Tag Archives: guide school

How to Write a Resume for Hunting or Fishing Guide Jobs

If you are seeking a job as a hunting guide or a job as a fishing guide you may be wondering how to write resumes for this type of career. These jobs have uniqueness to them compared to other industries but there are some commonalities as well.

When applying for guide jobs think about what the hiring managers will be looking for in their guides. They will be looking for guide job skills like customer service, sales, survival and first aid.

So when applying for fishing guide jobs or hunting guide jobs what are some of the commonalities with other jobs to include on your resume? Well here are some of the skills that are transferable into guiding:

Interpersonal communication skills
Sales/marketing
Customer service
Attention to detail
Education

What is different about fishing and hunting guide job resumes? Here are some of the skills that are different from many other professions:

Highlight your outdoor experience
Hunting guide school/fishing guide school credentials
CPR certification/First aid certification

Highlight your outdoor experience. You may be wondering what else you can do to stand out from the crowd when applying for these jobs and highlighting your outdoor experience is certainly one of them. Getting customer testimonials to include as supplements explaining your outdoor experience is one way to put a good impression on hiring managers for hunting guide jobs or fishing guide jobs. If you have never had a formal guide job you can ask some friends or family members to write letters of recommendation if you have taken them hunting or fishing. Have them outline exactly what you did to show them the outdoors and what you did to help them have a good time and have a successful trip.

Hunting guide school/fishing guide school credentials. As we have illustrated in other posts the requirements for guide school, certifications, training etc… varies greatly by state. However, if you did attend any type of hunting guide school, fishing guide school or guide training ensure you list where it is from and the dates you attended.

CPR/First aid certification. As a guide you will be responsible for the health and safety of your clients. Whatever formal training you have had with health and safety is important to list. Employers will want to know that you could handle clients in the case of a medical emergency.

With any resume you want to ensure that the document has been proof read. Read through the resume several times yourself for grammar, spelling and readability. One trick that we use is to read the resume backwards. This means that you should read your resume from the right to left from the bottom. This will force you to look at each word individually for its accuracy. Also connect at least one or two friends or family members to have them review for the same items. The more eyes on your document the better chances you will have of catching any errors.

Letters of recommendation for any guide experience you have is great but chances are if you are just getting into the industry this might not be possible. If it is not it would still be a good idea to get letters of recommendation from past employers or even high school or college instructors. Since customer service and interpersonal skills are highly important for this profession you can coach those who are writing your letters of recommendation to focus on those qualities of yours

We encourage you to use these recommendations as you apply for your next guide job. Remember that putting time into your resume is very important and including powerful letters of recommendation can be one additional way to help you stand out from the crowd.

Do You Need to Go to Guide School to Become a Fishing or Hunting Guide?

People often ask if they need to go to guide school to become a guide. Typically there are no education requirements before you can become a guide. Some states do have extra training or certifications to become a guide but it varies greatly by start. However, getting a formal education in guiding such as going to a guide school only helps and if you are starting your own guide service formal guide schooling is a competitive advantage since you will be able to list that as additional skills you have.

Many guide schools are located in areas where the guiding conditions can become extreme. As examples, states such as Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, Colorado, and Wyoming all have guide schools located there. If you search the internet for guide schools you will find several options and we do recommend doing research and asking for student referrals prior to making your final selection.

Besides guide schools there is other training that you can do in order to become a guide. One example is taking CPR and first aid and training courses. These survival skills can be useful when you are out in the wilderness with your clients and some type of emergency happens.

Firearm training is another good training to take to become a guide. There are some states that have firearm training required to go hunting but even for those who don’t it is a good idea to take these courses because you may also need to show proper firearm safety techniques to your clients.

Another type of training to besides guide school that will add to your guiding success is customer service training courses. Jobs as guides are jobs working with people and a key factor in satisfying customers is providing them good customer service. Many local chambers of commerce or community education programs offer some type of customer service training classes.

Again, any of these types of extra trainings are beneficial to your skills as a hunting or fishing guide to serve your clients better. In addition, they are excellent marketing items that you can add to your website and other marketing information on your guide service. The more prospective clients feel that you are qualified for guiding the more likely they are to book with you.

There are so many options to choose from when getting training and education for guiding. The most important part is to ensure that you have any state required training before entering the profession. By contacting your states wildlife office you will be able to get the correct answer if guide school or training is required.

In conclusion, not all states require formal guide school. However, be sure that you check with your states wildlife office to ensure you have any official requirements fulfilled. If your state does not have formal requirements it would still be a good idea to look into other trainings such as firearms training, customer service training, first aid training and CPR training. Not only will these skills be useful while on the job but these trainings can also be helpful in marketing to potential clients.

Guide School and How to Become a Hunting Guide or Fishing Guide

In this article I will teach you the top 3 things you need to do in order to start your fishing or hunting guide service. Be sure to read all of the way to #3 as I will be sharing with you the top way to ensure that your guide service will be successful.

The first thing you need to do to get your guide service started is understand that starting a guide service is starting a business. This means that to be successful you must do what any successful business does including deciding what type of business type you are form such as a sole proprietorship, LLC or partnership, you must market your business, you must track your expenses and earnings and get insurance to protect your customers and yourself.
The next thing you need to do is ensure you have the proper skills and education to become a guide. Some of the key skills necessary to be a successful guide are good communication skills, well organized, ability to work with diverse groups of clients and willingness to teach others effective hunting and fishing techniques. Education required is something that varies greatly by state. Some states require some type of formal training such as hunting guide school, fishing guide school or certifications while other states have no required trainings. We encourage you to contact your states wildlife office to see what training requirements, if any, your state has for guides.
Finally, the most important part to become a successful guide and it is providing excellent customer service. The best guides often book 80% or more of their business as repeat business because they understand the importance of customer service and they know that it is much easier to book repeat business rather than finding new clients year after year.

Now lets take a quick minute to review how to become a guide. Understand that starting a guide service is starting a business. Ensure you have the proper skills and education. If necessary go to fishing guide school or hunting guide school. Last but not least provide excellent customer service. I hope this was informative and I would like to invite you review the rest of our website as we have many more resources available to help you start and grow a profitable guide service.