Camp Counselor Resume Example

Working as a camp counselor promises to be a fulfilling, stimulating, and dynamic experience to add to your professional portfolio.

Do you enjoy working in a fast-paced and energetic environment in which every day promises to hold a new adventure? Do you enjoy spending a portion of your workday outdoors and engaging in physical activity? Most importantly, do you enjoy providing a lively, interactive, and educational environment for children to build memories that will last a lifetime?

If you cannot contain your excitement at the mentioned activities above, then applying for a job as a camp counselor is the obvious next step for you.

All that is left for you to do now is get started. You can follow these three tips, or you could save time and use our acclaimed resume builder.

1. List your valid certifications ASAP

Working as a camp counselor will mean that you are responsible for the welfare of children in a number of different, sometimes high-risk, scenarios. Safety will always be a top priority when children are involved. Therefore, you need to let the hiring manager know that you possess certifications from accredited associations such as The American Red Cross.

The majority of camps now require all counselors to possess valid CPR and First Aid certifications. If you hold additional certifications that are relevant to the camp counselor position, such as the ones listed below, be sure to include them on your resume as well.

• Lifeguarding Certifications
• Wilderness First Responder Training
• Camp Counselor Certification

Since certifications are a critical requirement of the camp counselor position, we suggest including them in the last line of the career objective section on your resume. This will let the hiring manager know that you are qualified for the position right from the get-go. Now they can sit back, relax, and discover why you are a perfect fit for the role in the rest of your resume.

As per the advice in our guide to writing a foolproof career objective, this resume neatly states their certifications in the last line:

“Looking to use my energetic leadership style, extensive experience running summer camps and First Aid, CPR, Lifeguarding certification and Wilderness First Responder Training to lead stimulating camps at your establishment.”

2. Tailor your resume to the organization you’re applying for

Although hiring managers will be impressed by your previous experience, they will undoubtedly be looking for points on your resume that demonstrate you are a good fit for their company.

Before sending off your resume make sure that you have explored the camp’s website. Ask yourself which of the following categories the camp you are applying to fits into best:

• Academic camp
• Adventure camp
• Arts Camp
• Sports Camps
• Technology Camps

Once you have a grasp on what the camp is all about, tailor your skills and work experience to match the job description and company style. This is a great opportunity to feature your unique experience, expand on your personal interests, and stand out in the overflowing resume pile.

For instance, this work experience bullet demonstrates the candidate’s ability to lead a group of children in the our door activities and excursions- the main focus of the camp they are applying for.

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

3. Write a targeted professional experience section

Writing the professional experience section of your resume can be daunting for those who are just beginning their professional careers. Luckily, there are many ways to expand on the experience you have, no matter how limited, to highlight how it makes you the ideal camp counselor candidate.

Focus on your experience working with children

Working with children requires a great deal of patience, energy, and dedication that not everyone has. As a camp counselor, you will be providing constant care to a large group of children for an extended period of time. Therefore, it is important that you highlight the experience you have working with children such as the relevant occupations listed below:

• Babysitting
• Nannying
• Tutoring
• Teaching
• Daycare

Don’t skip out on this necessary information

Now you are ready to add your relevant experience caring for children, but what information is important to include? The responsibilities and activities required to properly care for children vary greatly depending on their age.

Taking care of a two-year-old is incomparable to taking care of a ten-year-old. To add a layer of clarity to your resume and accurately display your capabilities, always write out the ages when child care is concerned. Here is an example of how this resume displays the information about the children the candidate was caring for,

“ Planned daily camp activities ranging from arts and crafts to sports, wilderness education, and interactive games for 40 children ages 6-12.”

Quantify your accomplishments

Excellent! You’ve learned how to communicate that you are competent and experienced in working with children. What’s next is to show that you can produce results that will directly impact the success of the camp.

This is where quantifying, or adding numerical values to your achievements, becomes an essential part of your resume building toolkit. It is a quick and easy way to add depth to your accomplishments and demonstrate that you are a results-oriented camp counselor.

Where quantification is concerned, you want to focus on the changes in percentages, dollar amounts, and time that your actions have produced. This applicant has done a great job of writing a well-constructed, quantified point that will impress the hiring manager,

 “Implementing a three-step conflict resolution protocol for children displaying unruly behavior resulting in a 15% decrease in conflicts”

Looking for more information on how to quantify your resume? Look no further- we have created an entire guide focused on teaching you how to make an achievement oriented resume.

Great job- you have covered all of the necessary information and are ready to create an outstanding resume! Good luck landing employment as a camp counselor. If you have any additional questions, please leave a comment and we’ll be sure to respond!