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Critical Success Factors
Keeping a good job is hard work. Finding a good job is even harder. In theory, any job that increases your income is probably worth considering. In reality, if you don't enjoy what you do and the people you work with money will probably become less important.
In the credit profession, there are a number of skills and attributes that are highly prized by companies looking for credit professionals including these:
- Problem solving skills,
- Creativity,
- Tenacity,
- Diligence,
- Focus,
- Assertiveness,
- Technical skills in areas including customer financial statement analysis and interpretation,
- Attention to detail,
- The ability and willingness to prioritize work,
- The ability to multi-task,
- Self confidence,
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills,
- The ability to manage subordinates and motivate peers,
- The skills needed to increase the credit department's effectiveness without increasing costs,
- A commitment to continuing professional development,
- The maturity required to recognize that the credit department is a part of not apart from the rest of the company, and must be committed to helping the company achieve its sales and profit goals,
- The flexibility necessary to adapt quickly to changing business conditions as well as to changing priorities.
Awareness of the attributes that employers look is critical to keeping a job. If you think that you might be deficient in any of the areas listed above, this is the time to make any necessary adjustments. There is an old adage that "opportunity only knocks once.” I think this a more complete statement is that "Opportunity only knocks once and it often knocks very quietly." The corollary is that opportunity often disguises itself as more responsibility, longer hours, and tougher challenges.
© 2011 by Michael C. Dennis. All Rights Reserved. Michael is the author of "1001 Collection Tools and Tips."