schedules
   • Customer Accounts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Plan and conduct sensitive HUMINT collection operations with an emphasis on managing and debriefing confidential sources.
   • Avoid legal challenges by complying with the guidelines set forth in the FDCPA and company collection policies.
   • Track and contact responsible party's to secure payment of outstanding debts following FDCPA and HIPAA guidelines.
   • Integrate experimental ISR technologies to maximize intelligence collection and reduce work load on analysts and high demand low density collection assets.
   • Work with customers to research and resolve billing issues, including credit card declines and ACH returns and rejects.
   • Maintain collection portfolios on a daily basis to reduce DSO.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, collections senior representatives' average salary in mississippi is 50% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level collections senior representatives 49% less than senior-level collections senior representatives.
   • Certifications. A collections senior representative 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 senior representative's salary.

   Average collections senior representative salary

   $47,814yearly

   $22.99 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level collections senior representative salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

4. Writing a collections senior representative job description

   A job description for a collections senior representative role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a collections senior representative job description:

   Collections senior representative job description example

   Responsibilities
   
   As a Senior Transplant Collections Representative, you will be responsible for Commercial Transplant accounts, with a special focus on high-dollar accounts. This will involve reviewing inpatient and outpatient claims to ensure maximum collection dollars by providing appropriate follow-up and documenting actions taken. You will:
   
   * Manage a portfolio of assigned accounts, typically high balance and/or aged accounts or of a more complex nature
   
   * Respond to correspondence
   
   * Provide heavy telephone contact to ensure timely follow-up and account resolution
   
   * Help train follow-up collections representatives
   
   * Serve as a resource to other collections representatives
   
   Qualifications
   
   We're seeking an exceptional, self-directed professional with:
   
   * 3+ years of collections experience within a hospital setting, with a strong emphasis on managed care contracts and appeals/underpayment collection activities
   
   * Previous experience with patient accounting systems
   
   * Transplant collections experience, highly desired
   
   * Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including proper phone etiquette
   
   * PC proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel
   
   * Working knowledge of medical terminology, CPT/HCPS codes and of health networks, IPA's, HMO's, PPO's, PCP's and contract affiliations
   
   * Strong organizational abilities
   
   * Independent decision-making skills and sound judgment
   
   UCLA Health is a world-renowned health system with four award-winning hospitals and dozens of primary care practices, specialty practices, urgent care centers and other ancillary locations throughout metro Los Angeles as well as the David Geffen School of Medicine. Through the efforts of our outstanding people, we have become Los Angeles' trusted provider of exceptional, compassionate patient care. If you're looking to experience greater challenge and fulfillment in your career, you can at UCLA Health.
   
   UCLA is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.
   
   UCLA Health welcomes all individuals, without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin or disabilities, and we proudly look to each person's unique achievements and experiences to further set us apart.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find collections senior representatives for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any collections senior representatives they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level collections senior representatives with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   To find collections senior representative candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit collections senior representatives, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 senior representative

   Once you've decided on a perfect collections senior representative 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 also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them 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 senior representative. 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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