Ways to Get Credit for Your Summer Camp Job

By L. Roberts on August 23, 2017

As summer comes to a close and classes are upon us, you’re looking for ways to remind future employers, teachers, scholarship committees, and peers that you had an eventful summer where you learned something useful. How do you make your summer camp experience matter? 

There are two ways to go about this: putting it on your resume, which you should absolutely do, and mentioning your experience in an interview, which you should also absolutely do. Both of these will make you feel like you spent your summer doing something meaningful and it’ll get you some well-deserved pats on the back.

Putting it on your resume

One of the easiest ways to make your summer camp job matter is to put it on your resume. Use action words to describe the duties you held during your time there. Make sure to include the age groups you worked with and any responsibilities that can speak for your character.

Confused about how to make it work? Here’s an example of a way to include your summer camp job experience on your resume:

Such and Such Summer Camp 

Camp Counselor: May-July 2017

•Organized camp games, such as …

•Supervised ten 7 to 12-year-olds to ensure a safe learning environment

•Encouraged developmentally appropriate activities throughout the week, such as …

•Kept in constant communication with parents/guardians

•Communicated with other staff and management to keep camp running smoothly

Talking about it in an interview

At any opportunity, bring up that you worked hard over the summer. Interviews are a good way to make your experience mean something. Plus, you’ll have a leg-up over all the people who didn’t work over the summer.

Wondering what questions you might get asked? Wondering how to highlight your experience specifically? Here are some options (both the questions and answers; you’re welcome):

Q: “How have you demonstrated your strengths in a recent work environment?”

A: Over the past summer, working at Such and Such Camp was a huge opportunity for me to show my strengths: communication and organization. Keeping the kids on a schedule, as well as being able to communicate effectively with my boss, made me a huge asset to the camp staff.

Q: “What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?”

A: When I’m not in school, during the summer, I enjoy spending time with kids, as I have been employed at Camp Such and Such. I don’t see the summers as an opportunity to “take a break,” as I enjoy interacting with children and having a structured work environment.

Q: “What work experiences do you have that would make you an asset to this company?”

A: Being a part of a camp staff teaches you to be incredibly flexible. Working with children isn’t predictable at all, so I’m always ready for the next curve ball.

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How will working at a summer camp help you in future jobs?

Communication, organization, supervision, and working on the fly are all valuable working skills that you can learn at a summer camp. Regardless of what your summer camp working experience was or has been, it’ll be a valuable part of your resume for any job. You just have to know how to spin your experience the right way.

Meanwhile …

Make the most of your summer job by following these tips:

1. Learn the basics

You won’t be working at a camp for all of your life. I mean, probably not. So while you’re there, work on your people skills or your kid skills. You’ll want to be able to spin this in multiple ways once the summer is over and you’re interviewing/sending your resume all over God’s creation.

2. Make good connections

These are the people who know you’ve been working hard all summer. You want them to have great things to say about you. Make connections that you can keep for later on in life. That in and of itself will make the entire summer worth it.

When you come into work every day, work like it’s your very first day and you’re there to make an impression. Your boss will appreciate the constant effort you’re putting into your job … which ends with a stellar recommendation to wherever you may need one.

3. Stock up some savings

Use this job to pile up some money in the bank. Not that you shouldn’t do fun things all summer, but this summer camp job will matter even more if you go back to school with a few hundred dollars to spare. Talk about lowering your stress level from the get-go …

Staying motivated for an entire summer while working at a camp is hard. You’re going to get cabin fever. No pun intended. If you keep showing up, ready to work, and willing to do your best, chances are, that summer job is going to get you a lot further than you intended. Work on yourself. Pick one thing you want to improve about yourself every week. By the end of the summer, you’ll be happy with the changes you’ve made.

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