Wilderness Guide Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Wilderness Guide resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Wilderness guides are responsible for planning and leading trips in remote, rugged areas. They help groups navigate unfamiliar territory, identify wildlife and natural phenomena, and learn about the area’s history and ecology. They also teach outdoor skills like hiking, camping, and survival skills, and help people enjoy their time in the wilderness.
If you love spending time outdoors, have great people skills, and are passionate about nature and exploring new places, becoming a wilderness guide could be the perfect career choice for you. Here are some tips and an example resume to help you write a compelling wilderness guide resume that will get employers excited about hiring you.
How to Write a Wilderness Guide Resume
Here’s how to write a resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most effective way to showcase your experience and qualifications. But rather than simply listing your responsibilities, you can make your resume much more interesting by using bullet points to describe specific examples of your work.
For example, rather than saying you “provided wilderness therapy to clients,” you could say that you “provided wilderness therapy to group of 10 adolescent boys, helping them overcome trauma and develop new coping skills after experiencing traumatic event.”
Notice how the second bullet point is much more specific and provides more detail about what exactly you did and the results of your work.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a wilderness guide position, your resume is likely to go through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This system will scan your resume for specific keywords related to the job. If you don’t have the right keywords on your resume, the ATS might not rank your application as a top candidate.
The best way to find the right keywords is to read through the job posting and take note of the terms that are used most frequently. Then, use those same terms on your resume. Here are a few examples:
- Wilderness First Aid
- Outdoor Recreation
- Guiding
- Camping
- Hiking
- Backpacking
- CPR Certified
- Rescue
- Public Speaking
- Tourism
- Event Planning
- Climbing
- First Aid
- Event Management
- Emergency Management
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Food Safety
- St. John Ambulance
- Leadership
- Land Navigation
- Expedition
- Canoeing
- Wildland Firefighting
- Search and Rescue
- Outdoor Education
- Environmental Education
- Outdoor Leadership
- Rescue Dog
- Community Outreach
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a wilderness guide, you need to be proficient in a variety of skills in order to effectively do your job. This might include first aid, navigation, and Leave No Trace principles. You should also be familiar with the area you’ll be guiding in, as well as any relevant regulations. Additionally, it’s important to be comfortable with using technology, as you might need to use GPS devices or other navigational tools.