7 ms·

Where did you apply that being an Eagle Scout counted against you?

jimbob45 4y ago
The problem is that people who become Eagle Scouts tend to be successful enough individuals that the jobs they apply to don't understand why they would put such a low-grade achievement on their resume (compared to the other higher achievements they most likely have). It's like putting that you won an Olympic Gold in gymnastics when applying to be CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Yes, it's impressive to everyone, but at some point it's not necessary. I'd say the same applies to high school Honor Societies. If you're a member of one, chances are that it's never going to professionally benefit you.
- aketchum 4y ago
  I understand what you mean, but I think you chose a terrible example. I will never be in the Olympics, but if I was I would definitely have that on my resume.
  - leephillips 4y ago
    Hell yes. If I were on the search committee, an olympic gold medal would make the candidate very interesting. It tells you you’re probably dealing with an extraordinary individual.
- e9 4y ago
  I disagree. It shows a track record of success throughout the life and that you are not just "one time wonder".
- dctoedt 4y ago
  I'm an Eagle Scout (note the use of present tense) and I've had that on all of my resumes my entire adult life. When I got my Eagle, an uncle who was a senior executive at a Very Large Bank said that he would always give an Eagle Scout at least an interview.
  - wespiser_2018 4y ago
    Me too. It's an interest award I'm proud of, and it takes a tiny amount of space.
  - arnmac 4y ago
    Not going to lie. If you submitted a resume for a job I was hiring for and you 1. Pass the HR check 2. Had some of what I was looking in skills 3. Had Eagle Scout on your resume You are going to get an interview. Might not get the job but I would give you a chance. Just like anything in life the Eagle Scout Rank is not the same to everyone. Not everyone put in the same amount of effort. They all should have met the same requirements but in the end what did you personally learn? Some scouts learn and grow in leadership others it was just a thing they did. As an 11 year old scout I was almost immediately introduced to conflict resolution, setting and achieving goals, leading groups in small tasks. Looking back most of the lessons didn't really take root until years later when I got a real job. Then I had a group of concepts that some of my peers did not and I was able to take the early lessons and build on them more quickly.
    - totierne2 4y ago
      Quickly?
- depaya 4y ago
  When you look at the direct benefit over the course of your lifetime I agree the benefit of things like Eagle Scout of Honor Society are minimal, but I think that's missing the indirect benefits. Speaking personally, I firmly believe that being an Eagle Scout and HS Honor Society student helped me get into a good college. I frequently discussed being an Eagle Scout (and scouting in general, which I was deeply involved) during engineering internship interviews and the interview for my first job out of college. I do believe this contributed to starting off my career strongly. Now about a decade removed from college I don't bring these topics up, but I do still feel the positive contributions they had on my trajectory. Not even to mention the benefits they had on my soft skills.
themodelplumber 4y ago
When multimedia was a huge thing in the late '90s and early '00s, you had a lot of small businesses with tight groups of graphic designers, illustrators, developers (full stack web + Flash & Director), and animators. Usually one of the creatives was in charge of hiring. It was totally obviously not a pro, and in many cases they'd make fun of it outright, or politely advise to take it off.
- MisterBastahrd 4y ago
  Well, sure. I was a quiz bowl captain, president of the national honor society, and placed yearly at the state science fair and I didn't list those on a professional resume either. It takes very little effort to be an Eagle Scout. I completed all requirements including the community project aside from the board review before I turned 13. Our scoutmaster suddenly quit on us to attain his MS in engineering (his employer surprised him by funding his education) right after I attained the final required merit badge and none of the adults wanted to take over, so it would have required me to go to another troop in the area: one was full of bullies, and one with a gigantic asshole of a scoutmaster. I decided to go fishing instead.
  - themodelplumber 4y ago
  - ilamont 4y ago
    > It takes very little effort to be an Eagle Scout. I completed all requirements including the community project aside from the board review before I turned 13. It really varies from troop to troop. Ours is old-school, by the book, multiple leadership positions required for half-year terms. No one got an Eagle who was under 15 and the projects are very involved with construction or logistics. Tearing down and rebuilding a long wooden fence at a women's shelter, constructing display cabinets at a nature center, working with a local charity to collect hundreds of food boxes. Someone built a real footbridge over a stream, which not only required decent carpentry skills but also driving rebar through 8x8 posts into the stony bank with sledgehammers. I got poison ivy twice while clearing brush to make a nature trail and rebuild a garden at a local temple. These projects are often the first time many youths have ever picked up a power tool or project managed anything. The bureaucracy associated with the service project and application was stunning.

