Having previous work as a summer camp counselor looks great on a resume. When adding it to the list of relevant work experience you need to make sure you are properly showcasing your responsibilities and the skills you gained. Here are 5 simple steps to help you add your camp counselor experience to your resume.
Note: The purpose of this post is to help you form ideas of how to add your summer camp experience to a resume. It does not take into account other necessities of resume building such as; formatting, editing, the type of resume you are building, keywords and specific lingo to use, and roles and responsibilities outside of the examples given.
Photo Credit: Tsunami Green
1. Consider your job title
Camp Counselor is a fine job title to use as it was most likely your main role. It avoids language that anyone outside of the summer camp bubble would not understand, such as Tent Counselor or Junior Unit Counselor. However, if you had other notable roles of responsibility, consider showcasing this in a way that is easily understandable.
Examples
Head Summer Camp Counselor
Camp Counselor / Head of Arts & Crafts
Lead Lifeguard / Camp Counselor
Director of Target Sports / Camp Counselor
Activity Supervisor & Camp Counselor
Youth Group Leader & Camp Counselor
Photo Credit: Autumn Mott Rodeheaver
2. Make a detailed list of all your roles & responsibilities
Make a list of everything you did over the summer and the responsibilities that went along with it. Odds are you did a lot more work than you think. This is a great way to brainstorm and find the key responsibilities and skills that will stick out to potential hiring managers.
Examples
Taught Arts and Crafts: Created lesson plans, ordered and organized supplies, demonstrated and taught lessons, taught campers ages 6-10 new forms of art, encouraged creativity, and had group sizes of up to 10 campers at a time.
Basketball Coach: Taught basketball skills, organized away-game transportation and logistics, coached and supported each student individually and as a team, facilitated meetings, updated parents, created and ran plays, and supervised youth ages 10-12.
Canoe Instructor: Made lesson plans, organized and cleaned equipment, spent days out on the river canoeing with campers, taught canoe skills, ensured water safety precautions were taken, worked with groups of 15 campers at a time, and worked with a co-counselor.
Lifeguard: Lifeguarded twice a day, supervised large groups of children ages 7-14, maintained equipment, and was responsible for enforcing safety protocols on the docks.
Head of Evening Activities: Created, organized, and facilitated all group evening activities, oversaw other counselor's game/lesson plans, spoke in front of large groups of children ages 8-15, ordered and maintained supply lists, and assisted with organizing evening schedules.
Worked with Kids: Lived in a cabin to supervise 5 kids during the entire summer, made sure they got to all of their activities and meals on time, made sure they brushed their teeth and went to bed on time, taught activities for small groups ages 10-13, facilitated and lead group activities for up to 60 campers at a time, etc...
Photo Credit: Ben White
3. Reword your responsibilities in a professional way
Wording is important! The overall goal is to showcase your accomplishments and responsibilities in a professional and concise way. Do this by pulling the main skills you want the hiring manager to notice and formally formatting them to reflect your responsibilities.
Don't forget to use buzzwords! This is important for any resume. A buzzword is basically a word that hiring managers are looking for when combing through applications, such as; facilitated, directed, organized, coordinated, supervised, etc... They highlight the action(s) you took to complete certain tasks. It is helpful to use a buzzword at the beginning of your sentence and you can add adjectives to them as well such as; directly supervised or effectively organized.
Examples
Were you...
Responsible for the daily routine of 5 campers over the course of 2 months.
Or did you...
Directly supervise, lead activities, and facilitate overall daily routines for youth ages 10-14.
Did you...
Teach campers skills in canoeing while ensuring water safety precautions were taken.
Or did you...
Create lesson plans, facilitate classes, and teach hands on skills in canoeing for youth ages 10-15 while ensuring water safety regulations were met.
Did you...
Coach basketball for children ages 8-10.
Or did you...
Coach, support, and teach groups of youth ages 8-10 in techniques of basketball and personal skills like teamwork.
Did you...
Lead campers on hiking and camping trips for up to 7 days at a time.
Or did you...
Lead multi-day hiking trips for groups of campers ages 10-14 while teaching hands on skills in canoe, fire building, and leave no trace principles.
