Residential Counselor job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Residential Advisors

O*NET-SOC 39-9041.00

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$42,240

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Residential Advisors (O*NET-SOC 39-9041.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Residential Counselor” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: the SOC Index, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Communicate with other staff to resolve problems with individual students. importance 4.6 of 5
2. Observe students to detect and report unusual behavior. importance 4.4 of 5
3. Supervise, train, and evaluate residence hall staff, including resident assistants, participants in work-study programs, and other student workers. importance 4.3 of 5
4. Provide emergency first aid and summon medical assistance when necessary. importance 4.3 of 5
5. Make regular rounds to ensure that residents and areas are safe and secure. importance 4.3 of 5
6. Mediate interpersonal problems between residents. importance 4.2 of 5
7. Enforce rules and regulations to ensure the smooth and orderly operation of dormitory programs. importance 4.1 of 5
8. Determine the need for facility maintenance and repair, and notify appropriate personnel. importance 4.1 of 5
9. Collaborate with counselors to develop counseling programs that address the needs of individual students. importance 4.0 of 5
10. Develop and coordinate educational programs for residents. importance 4.0 of 5
11. Develop program plans for individuals or assist in plan development. importance 4.0 of 5
12. Provide requested information on students' progress and the development of case plans. importance 3.9 of 5
13. Confer with medical personnel to better understand the backgrounds and needs of individual residents. importance 3.8 of 5
14. Administer, coordinate, or recommend disciplinary and corrective actions. importance 3.8 of 5
15. Answer telephones, and route calls or deliver messages. importance 3.8 of 5
16. Counsel students in the handling of issues such as family, financial, and educational problems. importance 3.8 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Assisting and Caring for Others, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates and Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Oversee departmental budget.
• Supervise students' housekeeping work to ensure that it is done properly.
• Process contract cancellations for students who are unable to follow residence hall policies and procedures.
• Accompany and supervise students during meals.
• Supervise the activities of housekeeping personnel.
• Assign rooms to students.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Public Safety and Security, Education and Training and English Language.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Office software, Google Docs, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

The most common answer among residential counselors surveyed by O*NET is some college courses (50%).

Job title: Residential Counselor
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Residential Counselor to coordinate activities in resident facilities in secondary school and college dormitories, group homes, or similar establishments.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Communicate with other staff to resolve problems with individual students.
- Observe students to detect and report unusual behavior.
- Supervise, train, and evaluate residence hall staff, including resident assistants, participants in work-study programs, and other student workers.
- Provide emergency first aid and summon medical assistance when necessary.
- Make regular rounds to ensure that residents and areas are safe and secure.
- Mediate interpersonal problems between residents.
- Enforce rules and regulations to ensure the smooth and orderly operation of dormitory programs.
- Determine the need for facility maintenance and repair, and notify appropriate personnel.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in social perceptiveness, active listening and coordination
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service and Administration and Management
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Office software or Google Docs]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Residential Advisors, the median annual wage was $42,240 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $20.31. BLS estimates about 84,760 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Residential Advisors to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 16,500 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real residential counselor posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Communicate with other staff to resolve problems with individual…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only residential counselor work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (social perceptiveness and active listening): a real situation, what you did and what changed.