Camp Counselor Resume Examples

Camp counselor resume template

This template uses a clear and effective resume format to quickly convey your camp counselor training and relevant skills.

How to write a camp counselor resume

You love working outdoors, keeping children safe and entertained, and most of all — creating memorable experiences for every camp participant. Now all you need is a camp counselor resume that showcases your top skills and qualifications.

Follow our three writing tips below to win over employers and find a rewarding job as a camp counselor.

1. Highlight relevant skills on your resume

Even if you’re just beginning your professional career, there are many ways to showcase your experience and sell yourself as an ideal camp counselor candidate.

Working as a summer camp counselor requires many hard and soft skills, so make sure you include a mix of these skills on your resume.

First, hard skills are skills learned from practical experience, schooling, or taking a certification course.

One of the most essential skills for camp counselors is working with children in small and large group settings. So list your child care certification if you have one, or highlight any babysitting, daycare, or nannying experience by including them in your additional skills section.

Also, mention your teaching or tutoring skills. Camp counselors need to instruct young participants on how to complete a variety of tasks, such as putting on safety equipment, identifying wild animals, or learning how to kayak.

You’ll have a better chance of receiving an interview if you mention facilitating groups, tutoring other students, or even making presentations for your class.

These are other hard skills for summer camp counselor resumes:

• Administrative skills
• Child care
• Completing incident reports
• CPR skills
• Emergency response
• Event planning skills
• Experience living away from home
• First aid knowledge
• Language skills
• Nature and outdoors knowledge
• Presentation skills
• Physical stamina
• Sports knowledge
• Survival skills
• Swimming and lifeguarding skills

Soft skills are also critical for your camp counselor resume. Soft skills are personality traits that show employers how you relate to other camp leaders, supervisors, and children in a work environment.

If you’ve held a leadership role in professional or school settings, list your leadership skills and communication skills. Being a strong leader and communicator conveys to hiring managers that you can effectively facilitate activities for children and clearly discuss rules and procedures with them.

Additionally, children and youth want to interact with a camp counselor who is friendly, energetic, and helpful, so mention your interpersonal skills.

Have a look at more soft skills for camp counselors:

• Adaptability
• Conflict resolution
• Creativity
• Customer service skills
• High energy
• Low maintenance
• Management skills
• Organizational skills
• Patience
• Positive attitude
• Problem solving skills
• People skills
• Respect for other cultures
• Public speaking skills
• Stress management
• Teamwork skills
• Trustworthiness
• Time management skills

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2. List any certifications you have

Working as a camp counselor means you’re responsible for looking after children who are participating in high-risk scenarios, such as outdoor rock climbing, canoeing, or archery. Because safety is a top priority at every campsite, employers want to know if you possess any essential certifications on your resume that they seek in a top applicant.

For instance, most camps require you to possess valid CPR and first aid certifications to prove you know how to react quickly and step in during emergencies.

Besides CPR and first aid, here are other resume certifications that employers look for:

Listing your certifications is key for your camp counselor resume because they show recruiters that you’re a serious candidate who can be trusted to keep camp participants safe —  and rescue them if necessary.

Unsure where to place your certifications? An excellent place to display your certifications is in your resume objective.

Your resume objective is a 2–4 sentence summary that sits at the top of your camp counselor resume and introduces yourself as a top candidate. Mention your certifications here, along with your years of work or volunteer experience, and top hard and soft skills so recruiters can see them right away when they’re looking at your resume.

3. Tailor your resume for the job you’re applying for

Although hiring managers will be impressed by your skill set and certifications, they’ll also look for areas on your camp counselor resume that demonstrate you’re a good fit for their company.

So before sending your resume, make sure that you’ve explored the camp’s website, read the camp counselor job description carefully, and considered which category(ies) your camp fits into. Here are some common camp categories:

• Academic
• Adventure
• Arts

Once you understand what type of camp you’re applying for, tailor your work experience on your resume to match the company’s style and job description. If you’re writing a resume with no experience, highlight your relevant coursework, school achievements, or internships on your resume instead.

Additionally, start off each bullet point with an action verb like “led” or “improved” to portray yourself as a leader and provide more details to employers.

If you were applying for an outdoor adventure camp, you could use these resume bullet points to demonstrate your ability to lead a group of children outdoors:

Lead overnight excursions for 10+ children aged 10–15 every Monday and Thursday, which covered a range of activities such as hiking, outdoor cooking, swimming, and canoeing

Increased children’s physical activity time by 25% by adding daily outdoor nature discovery walks

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Average camp counselor salaries in the US

After you’ve written your resume, make sure you use it to apply for jobs within a fair salary range.

The following table includes information from the most recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report (May 2024). Here are the ten states with the highest salaries for camp counselors, as well as the national average for your reference when applying for work.