Guidance Counselor: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a guidance counselor?

The need for new staff can affect both your existing team and bottom line. A great guidance counselor can help you by:

• Assessing student performance in classrooms and identifying problems and advantages
• Engaging teachers, students and parents in any behavioral programs
• Assisting students with developing careers and educational plans after graduation

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance guidance counselor

Before drafting a job description, consider whether your organization would benefit more from a full-time or freelance guidance counselor.

Guidance counselors typically work exclusively for one school. As employers, schools require accountability and that their guidance counselors comply with established work schedules. Moreover, this traditional work arrangement allows schools to provide the necessary oversight to ensure their guidance counselors follow established rules, procedures and guidelines.

But as the freelance community grows, the role of the guidance counselor is evolving as well. Nontraditional educational organizations may find it convenient to contract with flexible freelance guidance counselors. Businesses that offer tutoring, college prep, career counseling and other related services may benefit from offering on-demand guidance counseling services. This arrangement may be helpful for both brick-and-mortar businesses and online providers.

What are the types of guidance counselors?

Guidance counselors are trained and educated in several subjects. They may specialize in specific areas or offer generalized educational and career counseling services. When you’re looking to fill a guidance counselor position, it’s helpful to learn more about the different services they provide and the types of guidance counselors available. Here are a few common categories:

• Middle school counselor: They help middle school adolescents with learning strategies, social skills and personal management techniques.
• High school counselor: These counselors play a traditional role in assisting high school students with determining their career goals and the educational requirements to attain them.
• Personal and social guidance counselors: They offer positive reinforcements and tools to help students competently navigate the high school experience.
• Collaborative school guidance counselors: The collaborative counselor advocates for students, the school, community resources and parents. They help their charges realize their potential, support their emotional well-being and achieve academic success.

Where to find guidance counselors

To find the right guidance counselor for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Search in-house. Your teachers or other staff may be looking for a new career challenge. Post your guidance counselor position internally to evaluate potential talent in this area. 
• Seek out industry referrals. Tap into the local educational network and invite referrals for qualified guidance counselors. 
• Use social media. Post your guidance counselor job opening on your organization’s social media accounts to expand your candidate search.
• Explore campus recruiting. Reach out to local colleges and universities to put out the word that you’re looking for guidance counselors. New graduates and alumni often use college job boards to find employment.
• Post your job online. Try posting your guidance counselor job on Indeed to find and attract quality guidance counselor candidates.

Skills to look for in a great Guidance Counselor

A great Guidance Counselor candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work
• Previous experience in a counseling role
• Secondary education experience
• Organizational and communicative skills
• Able to delegate to administrative support
• Problem-solving and conflict resolution

Writing a guidance counselor job description

A thoughtful description can help find qualified guidance counselor candidates. A guidance counselor job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your guidance counselor job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting . These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on guidance counselor jobs, according to Indeed data:

• School counselor
• Guidance counselor
• Counselor
• Education
• Counseling
• School
• Social worker
• Career counselor
• School guidance counselor
• Academic advisor

Interviewing guidance counselor candidates

Strong candidates for guidance counselor positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Previous counseling experience
• The development of education and career plans
• Conflict and crisis management for at-risk students

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of guidance counselor interview questions for examples (with sample answers).