School Counselor Resume Examples and Tips

School counselors provide support for students as they engage in academic and social activities, working in collaboration with the teachers, parents and medical practitioners. For this role, you should have excellent counseling, mentoring and leadership skills, along with the ability to interact with different kinds of personalities.

Build the right resume to help your school counselor career grow with the help of these expert tips and our resume examples:

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School Counselor Resume Example

Top 4 Characteristics of a Best-in-Class School Counselor Resume

  1. Summary In a few punchy sentences, explain your best professional traits, skills and work experiences. For example: “Reliable and resourceful school counselor with 8+ years of experience in guiding high school students in career development, academic achievement, and physical and mental health.” Notice how this summary statement includes key personal traits (reliability and resourcefulness) as well as a description of the job candidate’s particular expertise.
  2. Skills While creating your skills section, consult the job posting to understand the job’s key requirements, and then present appropriate skills that can fill those requirements. Present a mix of professional skills (e.g., grief counseling, counseling program development, student assessment, proficiency with specific software such as Hallways) and soft skills (e.g., analytical approach, strong interpersonal skills, organization skills, empathy).
  3. Work history Avoid overloading this section with everyday work duties — instead, focus on concrete and noteworthy accomplishments, using hard numbers and stats when possible. For example: “Analyzed student data and developed data-driven intervention program action plans for 500 junior-high students” or “Customized counseling programs to handle needs of specially-abled children that resulted in 23% decrease in crisis cases.”
  4. Education List your most advanced degree (e.g., bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant field like psychology), as well as related training or certifications, such as Technology Teaching Tools or membership in the American School Counselor Association (ASCA).

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Find the Right Template for your Resume

Give your resume the right “look” by using these employer-ready templates:

Accentuate

This dual-column design gives you plenty of room to elaborate on your skills. The layout is topped with an understated yet colorful header for a professional touch.

Qualified

This template is streamlined yet polished, making it suitable for almost any job. Color dot graphics in the contact information section add a touch of personality.

Centered

This layout utilizes a strong, large font for the job applicant’s name, and focuses readers’ attention on the summary thanks to judicious use of dotted lines.

For even more free templates, see our free resume templates section.

Do’s and Don’ts for Your Resume

  • DO proofread your resume. Even if you have the best credentials, a single foolish typo or factual error can be your resume’s undoing. Thoroughly proofread your document before you send it in, and make sure your information is correct, and correctly presented. For extra help, use our Resume Builder to create your resume, and our tools will do the checking for you.
  • DO create different versions of your resume for different job applications. Your skills, experiences and summary should be the right fit for what the employer wants — which means that you should customize your resume for each job. For example, if the job focuses on supporting students’ social and emotional needs through one-on-one meetings, emphasize skills and job experiences that fit that requirement (e.g., singling out a previous job where you conducted one-on-one counseling sessions). Our article How to Create a Targeted Resume provides even more advice on tailoring your resume.
  • DO utilize your summary as a powerful “elevator pitch.” Imagine yourself in an elevator with a potential employer and being required to explain why you’re the right person for the job by the time you reach the employer’s floor. That is an “elevator pitch” in a nutshell — think of your summary in the same way. In a few brisk sentences, explain who you are, and what makes you the right match for the employer and job. For example: “Empathetic school counselor dedicated to creating comprehensive education plans. Experienced in using counseling skills to cultivate a stimulating environment for elementary school students.” For more summary statement tips, visit our page How to Write the Perfect Summary Section.
  • DON’T make your resume too long. Your resume should be two-pages long, at maximum. The longer your document, the greater the chance that employers will miss out on important information. To keep their interest, don’t clutter up your resume with unnecessary information that doesn’t specifically relate to the job you want, limit your work history to the last 10 years, emphasize notable accomplishments rather than mundane responsibilities, and use concise bullet points and phrases instead of long-winded sentences.
  • DON’T forget to describe your work history using quantifiable terms. Presenting your work achievements with numbers and stats will give potential employers a better idea of your accomplishments and capabilities. For example, writing “cut down on student conflicts by introducing anti-bullying campaign” is nice, but writing “Reduced student fighting incidents by 33% by introducing anti-bullying campaign” leaves a stronger impression.
  • DON’T get too cute with your resume design. Your resume should be a professional document — and a professional document shouldn’t be overloaded with unusual resume fonts and graphics. Don’t risk confusing employers, or worse yet, the software employers often use to scan resumes. Opt for a free resume template for your resume, and focus your attention on having the right information in your document, rather than getting wrapped up in visual flourishes.