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Head counselor resume examples from 2026

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Land interviews using Zippia's AI-powered resume builder.

Updated March 26, 2025
6 min read
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How to write a head counselor resume

Craft a resume summary statement

A resume summary is your opening statement that highlights your strongest skills and top accomplishments. It is your chance to quickly let recruiters know who you are professionally - and why they should hire you for the head counselor role.

Step 1: Start with your professional title, or the one you aspire to.

Step 2: Detail your years of experience in head counselor-related roles and your industry experience.

Step 3: What are your biggest professional wins? Here is your opportunity to highlight your strongest accomplishments by placing them at the start of your resume.

Step 4: Don't forget, your goal is to summarize your experience. Keep it short and sweet, so it's easy for recruiters to quickly understand why you're a great hire.

Hiring managers spend under a minute reviewing resumes on average. This means your summary needs to demonstrate your value quickly and show why you are the perfect fit for the head counselor position.

Please upload your resume so Zippia’s job hunt AI can draft a summary statement for you.

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List the right project manager skills

Your Skills section is an easy way to let recruiters know you have the skills to do the job. Just as importantly, it can help your resume not get filtered out by hiring software. Here is how to make the most of your skills section and make sure you have the right keywords:

  1. Look at the job listing and skills listed. You need to include the exact keywords from the job description to get your resume in front of an actual human. Do you have those skills? Fantastic! Be sure to list them.
  2. Include as many relevant hard or technical head counselor skills as possible for each job you apply to.
  3. Be specific with the skills you have and be sure you are using the most up to date and accurate terms.
These five steps should give you a strong elevator pitch and land you some head counselor interviews.

Here are example skills to include in your “Area of Expertise” on a head counselor resume:

  • Camper Safety
  • Leadership
  • CPR
  • Role Model
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Staff Training
  • Incident Reports
  • Emergency Procedures
  • PowerPoint
  • Art Projects
  • Child Care
  • Summer Program
  • Camper Behavior Issues

Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.

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How to structure your work experience

A work experience section is a vital part of your resume because it shows you have the experience to succeed in your next job.

  1. Put your most recent experience first. Prospective employers care about your most recent accomplishments the most.
  2. Put the job title, company name, city, and state on the left. Align dates in month and year format on the right-hand side.
  3. Include only recent, relevant jobs. This means if you're a fairly experienced worker, you might need to leave off that first internship or other positions in favor of highlighting more pertinent positions.

How to write head counselor experience bullet points

Effective job bullet points do more than just describe your job duties. Instead, they should be specific and measurable accomplishments. Here are some strategies to mastering job bullet points:

  • Use strong action verbs like Led, Built, or Optimized.
  • Follow up with numbers when possible to support your results. How much did performance improve? How much revenue did you drive?
  • Wrap it up by explaining the actions you took to achieve the result and how you made an impact.

Here are effective examples from head counselor resumes:

Work history example #1

Lifeguard/Swim Instructor (Part-Time)

City of Phoenix

  • Designed individualized programs to meet the participant's interests, abilities and goals with American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim levels.
  • Led and directed lifeguard staff in daily procedures and facility management.
  • Trained to work well with a team and in high pressure situations Previously certified in first-aid and CPR
  • Maintained Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Basic First Aid Certification.
  • Supervised Lifeguards, made schedules and rotations Customer Service

Work history example #2

Head Counselor

Arizona State University

  • Maintained accurate and complete student records as required and improved the timeliness of record keeping and communication.
  • Facilitated all meetings with parents, administrators and teachers to communicate evaluation results and updated service needs for IEP's.
  • Directed YMCA soccer camp at Eastern Nazarene College, for girls aging from 6-12.
  • Varied school level meetings: faculty, departmental, IEP, ADA, cross curriculum and community partners.
  • Coordinated and produced weekly summer sailing and boating camp for children ages 6-16 offered through the City of Newport Beach.

Work history example #3

Head Counselor

Camp Systems International

  • Supervised and enabled counselors to provide intentional and caring ministry to their campers.
  • Trained and certified in First Aid and CPR.
  • Coached counselors and interns while supervising clients in public locations.
  • Supervised and facilitated team-building activities and ropes-course for children, teens and adults
  • Prepared ACA accreditation visit binder.

Work history example #4

Head Counselor

YMCA

  • Trained in CPR, AED, and first-aid for adult and children.
  • Planned, scheduled, and ran various activities for both the campers and counselors.
  • Coordinated group activities with other counselors.
  • Applied to become a Counselor In Training (CIT) for Richmond District YMCA in San Francisco.
  • Facilitated communication among campers, counselors, supervisor, and guardians.

Zippia’s AI can customize your resume for you.

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Add an education section to your resume

Here is the best way to format your education section:

  • Display your highest degree first.
  • If you graduated over 5 years ago, put this section at the bottom of your resume. If you lack relevant work experience, the education section should go to the top.
  • If you have a bachelor's or master's degree, do not list your high school education.
  • If your graduation year is more than 15-20 years ago, it's better not to include dates in this section.

Here are some examples of good education entries for resumes:

Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice

Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX

2007 - 2010

Master's Degree in psychology

University of Maryland - College Park, College Park, MD

2017 - 2018

Highlight your head counselor certifications on your resume

Certifications can be a crucial part of your resume. Many jobs have required certifications.

Include the full name of the certification, along with the name of the issuing organization and date of obtainment.

If you have any of these certifications, be sure to include them on your head counselor resume:

  1. First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor
  2. Pastoral Counseling Certification

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