- Can you describe your steps for developing camp activities? …
- Unexpected rain interferes with a scheduled outdoor activity. …
- How do you ensure that campers get quality meals whilst remaining within budget? …
- A camper experiences breathing difficulties after a bee sting.
When attending an interview, candidates can expect a few standard questions. Often, hiring managers will supplement those general questions with queries specific to the position. Camp counselors, in particular, should expect questions related to their experience working with children and other related skills. In this article, we explain which questions camp counselor candidates should prepare for when interviewing.
The Camp Director interview! (Tips and advice)
Interview questions with sample answers
Review these common questions with explanations and answers to help you prepare for your next camp counselor interview:
Describe a time you had to step up and be a leader.
Camp counselors must show their leadership to the campers, other counselors and parents. Hiring managers want to know that youre able to lead appropriately when necessary, offering clear guidance and kind support to those who need it. Describe a specific example in which you took control of a challenging situation to show youre able to lead.
Example: “In my sophomore year of college, I was working on a group project for my geology class. In our first group meeting, everyone bickered about who should do what and how to structure our project. In the next meeting, I established roles for everyone in the group and assigned clear expectations. I ran every meeting we had until we turned our project in. We ended up getting an A on our assignment.”
Jobs similar to a camp counselor
If youre interested in becoming a camp counselor or pursuing a different summer job, heres a list of 10 interesting jobs to consider:
1. Lifeguard
2. Tour guide
3. Dog walker
4. Golf caddie
5. Food server
6. Swim instructor
7. Pool supervisor
8. Sales representative
9. Summer camp director
10. Summer school teacher
Example: “I think one of the most important things about summer camp is giving kids an opportunity to try new things. I always make sure there are plenty of opportunities for campers to learn new skills and experience different types of activities. For example, last year we started a skateboarding program where campers learned basic skateboarding techniques and tricks. The campers loved learning these new skills and were able to show off their new abilities at our end-of-summer showcase.”
This question can help the interviewer get a better idea of your leadership skills and how you plan activities for campers. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention some specific programs or activities that you have implemented in the past and what impact they had on the campers.
To become a summer camp director, you will likely need to go through an interview process. During your interview, you will likely be asked a variety of questions about your experience working with children, your leadership experience, and your ability to handle difficult situations.
Example: “I once had a parent who was upset because their child didn’t make the basketball team. I explained that we only had one team, so not everyone could be on it. However, I offered to let the child play in an after-school practice session where they could learn some basic skills. The parent agreed, and the camper learned more about the sport while also making friends.”
Example: “In my last role as summer camp director, I was responsible for creating a budget each year before we started our registration period. I would start by researching what other camps in our area charged for their programs and services. Then, I would create a spreadsheet of all of our expenses and revenue sources so that I could determine how much money we needed to raise through registration fees to cover our costs. We were able to stay within our budget every year.”
If asked this question, be honest and specific about your future goals, but consider this: A hiring manager wants to know ☛ a) if youve set realistic expectations for your career, ☛ b) if you have ambition (a.k.a., this interview isnt the first time youre considering the question), and ☛ c) if the position aligns with your goals and growth. Your best bet is to think realistically about where this position could take you and answer along those lines. And if the position isnt necessarily a one-way ticket to your aspirations? Its OK to say that youre not quite sure what the future holds, but that you see this experience playing an important role in helping you make that decision.
Two things businesses need to pay attention to in their industries are what their competition is doing and the customers. You may not always agree with your competitors but it is important to be aware of what changes they are making. Very well. I have been in the industry for over 6 years.
Bad Answer: They dont have a good reason, or provide a generic answer, “I think it represents a great opportunity.” Good answer: One that shows theyve done research on the company, and are truly excited about specific things they can do at the job. This not only shows enthusiasm for the work and basic preparation skills, gives you clues about the cultural fit.
I used to lock heads with a fellows. We disagreed over a lot of things – from the care of civilians to who got what shifts to how to speak with a victims family. Our personalities just didnt mesh. After three months of arguing, I pulled her aside and asked her to lunch. At lunch, we talked about our differences and why we werent getting along. It turns out, it was all about communication. We communicated differently and once we knew that, we began to work well together. I really believe that talking a problem through with someone can help solve any issue.
Any candidate can read and regurgitate the companys “About” page. So, when interviewers ask this, they arent necessarily trying to gauge whether you understand the mission-they want to know whether you care about it. Start with one line that shows you understand the companys goals, using a couple key words and phrases from the website, but then go on to make it personal. Say, “Im personally drawn to this mission because…” or “I really believe in this approach because…” and share a personal example or two.
Raymond (not his real name) is an experienced camp director on the East Coast. When it comes to interviewing staff, Raymond feels especially confident about his ability to “sniff out the good ones.” Raymond says of his interviewing strategy: “I like to get them into a spontaneous conversation and see what kind of a feeling I get. I watch for good eye contact, spontaneity, give-and-take, and other nonverbal signs of communication. With the guys I like to schmooze about baseball. It gets their guard down and shows me how they really relate to people. When Im talking with them I ask myself, how would this guy be with kids?”
Once you decide to go ahead with the interview, you need to prepare them for the competency-based questions to follow. Announce that you have a series of questions that are about the candidates experience. There are no right or wrong answers, and many people need to take a few minutes to think about their experience before they answer, and thats okay. Also mention that you will be taking a few notes as you go along to help you remember what the person says. Reassure your candidate that they will have time at the end of the process to ask any questions they might have about camp and the position for which they are applying. Then you are ready to move ahead!
Another objective of this first part of the interview is to establish whether the candidate has any preconceived ideas, feelings, or expectations about camp that might affect his or her performance. Remember that a candidate can just as easily have unrealistically high expectations about camp as they can have a bad taste in their mouth from a prior experience. In case you hear about a past camp experience that was negative, it is important to master the use of probing or follow-up questions, such as the following:
A camp director friend of mine once said that trying to predict what kind of a counselor someone might be based on a thirty- to sixty-minute interview is like “trying to figure out what a movie is about based on looking at just a few frames of the film.” What we are trying to divine from an interview is what someone will look like in the middle of a camp season working with other peoples children. Regardless of what “feeling” you get for a candidate, the question remains: How good a predictor is any answer to any question?
Another approach is to thank the candidate for her time (now about fifteen to twenty minutes into the process) and say that there are many other people you need to interview and that you will get back to them within a week to ten days. This approach works only if you actually send out a letter saying that you are sorry, but that all the positions they qualified for are full.
FAQ
What should I ask a camp director?
- What is this camp’s mission or philosophy? …
- What is the director’s background and experience? …
- What type of child is successful at this camp? …
- What kinds of programs does this camp offer? …
- What are the camp’s safety procedures? …
- How does this camp train staff?
What questions would a director ask in an interview?
- What do you know about our company and our industry?
- What is your management style?
- What are your strengths as a leader?
- What are your long-term career goals?
- Describe your process for organizing and completing projects.
- Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a conflict.
How do you prepare for a camp interview?
