Workamping Tips

We got some great workamping tips after were able to interview the manager at our last campground job and there is some real gold in this interview from the perspective of the employer. They had worked very hard at selecting their workcamping team, and they looked at over 5000 applications. Here are some of the thoughts that they had, and what they are looking for:

Workamping Tips for Preparing the Resume

These workamping tips are all about the workamper resume, which is completely different from any you may have seen or written before. This workamper resume focuses only on skills that the campground manager can use to operate the campground or other business using workampers. You are not applying for a career position. It is a part-time seasonal position. It is extremely important to remember that when preparing a workamping resume. The workamping tips below come right out of the mouths of hiring managers.

• Demonstrate good people skills. This will help catch the eye of the manager.
• Because managers have so many resumes to look at, it’s good to have a bullet list of your skills and the talents that you have. It makes it a whole lot easier for the manager to pull out your resume and look it over.
• Don’t forget: if you are looking for an office job and have a lot of spelling errors, it will not help you. Use spell check.
• If you use the phrase “open to all possibilities” then make sure you are. It will get you through the first group of reviews.
• The average manager will look at thousands of resumes every year – you will want yours to jump out at him or her.
• If you are looking for a paid position, do not apply where pay is not being offered. It is a waste of time for you and for the manager.
• Read the posting and make sure it offers everything that you are looking for. Don’t throw out your resume to the world hoping that if you don’t get a paying job, you will take one that doesn’t. It’s not fair to the hiring manager or to you.
• Employers are registered with workcamper.com and they can put in key words to bring up resumes that would fit the positions that they have available. Use the words that are in the posting for this reason.
• Keep your resume up to date. Revise it every six months to be sure it is current. There is nothing more frustrating than having to look at a resume that is 10 years old.
• If you are looking for a job in the northwest, put that in there so those campgrounds looking for workers will know that you will be a good fit.
• Be honest about your physical abilities; if you are unable to do outside work anymore, learn how to do office work. There is no reason a man can’t work in the office or a woman can’t do maintenance work.
• Make sure the pictures on your resume are up to date.Workamper.com offers a class to help you write a resume.
• Remember, this is not a regular job; it is a seasonal part-time job, not a career.
• If you need to make money, be sure to express this up front.
• Make all your desires known. You might not get everything you want, but ask.
• Do not print your resume in blue text. It is hard on the eyes.
• Put info the employer wants up front. These are the things specified in the ad posting.
• Keep it short; 1 page is more than adequate.
• Give them something to remember. A short memorable story about you will be remembered years later.
• Campground managers look though a lot of resumes and the first important thing is the introduction to your resume. Make it eye catching, not just: “we are John and Kathy”, but “we are full of life, and we are friendly and outgoing. We are people persons.”
• Don’t concentrate on what you did before you retired unless it would pertain to the job you are applying for at the campground.
• If you have workamped before, put that at the top of the resume.
• Did you work with a specific campground reservation system? Which one?
• Specify if you have a special skill such as builder, office work, electrician, or anything that will pertain to the position you are applying for.
• You should bold the specific skills you have such as campground master, or CPO certificate.

After You are Offered a Job…

These workamping tips also came from our campground manager interview.

• They expect you to be both on time and who you have claimed to be. If you said you know Campground Master and you don’t, then you have lied.
• You are not the only new employee. There may be as many as 200 or as few as 2 and everyone needs to be brought up to speed on all the systems and how that particular campground uses them.
• Download the reservation program used in the campground and practice if it has been a while since you have used it. Then you can relax and enjoy the experience.
• Once you have been hired, change your status to not available until the next season if you use the Awesome Applicants feature at Workamper.com.
• Get a commitment from the employer as to the particulars of the work in writing, and give a written commitment back to the employer. This is called a Workamping Letter of Understanding. Click for a sample.
• Don’t take the first job that comes along just to have a job. You will most likely be disappointed.

A Few More Workamping Tips

These are some more workamping tips to help you land the job of your dreams.

• If you are looking for work, talk with the manager at the park you are interested in, and talk with the other workampers. Network and talk to people.
• If you need experience, go to the park during the off season. The managers will have time to work with you, and you will have time to learn and become an asset to the campground. 
• Work on the cleaning crew and take an hour or two on your own time to learn how to work in the office.
• Understand the area you are going to. If fly fishing is your thing, don’t apply for a job in Arizona where lakes and streams are scarce. If surfing is your thing, there are plenty of jobs near the California coast. Go where there are opportunities to enjoy your particular interest.

Here are some books on working on the road that might be helpful:

 There are many good articles on workamping in the Viewpoints section on the workamper.com website, although you must be a member to see them. Check out Workamper.com

These books are also loaded with workamping tips.

• Roadwork II: The RVers Ultimate Income Resource Guide by Arline Chandler
• Support Your RV Lifestyle! With CD by Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
• Work Your Way Across the USA by Nick Russell
• And of course our book “So, you want to be a workamper?” by John and Kathy Huggins