Residential Counselor Resume Examples & Templates
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Residential counselors work at dorms, shelters, summer camps, group homes, rehabilitation centers or residential care facilities, providing therapeutic care and counseling to residents while supervising day-to-day needs such as housekeeping and meal preparation. This position focuses on emotional support and companionship and requires flexibility, empathy, compassion, emotional intelligence and excellent interpersonal skills.
Use our resume examples and expert tips below to create a resume that moves you forward in a residential counselor career:
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Residential counselor example (text version)
Name: WENDY LIN
Address: City, State, Zip Code
Phone: 000-000-0000
E-Mail: email@email.com
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Hardworking and tactful Resident Counselor with a several year track record of success in building great rapport with each resident through frequent interactions. Approachable, open and self-motivated. Well-versed in developing sense of community among students.
SKILLS
- Counseling
- Residential support
- Case Management
- Documentation
- Moral conduct
- First-Aid knowledge
- Mental health
- Student advisory
WORK HISTORY
Resident Counselor
02/2017 to Current
Company Name, City, State
- Created and implemented social, educational and recreational programs for residents.
- Developed rapport to create safe and trusting environment for care.
- Attended, participated and contributed to monthly staff meetings addressing resident needs.
Mental Health Associate
03/2012 to 04/2015
Company Name, City, State
- Developed and optimized treatment plans to help clients continue to progress.
- Educated family members and helped each support clients by improving coping techniques.
- Helped clients deal with substance abuse, mental illness and other concerns by delivering personalized counseling support.
Teaching Assistant
07/2008 to 11/2011
Company Name, City, State
- Delivered personalized educational, behavioral and emotional support to individual students to enable positive learning outcomes.
- Supported student learning objectives through personalized and small group assistance.
- Supported instructor with test administration, curriculum development and assignment grading.
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science, Educational Development
City, State
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Residential Counselor Resume FAQ
1. What skills should be emphasized for a residential counselor job?
| Technical skills: | Soft skills: |
| Case management | Organizational ability |
| Crisis intervention | Team leadership |
| Program planning | Public speaking |
| Indirect student services | Compassionate |
| Knowledge of therapy and counseling practices | Empathetic |
| Career development | Verbal and written communication |
| Academic development | Problem-solving |
| Knowledge of confidentiality guidelines | Multitasking |
| Referrals and networking | Time management |
| Preparing reports | Analytical skills |
| Computer proficiency | Active listener |
| Data analysis | Patient |
| Clinical knowledge | Honest and reliable |
| Administrative skills | Supportive |
| Resident assessment and analysis | Decision-making |
| Flexibility | |
| Disciplined | |
| Friendly demeanor | |
| Encouraging | |
| Performs well under pressure |
| Practical skills: |
| Case management |
| Crisis intervention |
| Program planning |
| Indirect student services |
| Knowledge of therapy and counseling practices |
| Career development |
| Academic development |
| Knowledge of confidentiality guidelines |
| Referrals and networking |
| Preparing reports |
| Computer proficiency |
| Data analysis |
| Clinical knowledge |
| Administrative skills |
| Resident assessment and analysis |
| Soft skills: |
| Organizational ability |
| Team leadership |
| Public speaking |
| Compassionate |
| Empathetic |
| Verbal and written communication |
| Problem-solving |
| Multitasking |
| Time management |
| Analytical skills |
| Active listener |
| Patient |
| Honest and reliable |
| Supportive |
| Decision-making |
| Flexibility |
| Disciplined |
| Friendly demeanor |
| Encouraging |
| Performs well under pressure |
2. What’s the best format for my resume?
Your format, or how your resume is organized, will depend on your particular experiences and skills. Use the chronological resume format if you have an extensive work history, as this layout highlights your career and work accomplishments. If you want to highlight important skills along with work experience, use a combination resume format, as it presents a balanced mix of relevant skills and work history. If you’re new to this field and want to feature important job-specific skills, a functional resume format can be helpful.
For more details about resume formatting, visit our resume format page.
3. How should I craft my resume to take the next step forward in my career?
Update your resume in areas such as the following:
- Gain advanced degree, training or certification in areas such as counseling, education, psychology or case management.
- Showcase work achievements where you successfully handled crisis management and other major priorities.
