How to hire a unit counselor

How to hire a unit counselor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step unit counselor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a unit counselor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new unit counselor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a unit counselor, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a unit counselor to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a unit counselor that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of unit counselors.

   Type of Unit Counselor	Description	Hourly rate
   Unit Counselor	Mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists help people manage and overcome mental and emotional disorders and problems with family and other relationships. They listen to clients and ask questions to help the clients understand their problems and develop strategies to improve their lives.	$8-34
   Program Lead	A program lead is responsible for managing a business program's operation from its conceptualization to implementation. Program leads must have excellent communication and researching skills to monitor current industry trends, adjusting program techniques and strategies to meet society's demands... Show more	$28-82
   Recreation Leader	The primary role of recreation leaders is to encourage recreational and sporting activities in various settings such as schools, parks, and youth centers. Their job requires them to motivate others to work as a team member while also promoting good morals and sportsmanship... Show more	$11-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Incident Reports
   • Mental Health
   • Substance Abuse
   • Conduct Orientation
   • CPI
   • Crisis Situations
   • Therapeutic Environment
   • Individual Treatment Plan
   • Girl Scouts
   • Log Book
   • Safety Regulations
   • Group Therapy Sessions
   • Family Sessions
   • Meal Preparation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead a successful group of kids by ensuring safety and behavioral expectations are met and providing structure and organize educational activities.
   • Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
   • Maintain therapeutic relationships with youth through effective teaching and coaching techniques to provide leadership and foster relationship building skills.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your unit counselor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A unit counselor can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, unit counselors' average salary in wyoming is 63% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level unit counselors 75% less than senior-level unit counselors.
   • Certifications. A unit counselor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a unit counselor's salary.

   Average unit counselor salary

   $36,585yearly

   $17.59 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level unit counselor salary

   $18,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a unit counselor job description

   A job description for a unit counselor role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a unit counselor job description:

   Unit counselor job description example

   *URGENTLY HIRING - In person Interviews 10/24*
   
   *Multiple locations - (LIC, Brooklyn)*
   
   *NOTE: All applicants must comply with ICL”s vaccination policy. Individuals selected for employment cannot begin working until they provide verification that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (with an FDA-authorized vaccine).*
   
   *JOB SUMMARY: *
   
   The Unit Counselor performs a wide variety of tasks related to the care, nurturing, treatment, education, socialization, habilitation, recovery/healing, safety, security, and support of residents. The Unit Counselor interacts directly with the residents and assures that all areas of the facility are clean and functioning as required.
   
   _*ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: * List all essential job duties. (To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty listed satisfactorily with or without a reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with a disability to perform the essential duties unless this causes undue hardship to the agency.)_
   * Participate in or conduct orientation for new residents.
   * Responsible for helping to meet the program needs of residents and developing the spirit, values and culture of the Neighborhoods.
   * Responsible for all communication to residents regarding program processes and activities.
   * Participate in planned interventions with residents as directed, including the use of Motivational Interviewing.
   * Provide social support to residents, including verbal assistance to help residents to help themselves with regard to day-to-day life in the residence.
   * Provide residents on both a group and an individual basis with transportation for housing placement, service appointments, recreational, or other service plan related purposes as appropriate.
   * Assists with meal-related activities such as warming-up food as required, serving it and performing clean-up activities.
   * Document neighborhood activities and interactions with residents as directed.
   * Participate in crisis intervention activities as needed
   * Participate in management and supervision meetings.
   * Participate in required trainings I
   * Immediately reports serious incidents, allegations of abuse, incidents, or sensitive situations and completes incident reports in accordance with agency policy.
   * Comply and promote compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and agency policies helping to strengthen and maintain an ethical organizational culture.
   * Conduct hourly rounds of the facility to check in on all residents
   * Report to work on time and as scheduled or mandated
   * Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
   
   *REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES*
   * Effective problem-solving skills
   * Ability to communicate effectively with staff, residents, families, and the public.
   * Ability to prepare accurate and timely documentation, reports and other written material as assigned
   * Effective interpersonal skills
   * Ability to serve as a role model to residents/consumers.
   * Ability to work with diverse individuals with due respect for and understanding of cultural differences
   * Ability to work collaboratively as a member of a team
   * Ability to make reasonable and sound evaluative judgments
   * Ability to use electronic equipment (computers, printers, etc.) effectively
   * Ability to effectively and efficiently respond to questions from persons served
   * Ability to facilitate a meeting
   * Ability to present information to persons served and other employees
   * Ability to maintain self-control in crisis situations
   * Ability to speak Spanish preferred
   * Ability to report for work as scheduled on a consistent basis.
   
   *MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS*
   
   Education: High school diploma or equivalent
   
   Experience: Some experience in a human services setting
   
   Licenses:
   * Must obtain a food handlers certificate within 45 days of hire
   * Valid NYS Driver's license preferred
   
   Job Type: Full-time
   
   Pay: $17.30 per hour
   
   Benefits:
   * 401(k)
   * 401(k) matching
   * Dental insurance
   * Employee assistance program
   * Employee discount
   * Flexible schedule
   * Flexible spending account
   * Health insurance
   * Health savings account
   * Life insurance
   * Paid time off
   * Parental leave
   * Retirement plan
   * Tuition reimbursement
   * Vision insurance
   Schedule:
   * 8 hour shift
   * Day shift
   * Monday to Friday
   
   Ability to commute/relocate:
   * New York, NY 10004: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)
   
   Work Location: One location

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find unit counselors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any unit counselors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level unit counselors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your unit counselor job on Zippia to find and recruit unit counselor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting unit counselors requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new unit counselor

   Once you've selected the best unit counselor candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new unit counselor. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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