STAFF ADVANCEMENT
By Chris Thurber
Writing Camp Jobs
On A Resume
Tips and templates to help staff
shine on paper
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Proofread every word
of your resume for
misspellings, omissions, and non-grammatical constructions.
Choosing words
wisely begins with
shedding camp lingo.
nyone who includes a camp job on
a resume begins a fight. Thanks, in
part, to movies like Meatballs,
Friday the 13th, and Wet Hot American
Summer, camp counselors must struggle
against a pop-culture image of camp that
includes food fights, panty raids, and
crazed killers. Yes, I know, the last time
someone actually flew underwear up a
flagpole was 1965, but most employers
don’t know that.
Geographer and commentator
Dr. Jon Malinowski has written wryly and
wisely on this countervailing force against
which all camp professionals wrestle.
He refers to it as “The Curse of Kumbaya.”
That is shorthand for the misconception
that camp jobs are not real jobs. Who
would want to hire a young adult who
spends his or her summer drinking, tanning, and singing hackneyed songs with
8-year-olds? Wouldn’t those young adults
who interned at Bear Sterns—er,
Goldman-Sachs—make better managers?
The truth is leadership experiences at
high-quality summer camps teach life
skills, and hone a work ethic that pays
dividends throughout an equally
demanding non-camp career.
A
Reverse The Curse
To reverse the curse, staff members
must choose their words wisely, copy edit
carefully, and describe the magnitude of
their responsibility. On a resume, everything matters, including printing on
watermarked paper with at least 25percent cotton-fiber content. No one
cares what you write on when you’re at
camp—an index card, the back of your
hand, or a piece of birch bark—but in the
outside world, it matters. Coach staff
members to switch gears and embrace
a professional presentation, not just a
professional description, of their work
at camp.
Choosing words wisely begins with
shedding camp lingo. No one in the corporate world—or anywhere else outside your
camp—will understand what it means to
have been “Head Weebelo” or “Chief Bob”
or “Scollege Monster” or “Master Firefly.”
I get it. You had a fun camp nickname, and
so did your position. Now let it go. To a
prospective employer, you were “Division
Leader for Youngest Boys” or “Director
of Arts and Crafts” or “Assistant
Waterfront Director.”
Next comes careful copy editing.
Here I must state the core principle with
the utmost clarity: There can be no typos
on a professional resume. Not a single one.
When I find a typo on a resume, I immediately think three things:
1. This person did not care much
about how he or she presented
themselves.
2. This person did not have a friend
proofread this singularly important
piece of paper.
3. I want to hire someone who
actually cares, so who is next in
the pile?
Those who think that my little
thought-train sounds harsh are the ones
who won’t get choice jobs. It’s as simple
as that. Proofread every word of your
resume for misspellings, omissions, and
non-grammatical constructions.
Say It Like A Pro, Because You Are
Finally, and perhaps most importantly,
is describing the magnitude of the responsibility camp staff members have. In the
sample resume included with this article,
I’ve presented contrasting descriptions of
the same job. Here are some additional
examples of the distinction between an
informal and a professional way of
describing camp jobs.
A program director has either
“Scheduled games and activities for
campers, and worked with staff to be sure
they covered everything” or “Orchestrated
a dynamic program of sports, arts, and
games for children ages 8 to 12, and
“Coordinated activity leadership, and conducted periodic staff and program safety
audits.” Same job; different description.
A front-line camp counselor has
either “Got kids from one activity to
another, and made sure the kids weren’t
bullying each other” or “Led children and
teens through a creative sequence of
challenging activities” and “Responded
decisively to misbehavior and social
conflict by implementing collaborative
problem-solving, logical consequences,
and one-on-one counseling.” Which will
spark the interest of a future employer?
An activity specialist has either “Run
girls’ archery most of the day, swept the
equipment house, and re-fletched broken
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WRITING CAMP JOBS ON A RESUME
Consider the following sample résumé entries that describe a camp job. Note the format,
writing style, and content of each entry. What do you notice when you compare the weak
and strong entries?
weak | This summer and last summer I was a camp counselor at Camp Chinook, which is some
where in New Hampshire. These were the summers of 2010 and 2011. It was a fun
experience because I love working with kids and I had a lot of free time.
strong | Cabin Leader—Camp Chinook—summer 2010, 2011
Coordinated activities and supervised ten 9- and 10-year-old boys at a traditional overnight
camp on Lake Winniper, NH. Designed and led adventure programs on a 26-element lowropes course.
weak | Camp Counselor Worked really hard with some other college-age girls at an all-girls
camp in Maine (also known as Vacationland). Lerned a lot about woking with kids and
deligating responsability and working as part of a team and the importance of sleep.
strong | Division Leader—Camp Placid—summer 2010, 2011
Collaborated with a team of six peers to implement safe and exciting individual and group
activities during four two-week sessions at a traditional girls’ overnight camp in New
England. Responded rapidly to parents’ concerns with telephone calls and emails.