- Show examples of your ability to excel in different settings (e.g., colleges, group homes or other facilities).
4. How can I tailor my resume for the job?
Optimizing your resume for the job is crucial — not just to get it to employers, but to pass the applicant tracking systems (ATS) employers use to screen resumes, based on keywords. Analyze the job description and pick out key phrases such as “efficient communication” or “crisis management,” and feature skills and experiences in your resume that match up with these phrases. For example, you could describe a previous work responsibility such as “Identified and managed emergency situations” to highlight your crisis management skills.
5. Should I include references in my resume?
While it’s important to know people who can vouch for your ability and previous experience, you don’t need to list them on your resume. Use the space to highlight your own skills and accomplishments, and leave references for a separate list. Employers will let you know if they need you to submit your references to them.
Do’s and Don’ts for Your Resume
- DO emphasize soft skills. Residential counselors make an impact by using soft skills to relate to students and residents — make sure you feature skills such as leadership, organization, emotional intelligence, time management and conflict resolution prominently in your resume. Also show how you’ve used these skills in previous jobs. For example: “Used caring, attentive approach to identify and resolve resident problems, needs and issues.”
- DO quantify your work achievements. Give your accomplishments more weight by describing them using statistics and metrics. “Managed social activities and guest speaker events for students” doesn’t tell employers much about your capabilities. On the other hand, writing “Managed 12 social activities and guest speaker events per semester for 150+ student dorm” certainly does.
- DO be specific about your accomplishments. Anyone can say they have counseling experience in their resume, or worked in a residential setting. To truly stand out, explain what makes your previous responsibilities and achievements special. As mentioned above, use numbers and metrics to give employers a good idea of what you can do. Single out achievements that are difficult to attain, such as receiving recognition for your work (e.g., “Voted Residential Counselor of the month by students, from a pool of 50 candidates”). Above all, feature accomplishments that answer the most important question: “Why should we hire you?”
- DON’T make your resume too long. A resume stuffed with irrelevant info or long-winded sentences won’t hold a hiring manager’s attention. Keep your phrases and bullet points short and sweet, and focus only on skills and work history that directly relates to the position you are applying for. Shoot for a resume that’s two pages long at most.
- DON’T forget to use strong action verbs. Instead of using passive phrases like “was responsible for” when describing your work accomplishments, use strong action verbs which characterize you as a take-charge, proactive person, such as coordinated, implemented, monitored, supervised, delivered, maintained, developed, planned or established. For example, instead of writing “Tasked with handling extracurricular and recreational activities,” write “Supervised extracurricular and recreational activities.”
- DON’T forget to proofread your resume. Don’t ruin your chances for a job by letting a silly typo or grammar error mess up your resume. Review your document a few times, clean up mistakes, and make extra-sure that the information you’re providing is up to date and accurate. You can also use our Resume Builder, which has built-in tools to help spot errors.
Top 4 Characteristics of a Best-in-Class Residential Counselor Resume
Summary
In the few short sentences of your summary statement, provide a rundown of your best skills and work accomplishments, presenting evidence for why you’re the ideal candidate for the job. For example: “Dedicated and passionate Residential Counselor with comprehensive experience in individualized activities and behavioral assessments,” or “Compassionate Residential Counselor well-versed in helping residents navigate social and interpersonal problems in assisted-living settings.”
Skills
Split this section into two categories: practical skills such as crisis management, program planning and case management, and soft skills such as organizational abilities, active listening problem-solving, multitasking and a compassionate attitude.
Work History
Stick to work accomplishments that directly address what the specific employer is looking for, with three to five bullet points for each previous job. For example: “Counseled 50+ students on weekly basis to identify and resolve social issues.” As a general rule of thumb, only refer to work you’ve done within the last 10 years.
Education
List any academic credentials you have in important areas such as psychology, social work or human services, as well as any advanced courses, certificates, or training programs you’ve undertaken that show you’ve made the effort to broaden your knowledge and skills, e.g., Certified Residential Counselor Core Training (CRCCT).
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Residential Counselor Resume Example
Nilda Melissa is a Certified Professional Resume Writer who has written for The Washington Post and Latina Style Magazine. She has a master's in Journalism from Columbia University and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
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