Camp Counselor
Cover Letter Example

1. Choose camp-specific hard skills

Not many cover letters require you to reference your arts and crafts, hiking, sports, outdoor cooking, swimming, and canoeing abilities, but these are necessities for your camp counselor cover letter. With so many unique skills to brag about, the hard part is choosing which ones to include on your camp counselor cover letter.

Similar to your camp counselor resume, it is necessary to tailor your cover letter to the type of camp you are applying for. After all, you wouldn’t want to take up precious space on your cover letter for “Willy’s Wild Wilderness Outdoor Adventure Camp” boasting about your skills in the chemistry lab, would you?

Browsing the camp’s website and checking out what kind of activities they offer is a great way to get started. Then, you can choose which experience and skills to showcase on your cover letter.

Match your relevant experience to the focus of the camp and begin crafting your cover letter. For instance, this candidate has done an excellent job of referencing their wilderness expertise:

• Leading overnight excursions for 10+ children covering a range of activities such as hiking, outdoor cooking, swimming and canoeing

2. Mention additional soft skills

As a camp counselor, you could have all of the certifications, education, and experience in the world, but they won’t mean anything without the proper soft skills to back them up.

Soft skills can be defined as character traits or interpersonal aptitudes that affect your ability to work and interact with others. As a camp counselor, your soft skills are the traits that allow you to successfully interact and connect with children of all ages. These skills come naturally to you and don’t seem like anything special — but trust us, these are very important skills that not everyone possesses.

It is critical that your camp counselor cover letter highlights your strongest soft skills. The hiring manager should have no doubt about your emotional intelligence and ability to relate to children when they reach the end of your cover letter.

Your camp counselor cover letter should focus on soft skills related to the following:

• Communication
• Teamwork
• Adaptability
• Problem-Solving
• Creativity
• Work Ethic
• Interpersonal Skills
• Leadership

Check out how this candidate easily weaves their impressive soft skills into their cover letter:

In my position as Senior Camp Counselor, I refined my teamwork, leadership, and communication skills allowing me to lead a team of camp counselors committed to fostering an exemplary environment for youth to build memories to last a lifetime.

3. Don’t forget parents, managers, and fellow counselors

You love and excel at entertaining campers — but don’t forget that kids aren’t the only part of the summer camp equation. There are also other key stakeholders:

• Parents
• Managers
• Other camp counselors

In your cover letter, show the hiring manager that you are the whole package by referencing your successful experience working with parents, managers, and other camp counselors.

For instance, this candidate ties their experience working with managers and staff into program development:

“I worked closely with management and other camp counselors to coordinate programs offering a blend of developmental activities, physical exercise, and entertainment.”

Managers are looking to assemble a team of professional camp counselors that can work together to provide safe and exciting adventures for young campers.Your cover letter should aptly demonstrate to them that you are a team player ready to take on the challenge.