A Typical Day in Some Industries

6:30amWake up
8:00amArrive at the office
8:30-12:00pmAnswer eMail, return phone calls
12:00-1:00pmLunch
1:30-5:00pmeMail, tasks/projects, meetings
5:30pmHome

While many individuals are able to work a typical 8-5pm day, there are those exceptions that must work flex hours, longer days, or even on the weekends. A Loan Officer is one of those exceptions.  Let’s take a look at a day in the life of one of our very own Service First Loan Officers, Heather Stevenson, and how it differs from a typical day.

What time does your day start and end each day?

My day usually starts around 6:30am.  I like a little family/coffee time before the madness begins. I am usually skimming through emails as the day gets started, but we are in full swing by 8:30. When I end the day depends on the time of year. Working “regular” office hours is hard as a loan officer.  So many clients want to talk after they get off work, and Realtors and clients need us on the weekends when they are making offers on homes.  We try to balance this, but it is not uncommon for us to work long hours from time to time.  We can make up for it with the flexibility this profession offers though. I never miss a kid’s doctor appointment or school function no matter what time of day it is.  Family will always come first for me!

What does an average day look like?

During the summer, our days are quite chaotic! I have a great team and could not do what I do without them! We start each day checking and answering eMails, then usually do a quick pipeline review for each file to take care of any pressing/time sensitive items. My team will work on lead/prequalification follow up and handles all the day-to-day in-process tasks. We spend our days on the phone with clients and Realtors trying to respond to their needs as quickly as possible. Most days involve a few new leads and a prequalification or two mixed with a fire to put out… usually a tough loan to puzzle and problem solve.  We spend a lot of our time implementing and tweaking our systems. Systems are more important than any other job we have. They are essential and constantly evolving in order to maintain a high level of efficiency for our referral partners and clients. We try to control our day, but sometimes the day controls us. You can always expect a curve ball or two in this job so we plan for that and just know that comes with the territory.  We bounce back and start new each day since some are better than others!

What are some of the tasks you take care of each day?

To sum it up in one word….communication!  Almost ALL of our tasks revolve around constant communication.  We are communicating with borrowers, listing agents, referral partners, title companies, insurance carriers, processors, underwriters, appraisal desk coordinators, and the list goes on! There is always someone to update and someone wanting to consult about the biggest purchase they will ever make. We take pride in our high level of service and excellence in communication. This is the key to building strong lasting relationships that will produce referrals for years to come.

How did you become a Loan Officer?

There are a great deal of life lessons that carry over into this career that I would have never learned had I not gotten a degree, but a degree is not required. I think college is valuable for so many reasons.  It taught me how to persevere and compete with the top performing academic students and become a competitive and compelling applicant for the job market I was entering. College gave me many lessons about hard work and preparing to succeed.  I learned so much more than the material that I was being taught. That being said, I think this is a profession unique to a specific personality type. There aren’t very many people that are built to withstand the pressures of this industry. I have a degree in Psychology. I truly believe that my ability to read people (even over the phone in a short amount of time) and be amiable to every situation is one of the biggest keys to my success as a Loan Officer, so in that regard, I am certainly grateful for the education/degree that I received prior to entering this profession.

What is your favorite part about being a Loan Officer?

There is nothing more satisfying in a job to feel like you are doing something good for others.  We are always looking to improve the customer experience and focus on customer satisfaction. This is the single most important financial decision most of our clients have ever made and we take this seriously. We care and try to never lose sight of this through this process.  We want to make every client feel cared for and walked carefully through this process. When we achieve that, that is my favorite thing.  The calls, texts, reviews and cards we get make all of it worthwhile. I have also started to enjoy building a team and watching them to develop to the next step… watching people grow and helping them attain goals is a really exciting and fulfilling part of growing a team.

As you can see, the life of a Loan Officer is one spent being a communicator, a problem solver, and traveler — and we wouldn’t have it any other way! If you are interested in exploring a career as a Loan Officer, reach out to our Corporate Recruiter today, or visit our Careers page to explore our open positions!