Completed end-of-summer evaluations for divisional staff.
weak | WD:—Worked at a camp waterfront and did lifeguarding, taught swimming, and helped
with the sailing program. Made schedule for teaching and lifeguarding for other staff.
Maintained sailing fleet
strong | Waterfront Director—Camp Jonah—summer 2009-2011
Managed a 36-member aquatic team who instructed a full range of waterfront activities
at a coeducational day camp. Trained staff to assess risks and respond to emergencies
along a 1,500-foot shorefront. Coordinated and performed daily maintenance on a fleet of
24 J-class racing sailboats.
weak | Besserer Head—this summer—24/7
Hired as head of the Besserer Division and lived in Cabin Y (Skunk Band). Got to choose
Sunday Special, as well as, which mountain to climb on mountain day.
strong | Division Head—YMCA Camp Trout—summer 2009-2011
Led a group of five experienced cabin leaders and three leaders-in-training for a division
of 56 campers during four successive two-week camp sessions. Designed unique special
events co-led by older campers.
Strong résumé entries use action verbs, the active voice, and emphasize responsibility, creativity, initiative, innovation,
and consistency. Descriptions show evidence of leadership, management, and personnel skills. Misspellings and poor punctuation automatically disqualify you for most positions. (Forget about spelling ability…Who wants to hire someone who can’t
even use a spell-checker?)
Strong résumés also have attractive, easy-to-read formatting, without overdoing it. The overall look of the résumé
should convey a sense of professionalism and seriousness of purpose. Have a colleague proof it and give you feedback.
Always use a high-quality printer and off-white bond paper with a minimum of 25-percent cotton content. To distribute your
résumé, use online services such as Monster.com (posting PDFs) in addition to regular mail.
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arrows” or “Supervised the progressive
instruction of target archery and range
safety for girls ages 10 to 14, and “Actively
maintained a clean and safe collection of
recurve bows and cedar arrows for period
use and inter-camp competitions.”
Which sounds more impressive?
A Real Job
No responsibility rivals that of caring
for children. If staff members have fulfilled
this responsibility successfully, they should
be able to communicate that success
clearly. Indeed, resumes, cover letters, and
interviews should convey professionalism
so clearly that they eclipse the distorted,
pop-culture image of summer camp.
When I graduated from college and
continued working summers as the waterfront director at YMCA Camp Belknap,
I was often asked, “When are you going to
get a real job?” As if preventing drowning,
treating homesickness, and teaching
swimming and sailing were not real.
Almost as irksome were my camp
colleagues, who kept making a distinction
between “the camp world” and “the real
world.” As if camp were imaginary.
How can staff members present
themselves as youth-development professionals if they believe they do trivial jobs
in a make-believe world? Wake up, camp
staff! You must first take yourselves
seriously if you want others to take you
seriously. You are leaders and youthdevelopment professionals, but no one
will ever know that unless you present
yourself professionally. And if you must
make a distinction, please have it be
between “the camp world” and “the
outside world.” Both are real; one just
has far less violence, strife, and cruelty.
I decisively silenced the doubters in
my circle of friends and family by authoring research papers and a book about
camp. Somehow, peer-reviewed publications made my commitment to camping
unambiguous. What about front-line
camp staff? Well, whether the members
stay in camping or apply their skills
elsewhere, all staff must ensure that
their most scrutinized publication—their
resume—also passes muster. And each
must be ready to answer “When are you
going to get a real job?” with the solemn
and inspiring retort: “I change kids’ lives.
It doesn’t get any more real than that.” CB
Dr. Christopher Thurber is a board-certified
clinical psychologist, father, and educator.
He co-wrote the Summer Camp Handbook and
co-founded ExpertOnlineTraining.com, a source of
video training modules for camp staff. Chris also
created a DVD-CD set called The Secret
Ingredients of Summer Camp Success, which
reportedly lowers the intensity of first-year
campers’ homesickness by 50 percent. He can be
reached at chris@campspirit.com or follow him
@drchristhurber.
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ENTER READER SERVICE #26
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