Practice getting organized and managing your time with these tips from Big Future. Start with the first tip—make a to-do list every day!

Take control of your time with these tips.

Financial literacy is an important skill in many careers, as well as in your personal life. Take a class at school or online and sharpen your financial skills! 

Take a finance class. 

Learn about the basics of operations management by taking a class online or at your school. Discover how this skill can benefit a variety of careers. 

Take an operations management class. 

Dive into this overview of a popular organizational philosophy and get started on your own system to up your productivity and start getting things done!

Practice getting organized!

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Loan Interviewers and Clerks

Interview loan applicants to elicit information; investigate applicants' backgrounds and verify references; prepare loan request papers; and forward findings, reports, and documents to appraisal department. Review loan papers to ensure completeness, and complete transactions between loan establishment, borrowers, and sellers upon approval of loan.

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Office and Administrative Support Occupations

Information and Record Clerks

Verify and examine information and accuracy of loan application and closing documents.

Assemble and compile documents for loan closings, such as title abstracts, insurance forms, loan forms, and tax receipts.

Record applications for loan and credit, loan information, and disbursements of funds, using computers.

Submit loan applications with recommendation for underwriting approval.

Contact customers by mail, telephone, or in person concerning acceptance or rejection of applications.

Contact credit bureaus, employers, and other sources to check applicants' credit and personal references.

Check value of customer collateral to be held as loan security.

Interview loan applicants to obtain personal and financial data and to assist in completing applications.

Prepare and type loan applications, closing documents, legal documents, letters, forms, government notices, and checks, using computers.

Microsoft Excel

Rockport Integrated Excel Underwriting

Microsoft PowerPoint

Automated underwriting software

Fannie Mae Desktop Underwriter

Lending software systems

Software AG Underwriting Solution

Loan tracking software

Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Outlook

Automated financial software

Microsoft Office software

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Word

Web browser software

Printing calculators

Copy machines

Document scanners

Laptop computers

Computer inkjet printers

Laser facsimile machines

Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Every day

How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Constant contact with others

How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?

How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?

Deal With External Customers or the Public in General

Extremely important

Very important

How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Continually or almost continually

More than half the time

How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

Once a week or more but not every day

How often is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?

How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?

How frequently does your job require written letters and memos?

Loan Interviewers and Clerks

Overview

Career

What Loan Interviewers and Clerks Do

Other Job Titles Loan Interviewers and Clerks May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Loan Interviewers and Clerks

Overview

Career

What Loan Interviewers and Clerks Do

Other Job Titles Loan Interviewers and Clerks May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Loan Interviewers and Clerks

Majors Related to Career

Related Leaders