How to build a professional school counselor resume?
As a school counselor, you help maximize student success in a vast array of ways. Your deep knowledge of academic achievement strategies and your impartiality are great prerequisites for you to land a top-notch school counselor job.
It is a demanding role, as much as it is rewarding. In the end, you guide students on how to realize and reach their full potential. No wonder it’s a vital role for any school. And to convince a hiring manager that you were born for the position, you will certainly need to craft a jaw-dropping resume.
In this ultimate guide you will learn about individual school counselor resume sections and how to nail them.
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1. How to market yourself with an appealing school counselor professional profile?
Your professional profile, also called a resume summary, is a brief statement that should comprise your key work experience, strengths and your noteworthy skills as a school counselor.
It may not be an easy task, especially if you take into account that it should be no longer than 5 lines.
Lucky for you, we have some handy tips on how to make your professional profile work:
- Start with powerful adjectives describing yourself as a professional: dependable, self-driven, highly motivated, enthusiastic, etc.
- Introduce your key role relevant to the job posting.
- Present your best achievements in your role. Don’t be shy to use numbers that will make your accomplishments more tangible.
- Mention your exceptional skills.
- Use keywords from the job ad in question.
School counselor professional profile example
Knowledgeable and empathetic Student Counselor, adept at preparing students for university studies, providing beneficial advice and support with college choice and admissions process, and representing the school on various social events. Prepared more than 120 students for university entrance exams and applications every year. Possessing extensive leadership skills, great communication skills, and significant teamwork abilities.
2. How to select the best hard and soft skills for your school counselor resume?
To show the ropes to others, you need to know the ropes. Your skills section is a brilliant place for you to prove that not only are you a technically savvy professional, but you’re also a people person.
In order to choose the right hard and soft skills, always refer to the job offer, and mention first those skills of yours that your prospective employer states in the ad.
The best hard skills to put on your school counselor resume
- Student counseling
- Student assessment
- Student placement
- Career counseling
- Mental health counseling
- Curriculum development
- Knowledge of local, state, and federal laws
- Crisis intervention
- Grief management
- Special Education
- Psychotherapy
- Educational Leadership
- Scheduling
- MS Office
- Web proficiency
Effective school counselor soft skills for your CV
- Outstanding oral and written communication
- Organization
- Active listening
- Analytical thinking
- Problem solving
- Teamwork skills
- Decision making
- Leadership skills
- Patience
- Emotional intelligence
- Flexibility
- Creativity
- Cultural competence
3. How to craft an eye-catching school counselor work experience section?
Make your school counselor work experience section stand out with the following tips:
- Brainstorm your biggest accomplishments in your past roles as a school counselor and organize them reverse-chronologically into bulleted lists that are easy to read and easy to navigate.
- Complement them with numbers whenever you can. Whether it’s the number of students counseled, workshop organized or seminars delivered, quantifying your accomplishments is one of the most effective tactics to get a hiring manager’s attention, and prove you are the best candidate for the job.
- Remember to use keywords from a specific job posting linking them with your achievements.
- Include impactful verbs, such as organized, monitored, delivered, managed, etc.
School counselor work experience section example
International School of Paris, Paris, France
Student Counselor
2017-2019
- Communicated with students and provided beneficial advice on college choice and admissions process.
- Prepared more than 120 students for university entrance exams and applications every year.
- Organized and was in charge of a variety of events; contacted families regarding course progress.
- Delivered 5+ seminars on coping with stress.
- Managed extracurricular activities and resolved any students' academic problems.
- Ranked by students as a #1 School Employee.
4. How to effectively list education in your school counselor CV?
Your prospective employer may expect you to have at least a bachelor’s degree in counseling, psychology, or a related subject. Even if your field is not exactly what is required but you gained relevant certifications in the field, make sure to mention them — ideally in a separate section.
To spice-up your education section, you may state your relevant coursework, areas of interest or achievements you gained during your studies.
School counselor education section example
Grenoble Ecole de Management, Grenoble, France
BA in School Counseling
2010-2014
- Areas of interest: Human Development, Counseling Ethics
- First Class Honors
- Clubs and Societies: Marketing Society, Psychology Society, Tennis Club
5. How to choose the best format for your school counselor resume?
The format you select for your resume speaks a lot about your organizational skills and ability to attract attention to desired sections.
Show your prospective employer that you can effectively design an easy-to-read resume that will catch any hiring manager’s attention in a trice:
- Set one-inch margins on all sides.
- If you’re a seasoned school counselor with a lot of previous experience, you may want to opt for a two-column layout. It will help you distribute your resume sections wisely without exceeding 2 pages.
- Use negative space between individual sections, granting your resume breathing room.
- Avoid using stylish fonts or flashy graphics. Make it simple and don’t take a hiring manager’s attention away from the content.
Choose your preferred template and make your resume shine.