Counselor Resume Examples And Tips
The average resume reviewer spends between 5 to 7 seconds looking at a single resume, which leaves the average job applicant with roughly six seconds to make a killer first impression. Thanks to this, a single typo or error on your resume can disqualify you right out of the gate.
At Zippia, we went through over 108,261 Counselor resumes and compiled some information about how best to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
See More Example Resumes
Five Key Resume Tips For Landing a Counselor Job:
1.
Relevant Experience
Make sure that the jobs, experience, and accolades that you do include are relevant to the position you’re applying for.
2.
The Right Skills
This is a great time to run wild with those keywords found in the job description. If they’re looking for someone with Treatment Plans, be sure to list it as a skill.
3.
Quantifiable Achievements
Achievements and awards relevant to the position speak louder than a high GPA, especially if you can quantify your achievement with a number.
4.
Your Unique Qualities
Recruiters and hiring managers are looking at hundreds of resumes. Let yours stand out, and try not to sound too boring.
5.
Strong Content
If you’ve had a lot of jobs, this shouldn’t necessarily be a list of all of them. This is a document designed to market you to a potential employer, so choose the strongest content.
How To Write a Counselor Resume
1
Contact Information
Do you wont to know more?
How To Write The Perfect Resume HeaderName
First things first — employers only spend about six seconds looking at resumes before they decide to keep them or throw them away, so you should definitely let them know whose it is.
Address
Commute and relocation are things that employers take into consideration when sifting through candidates, so provide your current address in your resume header so that employers have an idea of where you are in relation to their office.
LinkedIn Profile
If you feel that a link to your social media profile could further your standing as a candidate, go ahead and include it. This doesn’t mean you should throw in a link to your hilarious Twitter profile, but instead provide your LinkedIn profile.
2
Professional Summary (Objective)
Are you a recent grad?
Read our guide on how to write a resume summary statementCareer objective statements are one of the most overlooked pieces of otherwise stellar resumes. It’s not that every Counselor CV out there needs one — it’s just that the ones that really do need them typically never think to include them.
The goal of this section is simple: to summarize the resume in a few short sentences. Through your resume summary you enable employers to quickly learn whether you are a good match for the job. Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing a professional summary:
Keep it short: it should be 4 sentences max
Highlight your most impressive skills or achievements
3
Skills
Not sure which skills are really important?
3 Big Tips For Listing Skills On Your ResumeMake sure to only include your hard skills on your resume. In addition,
include the most in-demand counselor skills. Below we have listed the top skills for a counselor :
The more keywords your resume can “match,” the more likely it is that your resume will be selected for review by human eyes.
Top Skills for a Counselor
Source: Zippia.com
Treatment Plans, 13%
Crisis Intervention, 10%
Substance Abuse, 6%
Other Skills, 53%
See All Counselor Skills
Here are a few key points of to keep in mind while writing your skills section:
Include between 6 to 12 skills
Make sure to only include hard skills
Highlight your most impressive skills or achievements
4
Experience
Don't have any experience?
How To Show Your Experience On a Resume... Even When You Don't Have AnyWe compared 108,261 resume examples and job offers and found that the average
experience required for a counselor job required by employers is 1.0 years.
How much work experience do employers want to see?
The average counselor job listing asks for 1.0 years of work experience.
How much work experience does the average counselor candidate have?
The average counselor resume contains 2.0 years of work experience.
Write your work experience section in a way that embraces your counselor skills.
Sounds easier said than done? Take a look at how other people have done it. Below are real
examples from counselor resumes that people have included in their work experience
section to demonstrate their knowledge of key skills:
Candidate Info
16
Years In Workforce3
Years As a Counselor
- Presented educational training's to hospice professionals, community organizations and agencies, and counseling professionals.
- Managed nutrition counselors while establishing clear objectives and ensured those objectives were being met on a consistent basis.
- Outreached clients within the community on the company van for HIV testing.
- Assisted in the coordination of services within the interdisciplinary team as well as collateral contacts.
- Transmit information to healthcare providers regarding member eligibility, benefits, and medical claims.
Candidate Info
11
Years In Workforce3
Years As a Counselor- Maintained and updated program on-call and phone lists.
- Supervised members according to IHP and contract for service.
- Participated in weekly coordinators' meeting and supervisory sessions with Director of Residential Services.
- Prepare IHP in advance as well as attend.
- Attend IHP meeting and track IHP goals.
Candidate Info
12
Years In Workforce3
Years As a Counselor
- Assist other program counselors with 5-7 and 11-14 year old age groups.
- Assisted adolescent girls and boys in basic care needs and mediated physical and verbal conflict.
- Assist consumers with physical appearance and there up keep.
- Attend IEP/504 meetings, treatment team meetings and other school based meetings regularly.
- Assist in developing, implementing and documenting treatment including ISP/PSTPs and clinical programs.
Candidate Info
5
Years In Workforce2
Years As a Counselor- Increased the knowledge of the bible to a small group of twenty-two children ensuring that the children memorized the daily verses.
- Assist professionals to provide client services, as well as support for families.
- Provide First Aid/CPR when needed.
- Transport and supervise clients to offsite appointments.
- Experience with CPR and First-Aid procedures.
5
Education
Based on our analysis of counselor resumes, the most common major for counselor candidates is Psychology,
but other majors made their way in as well.
Social Work, Business and School Counseling were relatively common.
Majors
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As shown above, the Education section can be very brief. However make sure to include the following:
The name of the school you attended
The year you attended
Your major
Your GPA
The level of education you attained
Counselor Salary
Did your resume land you an interview? Be prepared to talk salary.
How To Answer "What Are Your Salary Requirements"When you are ready to send your resume to employers, it's important to be aware of the current market conditions for Counselors. Salary can vary based on factors such as location, company, and industry. Check out our detailed salary information for Counselors to learn more.
Average Employee Salary
$38,000
$26,000
Min 10%
$38,000
Median 50%
$57,000
Max 90%