Did you...
Work with a co-counselor to teach and lead new games to campers.
Or did you...
Successfully collaborate with a co-leader to organize and facilitate activities for groups of up to 30 students at a time.
Photo Credit: Sigmund
4. Tailor your resume to the job you are applying for
Think about all the ways your camp counselor responsibilities can be utilized for the position you are applying for. Your should change the wording in your sentences to highlight different skills and successes that show you have the experience needed for the job. You can also use the buzzwords/adjectives in the original job post to make your resume match exactly what employers are looking for. Most resumes highlight job descriptions in 3-4 clear and concise bullet points.
Example 1:
A Summer Sports Camp Counselor applying for a Substitute Teaching Position
The job description: ABC schools is looking for a long term substitute teacher who has a passion for education and experience with working with students ages 10-15. We want someone who is energetic, comfortable supervising groups of 15-20 children at a time, and can implement pre-made lesson plans. Experience working with parents and creating lesson plans is preferred but not required.
Your experience: You spent the summer coaching a team of 15 kids ages 13-15 and helped inspire and motivate them while teaching hands on skills in basketball and teamwork. You also organized, ordered, and cleaned equipment. Lastly, you communicated with parents regarding any issues that arose or positive progress that was made.
Resume points:
Directly taught groups of students ages 13-15 hands on techniques in basketball and personal skills in teamwork and collaboration.
Designed and implemented lesson plans for groups of up to 15 students at a time.
Effectively communicated with parents regarding student's overall progress, goals, and concerns.
Example 2:
Overnight Summer Camp Counselor applying for an Outdoor Hiking Guide Job
The job description: ABC national park is looking for people who are passionate about working in the outdoors to lead summer hiking excursions for small groups of families. Must be positive and energetic, have experience working with people, and have an in depth understanding about how to care for the environment. Must be able to hike a minimum of 5 miles a day and lift up to 50 lbs.
Your experience: You were mainly an archery instructor over the summer, but you love hiking and were a co-leader on several overnight hiking trips with groups of campers ages 12-16. During the trips you hiked many miles and lead multiple activities such as hiking, backpacking, and camping. You and your campers slept in tents, cooked your own food, and practiced leave no trace principles.
Resume points:
Co-lead multi-day backpacking trips for youth ages 12-16 while teaching hands-on skills in outdoor cooking, fire building, hiking, backpacking, and leave no trace principles.
Organized and facilitated group activities for up to 30 campers at a time.
Effectively supervised, cared for, and kept a constant positive attitude for all campers and staff.
Hiked upwards of 200 miles during the summer while in the Rocky Mountains.
*It could also be helpful to attach a trip log that includes the trails and miles hiked over the summer.
Photo Credit: Annie Spratt
5. Don't forget to add your certifications
To work at camp, you may have needed to obtain certain certifications in order to effectively do your job. Make sure you are adding these to your resume under your certification/skills section and are including any expiration dates.
Examples
CPR/First Aid (expires: June 2025)
Lifeguard Certified by the American Red Cross (expires: July 2025)
Wilderness First Aid certified (expires: June 2025)
Wilderness First Responder (expires: June 2025)
Mental Health Awareness Course (Red School, 2023)
Leave No Trace Certification (Outdoor Camp, 2023)
Level One Archery Instructor (expires: June 2026)
Water Safety Instructor (expires: June 2025)
Food Safety Certified (expires: May 2026)
Photo Credit: Josh Campbell
Conclusion
As a summer camp counselor the responsibilities you have and skills you gained are applicable to many different jobs, and therefore look great on a resume. Explaining them on a resume can seem a bit tricky but hopefully this post helped you figure out how to showcase the job and all it entails. Also, understand that the examples in this post are only to give you some ideas of how to flush out your roles and responsibilities. You may need to adjust your vocabulary, phrasing, main points, etc... to best represent yourself and meet the needs of the job you are applying for.
Credits
The photos in this post are not mine. Thank you to the photographers who uploaded their photos for free use on Unsplash. They have been credited under their respective photographs.