School Counselor Resume Guide
Whether you’re a recent graduate or a seasoned school counselor looking for a new opportunity, crafting a strong, clear, and personalized school counselor resume can help you stand out in a competitive field. In this Soliant guide, hiring experts reveal what to include in your school counselor resume and how to make it shine, including a sample school counselor resume to help you get started!
What to Include in Your School Counselor Resume
Before you start working on your school counselor resume, it’s important to know which sections to cover and how to highlight the skills that make you a strong candidate. Here’s a breakdown of what to include:
- Contact Information: Start with the basics, including your full name, phone number, email address, location (City, State), and a LinkedIn profile or professional portfolio (optional).
- Professional Summary: This is your elevator pitch! Sum up your experience, strengths, traits, and anything else you think makes you a great fit for the role in 2–3 sentences.
- Licensure and Certifications: Clearly list your state licensure, any relevant credentials, and the date they were issued.
- Education: Include your degrees, institutions, and graduation years (if recent).
- Professional Experience: List your most recent roles first, including the job title, school/organization name, dates of employment, and 3–5 bullet points with specific responsibilities and accomplishments.
- Skills: Highlight both soft and hard skills relevant to school counseling, ideally in a bullet point or list format.
Tips for a Standout School Counselor Resume
Want your resume to rise to the top of the pile? Here are a few extra tips to help you make a strong first impression:
- Tailor it to the Job: Use keywords from the job description and highlight experience that aligns with the specific role or school setting.
- Use Action Verbs: When highlighting your responsibilities in previous roles, start bullet points with strong action verbs, like “achieved,” “enhanced,” “resolved,” “pioneered,” and “collaborated.”
- Focus on Outcomes: Use numbers to quantify your responsibilities or results (e.g., “Reduced behavioral referrals by 20% through SEL programming”).
- Keep it Clean and Easy to Read: Stick to a simple format with clear section headers, bullet points, and consistent spacing.
- Highlight hard and soft skills: While it’s important to note technology or programs you’re familiar with, don’t forget to showcase soft skills, like your ability to connect with students, collaborate with staff, and manage caseloads.
- Proofread, then proofread again: Double-check your resume for grammar and spelling errors and consider asking a friend or mentor to give it a review.
Sample School Counselor Resume
Below is a simple, easy-to-customize school counselor resume template to help you get started:
[Your Full Name]
[City, State] • [Phone Number] • [Email Address] • [LinkedIn Profile URL] (optional)
Professional Summary
Compassionate and student-focused school counselor with [X years] of experience supporting [elementary/middle/high school] students’ academic, emotional, and social development. Skilled in [list 2–3 core strengths like crisis intervention, SEL programming, or academic advising]. Passionate about fostering a safe, inclusive school environment that empowers every student to succeed.
Education
[Degree Title, e.g., M.Ed. in School Counseling]
[University Name], [City, State] — [Year]
[Bachelor’s Degree, e.g., B.A. in Psychology]
[University Name], [City, State] — [Year]
Professional Experience
[Job Title, e.g., School Counselor]
[School Name], [City, State] — [Start Date] to [End Date or Present]
- [Responsibility/accomplishment #1]
- [Responsibility/accomplishment #2]
- [Responsibility/accomplishment #3]
- [Responsibility/accomplishment #4]
Skills
- Student counseling (individual & group)
- Crisis intervention & response
- Conflict resolution & restorative practices
- Academic advising & career planning
- IEP/504 plan support
- Social-emotional learning (SEL)
- Collaboration with multidisciplinary teams
- [List relevant software: Google Workspace, PowerSchool, Naviance, etc.]
Licensure & Certifications
- [State] School Counselor Certification – [Year]
- [Any additional certifications, e.g., National Certified Counselor School (NCSC)] – [Year]
- [Optional: CPR/First Aid, Youth Mental Health First Aid, etc.]
Professional Development & Affiliations (optional)
- Member, American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
- [Any continuing education or certifications]
Ready to Send Your School Counselor Resume?
Once you’re ready to take the next step in your career journey, Soliant is ready to help you find a role that matches your skills, goals, and passion for supporting students. Explore Soliant’s school counselor opportunities today, and get ready to land a job where you can make a real difference!
