Camp Woodland Blog

At a skit during a recent staff meeting, 2 “applicants” interviewed for a marketing position at Jordan, Inc.  The first applicant had work experience as an intern at a prestigious law firm in DC, while the second applicant spent 3 summers as a counselor at Camp Woodland.

Here are the responses to the questions in the following categories the applicants gave when asked to comment on their experience and ability to take on this position.

COMMUNICATION:

Law firm intern: went around taking coffee orders from each partner in the law firm.

Woodland counselor:

• Articulated effectively with children, parents, coworkers, and leadership team.
• Demonstrated confidence to parents in a short period of time the capability to take care of their children.
• Corresponded in written form to parents regarding a camper’s adjustment, strengths, progress, and growth.
• Reported regularly to camp leadership camper observations/concerns and program plans for various activities/events.

PROBLEM SOLVING:

Law firm intern: was able to fix a jam in the copy machine while making copies of all briefs and proposals for a 100 person firm; took initiative to change the ink cartridge.

Woodland counselor:

• Managed normal conflicts between campers and help them work towards resolution.
• Developed creative alternate plans due to unexpected change in weather, scheduling, or equipment performance.

LEADERSHIP:

Law firm intern: led a group of interns who started a week later to show them the location of the nearest restroom.

Woodland counselor:

• Became a role model and “go-to person” for a community of campers.
• Anticipated the next step in various areas of camp life before it happened and became insightful about planning ahead.

TEAMWORK:

Law firm intern: arrived with a team of interns to the office at 8:00 am Monday-Friday.

Woodland counselor:

• Established camper expectations and maintained a partnership with co-counselor(s).
• Assisted campers to negotiate and compromise in order to accomplish a common goal in various cabin events.

CREATIVITY:

Law firm intern: made the decision to use milk from the vending machine when there was a shortage of creamer in the break room.

Woodland counselor:

• Able to come up with a game or activity at a moment’s notice for a group of 5 or 70 campers when original plans are disrupted.
• Changed words to a song and made up dance moves for an all-camp Song Contest performance.

Who would you want to hire – the intern or the camp counselor?  The choice seems pretty obvious to me!  If you are in a position to hire employees, don’t forget to inquire about a candidate’s camp experience – it is the best job training you could ever ask for!