Are Boy Scout Stories Okay During Interviews?
To all of the Eagle Scouts/BSA alumni on here: Have you ever spoken to your experiences as a scout during an interview for an internship and if so, how have you molded your story so as not to sound like you’re stuck in the past and dwelling on what some might see as “high school achievements”. I am not a fan of this stigma and I believe I have plenty of material for any behaviorals. I am an Eagle Scout myself and am still only a few years removed from the program so I believe any stories/lessons that I have are still relevant. Anyone care to weigh in?
Dont mention it for S&T or you may get a swirlee and a wedgie on your way out
Not going for S&T but duly noted.
I leave a line on my resume for my eagle scout award as I'm proud of it, but as you have alluded to it, I would personally not bring up high-school experiences in an interview. I have gotten questions about it from people who know scouting and quite frankly it helped me land my a Internship as one of the directors I talked to was a eagle scout aswell. In this sense its okay to talk about it, but once again don't form your story around it.
I appreciate your honest advice. Definitely keeping it on my resume as I too am proud of it and I believe it can and has spoken for itself. I've since branched off into similar programs in college and credit my success in these organizations and school as a whole to my time as a scout. Would this be a bit much to bring up with an interviewer? I can't imagine that things like self-discipline and perseverance have fallen out of fashion and I see no reason to shy away from these things during an interview. Food for thought.
I would not bring it up period. There are only 2 reasons Boyscout should come out of your mouth in and interview. One you worked/were involved at a extremely high national level. Two, you are asked about it. At the end of the day it may have given you great life values and taught you a lot but it did not teach you anything about finance.
Perfect way to earn your “I just got dinged” badge!
Nothing wrong with putting it in your interests line I’d assume, if anyone else is an Eagle Scout I’m sure they might mention it and could be a topic of discussion - and if you still camp / hike etc mention it as part of hobbies.
Don’t think you should use it for behavioral questions or anything though, keep that to your finance / professional experiences.
I don't know what Boy Scouts actually do, but in my interviews, I talked about a 300+ mile backpacking trip that I went on in HS, and talked about how regardless of if it was 100+ and sunny or 65 and rainy I built up the grit and attitude to keep pushing. Then I related it to being able to push through some of the grunt work that analysts have to do. So maybe don't specifically mention being a Boy Scout, but if you've gone on some character-building trips, you can definitely talk about those. This also was never included in my story, just as a response to behavioral questions.
You're spot-on about the grit. I've got my Eagle status on my resume so it makes sense to me to bring it up in a behavioral. Definitely something to set one apart.
Talk about your Eagle project. Eagle Scout is a huge accomplishment. It’s valued and speaks to your leadership moral compass. If applicable, discuss a high adventure trip you went on. Is there a merit badge for HP 12C proficiency?
If only there was one :( I have spoken about the project too. Plenty of pitch books.
I think it depends on what you did in scouts.
For example, leading a large scale eagle scout service project (planning, approval, execution, leadership of 100+ hours, impact) can look impressive.
If you were SPL (Basically the head scout of the troop), that could be an impressive feat because you were in charge of managing a lot of people.
It probably depends on what role you're applying to. A quant trading position is more focused on technical skills, so Eagle shouldn't be much of a focus. But a consulting/corporate gig that is looking for more soft skills might see that as good leadership/communication/teamwork. It's all about marketing it on your resume to show the employer you have the skills for the job, so if you can use Eagle scout projct/leadership position to help make that pitch, I think you can use it under the leadership/extracirricular section.
I would go to the career center at your uni and ask them.
Oh I've definitely marketed it well on my resume. Like I said in the OP, I've got lots of material to work with: Eagle project (400+ man hours and $1200+ cost), SPL (among others), Summer Camp Staff at 16 yrs old, etc. I'm applying for FLDPs so I think soft skills would be more welcome. This is great advice!
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