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Adoption counselor skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

1 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Thomas Dearden Ph.D.,

Kacie Blalock Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical adoption counselor skills. We ranked the top skills for adoption counselors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 23.8% of adoption counselor resumes contained pet as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an adoption counselor needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 adoption counselor skills for your resume and career

1. PET

Here's how adoption counselors use pet:

Screened and interviewed potential adopters* Counseled adopters on responsible pet ownership, health and nutrition
Screened and counseled potential adopters for eligibility, preparation and responsibilities of pet ownership.

2. Customer Service

Customer service is the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers -- answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.

Here's how adoption counselors use customer service:

Greet visitors, answer routine questions and maintain excellent customer service and professional coworker relations.
Provide customer service including answering telephones and counseling clients regarding adoption/relinquishment of their pets.

3. Behavior Issues

Here's how adoption counselors use behavior issues:

Answer calls and questions regarding lost pets, the adoption process, behavior issues with pets, surrendering animals, etc.
Report medical and behavior issues that need to be addressed.

4. Front Desk

Here's how adoption counselors use front desk:

Front desk duties included answering guest questions/ providing resources on the phone as well as in person.
Provided adoption and surrender counseling to customers as well as operated front desk tasks.

5. Animal Shelter

An animal shelter is a place where stray animals are kept and taken care of. Any stray, lost, abandoned, or surrendered animals who have nowhere else to go are kept in the animal shelter.

Here's how adoption counselors use animal shelter:

Volunteer position assisting local animal shelter with care of animals and assisting guests with adoption process
Operated as a temporary consultant from an established animal shelter.

6. Process Adoptions

Here's how adoption counselors use process adoptions:

Process adoptions for successful interviewees.
Worked on a computer software to process adoptions, process donations, receipts, and clinics in and out.

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7. General Care

Here's how adoption counselors use general care:

Advised animal owners regarding sanitary measures, feeding, general care, and introduction to other pets and family members.
Feed and exercise animals or provide other general care, such as cleaning or maintaining holding or performance areas.

8. Schedule Appointments

Here's how adoption counselors use schedule appointments:

Schedule appointments for upcoming groups and emergency one-one appointments.
Schedule appointments for assigned personnel.

9. Animal Handling

Here's how adoption counselors use animal handling:

Lead and train volunteer groups on safety and animal handling, assist with planning appreciation event.
Trained new employees and volunteers safe animal handling techniques, vaccination methods, and cleaning protocols.

10. Adoptive Families

Here's how adoption counselors use adoptive families:

Co-led Waiting Family Gathering for adoptive families and provided ongoing education regarding a variety of adoption related issues.
Provided therapeutic intervention services using individual and family psychotherapy treatment to children and their adoptive families.

11. Adoptable Animals

Here's how adoption counselors use adoptable animals:

Maintained updated and detailed information regarding adoptable animals via PetPoint.
Supervised visits between adoptable animals and customers in order to pair up a family with the perfect new furry family member.

12. Birth Parents

Here's how adoption counselors use birth parents:

Maintained case files, which include up to date counseling notes on birth parents and adopting parents.
Provided individual and group counseling to birth parents and adoptive parents, including grief counseling.

13. Health Issues

Here's how adoption counselors use health issues:

Worked hand-in- hand with the veterinarian on site involving spay/neuter cases, vaccines and health issues including some paperwork.
Observe animals for any health issues.

14. Computer System

Here's how adoption counselors use computer system:

Entered adopter(s) information into the computer system.
Work with computer systems and put in animal information.

15. Background Checks

Here's how adoption counselors use background checks:

performed background checks, reviewed adoption applications
Background checks, Property Appraiser, talk to Landlords Working with several families at once looking for a dog to adopt

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What skills help Adoption Counselors find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What type of skills will young adoption counselors need?

Dr. Thomas Dearden Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Sociology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Indeed, the way we work is changing. The skills that young graduates will need are diverse. Transferable skills and soft skills will certainly be marketable. These include traditional crafts such as communication, but I also think the world expects more empathy from its employees. Young graduates with an understanding of racism, sexism, and environmental responsibility will become increasingly important.

What soft skills should all adoption counselors possess?

Kacie Blalock Ph.D.

Associate Professor; Director, Master of Counseling, Louisiana State University at Shreveport

Soft skills that are essential for counselors include emotional intelligence, empathy, multicultural competency, interpersonal abilities, and authenticity.

What hard/technical skills are most important for adoption counselors?

Kacie Blalock Ph.D.

Associate Professor; Director, Master of Counseling, Louisiana State University at Shreveport

It is important that counselors are able to effectively take notes and summarize progress, interpret assessments, memorize and recall information, and keep clear yet concise records.

Do you want to know more?

List of adoption counselor skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for an adoption counselor resume and required skills for an adoption counselor to have include:

PET
Customer Service
Behavior Issues
Front Desk
Animal Shelter
Process Adoptions
General Care
Schedule Appointments
Animal Handling
Adoptive Families
Adoptable Animals

Birth Parents
Health Issues
Computer System
Background Checks
Medical History
Medical Care
Medical Procedures
Adoption Paperwork
Medical Issues
Biographies
Court Reports

Adoption Applications
Adoption Plan
Stray Animals
Multi-Line Phone System
Animal Health
Veterinary Procedures
Animal Welfare
Water Animals
Shelter Environment

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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