Parks And Recreation Director Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Parks And Recreation Director resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Parks and recreation directors are responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of their parks department. They oversee the planning and construction of new parks and facilities, manage existing parks and facilities, and oversee the staff that work within the parks department.
Because parks and recreation directors are responsible for the overall health and wellness of their communities, they need to have a solid understanding of community wellness programs and services. They also need to know how to manage budgets, so it’s important to have strong financial management skills. And because parks directors oversee staff members, they need to be great managers with strong people skills.
Here are some tips and an example to help you write a compelling parks and recreation director resume that hiring managers will love.
How to Write a Parks And Recreation Director Resume
Here’s how to write a resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
The best way to make your resume stand out is to use strong action verbs. And the best way to do that is to focus on the results of your work. So rather than saying you “managed staff,” you could say that you “increased staff productivity by 15% in six months, resulting in a $2 million increase in annual revenue.”
The second bullet point is much more powerful because it provides specific numbers and details about how you contributed to the organization.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a job as a parks and recreation director, your resume is likely to go through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This program will scan your resume for specific keywords related to the job. If your resume doesn’t include enough relevant keywords, the ATS might automatically reject your application.
One way to make sure you have enough keywords on your resume is to use a keyword search tool like the one below. Simply enter some of the most commonly used parks and recreation director keywords into the box and the tool will generate a list of other terms that are relevant to the role.
- Parks & Recreation
- Recreation
- Sports
- Sports Management
- Recreation Therapy
- Program Development
- Sports Coaching
- Event Management
- Park Management
- Athletics
- Community Outreach
- Public Speaking
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Fundraising
- Team Building
- Leadership Development
- Community Development
- Event Planning
- Tourism
- Aquatics
- Program Evaluation
- Coaching
- Program Coordination
- Facility Management (FM)
- Contract Negotiation
- Customer Service
- Teamwork
- Strategic Planning
- Community Services
- Public Sector
Showcase Your Technical Skills
Parks and recreation directors need to be proficient in a variety of software programs in order to effectively manage their work. Programs like Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Suite (Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar), and social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter are all commonly used by parks and recreation directors. Additionally, parks and recreation directors may be called on to use specific software programs relevant to their industry, so it’s important to be familiar with as many programs as possible.