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Julie Tippett
In this day when college students lobby for internships and field experience,
the professional values of camp counseling seem to take a back seat. In
truth, camp counseling is a position which fosters many professional skills,
such as responsibility, patience, and flexibility. It is also a position
in which one is responsible for children's lives — what could be more
important than that?
In a professional market, employers are looking for characteristics that
the hard-working camp counselor has gained through summertime experience.
While tossing a water-ski rope over a dozen times a day, counselors are
solving conflicts, adapting to the needs of various campers, and enhancing
their ability to work with others. Identifying these skills and translating
them onto a resume is the first step toward a career in any field.
Skills Counselors Build
Working with people is a crucial capacity in any profession. While knowledge
of technical skills involving the basics of canoeing or archery remains
important in the camp setting, the ability to work as a team player and
build a sense of community will give counselors an edge in the professional
world.
At camp, the counselor witnesses the workings of a community on a small
scale. This environment, much like the set-up of a small business, compels
the counselor to take initiative and become a self-starter. While working
with others, counselors are able to see the results of their initiatives
and receive praise for the measures they have taken.
Spending nearly every minute of every day with a group of people certainly
enhances skills in working with others. While these working relationships
are established, other traits are also being fostered in the camp setting,
such as patience, tenacity, the ability to stick with a job, and being
a dedicated employee.
Displaying flexibility ensures an employer that a worker is a leader
as well as a team player. Leadership is conveyed at camp in many situations.
The camp counselor is not only a leader herself but instills leadership,
participation, and cooperation in campers and other staff members. Inspiring
others to action shows an employer that a worker cares about the productivity
and general operation of an organization.
Selling Skills to an Employer
Translating one's skills to an employer can be as difficult as getting
campers to go to bed at night. Career counselors suggest the key is to
identify skills and illustrate them accurately and specifically in the
resume, cover letter, and job interview.
The use of effective language on a resume will attract the attention
of an employer. Action verbs and phrases such as "organized events
for all ages" or "developed swimming lesson program" explain
a counselor's role in the camp structure. Listing accomplishments and
achievements on the resume demonstrates the results produced in the counselor's
position.
In an interview situation, camp anecdotes can provide a colorful description
of predicaments that have been handled successfully by the counselor.
Conflicts in the cabin are just one example. The counselor handing these
conflicts is not just a referee but also a people manager and problem
solver. A job candidate relaying these actual stories gives the employer
a sampling of techniques exercised in times of distress.
While you're at camp wielding the water-ski rope or brandishing your
paintbrush in arts and crafts, stop to think of the tremendous impact
you're having on children. Think also of the responsibilities and rewards
you have been given through the camp experience. Dedication, loyalty,
compassion, and consistency comprise the actions of a camp counselor day
after day in the camp setting. Any employer oblivious to such attributes
would certainly be passing up a good thing.
Originally published in the 2000 May/June issue
of Camping Magazine. |