The problem is that people who become Eagle Scouts tend to be successful enough individuals that the jobs they apply to don't understand why they would put such a low-grade achievement on their resume (compared to the other higher achievements they most likely have). It's like putting that you won an Olympic Gold in gymnastics when applying to be CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Yes, it's impressive to everyone, but at some point it's not necessary. I'd say the same applies to high school Honor Societies. If you're a member of one, chances are that it's never going to professionally benefit you.

aketchum 4y ago
I understand what you mean, but I think you chose a terrible example. I will never be in the Olympics, but if I was I would definitely have that on my resume.
- leephillips 4y ago
  Hell yes. If I were on the search committee, an olympic gold medal would make the candidate very interesting. It tells you you’re probably dealing with an extraordinary individual.
e9 4y ago
I disagree. It shows a track record of success throughout the life and that you are not just "one time wonder".
dctoedt 4y ago
I'm an Eagle Scout (note the use of present tense) and I've had that on all of my resumes my entire adult life. When I got my Eagle, an uncle who was a senior executive at a Very Large Bank said that he would always give an Eagle Scout at least an interview.
- wespiser_2018 4y ago
  Me too. It's an interest award I'm proud of, and it takes a tiny amount of space.
- arnmac 4y ago
  Not going to lie. If you submitted a resume for a job I was hiring for and you 1. Pass the HR check 2. Had some of what I was looking in skills 3. Had Eagle Scout on your resume You are going to get an interview. Might not get the job but I would give you a chance. Just like anything in life the Eagle Scout Rank is not the same to everyone. Not everyone put in the same amount of effort. They all should have met the same requirements but in the end what did you personally learn? Some scouts learn and grow in leadership others it was just a thing they did. As an 11 year old scout I was almost immediately introduced to conflict resolution, setting and achieving goals, leading groups in small tasks. Looking back most of the lessons didn't really take root until years later when I got a real job. Then I had a group of concepts that some of my peers did not and I was able to take the early lessons and build on them more quickly.
  - totierne2 4y ago
    Quickly?
depaya 4y ago
When you look at the direct benefit over the course of your lifetime I agree the benefit of things like Eagle Scout of Honor Society are minimal, but I think that's missing the indirect benefits. Speaking personally, I firmly believe that being an Eagle Scout and HS Honor Society student helped me get into a good college. I frequently discussed being an Eagle Scout (and scouting in general, which I was deeply involved) during engineering internship interviews and the interview for my first job out of college. I do believe this contributed to starting off my career strongly. Now about a decade removed from college I don't bring these topics up, but I do still feel the positive contributions they had on my trajectory. Not even to mention the benefits they had on my soft skills.

themodelplumber 4y ago

When multimedia was a huge thing in the late '90s and early '00s, you had a lot of small businesses with tight groups of graphic designers, illustrators, developers (full stack web + Flash & Director), and animators. Usually one of the creatives was in charge of hiring. It was totally obviously not a pro, and in many cases they'd make fun of it outright, or politely advise to take it off.

MisterBastahrd 4y ago
Well, sure. I was a quiz bowl captain, president of the national honor society, and placed yearly at the state science fair and I didn't list those on a professional resume either. It takes very little effort to be an Eagle Scout. I completed all requirements including the community project aside from the board review before I turned 13. Our scoutmaster suddenly quit on us to attain his MS in engineering (his employer surprised him by funding his education) right after I attained the final required merit badge and none of the adults wanted to take over, so it would have required me to go to another troop in the area: one was full of bullies, and one with a gigantic asshole of a scoutmaster. I decided to go fishing instead.
- themodelplumber 4y ago
- ilamont 4y ago
  > It takes very little effort to be an Eagle Scout. I completed all requirements including the community project aside from the board review before I turned 13. It really varies from troop to troop. Ours is old-school, by the book, multiple leadership positions required for half-year terms. No one got an Eagle who was under 15 and the projects are very involved with construction or logistics. Tearing down and rebuilding a long wooden fence at a women's shelter, constructing display cabinets at a nature center, working with a local charity to collect hundreds of food boxes. Someone built a real footbridge over a stream, which not only required decent carpentry skills but also driving rebar through 8x8 posts into the stony bank with sledgehammers. I got poison ivy twice while clearing brush to make a nature trail and rebuild a garden at a local temple. These projects are often the first time many youths have ever picked up a power tool or project managed anything. The bureaucracy associated with the service project and application was stunning.