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I spent 15 years in HR in Fortune 100 companies.  Here's my general advice about resumes.  

 

A resume is a persuasive piece of writing with a unique form -- not a recitation of your jobs.  You have a thesis, this is what most people label as an objective, which is what kind of job you want to be hired for.  Everything else on the resume should be a direct supporting argument for that thesis -- why someone should hire you for that job.  So the question to ask yourself is does your BSA experience make a direct strong argument for you to be hired for that job.  If it does, put it on.  The second consideration is space, most resumes are one page, so listing BSA experience necessarily entails not saying something more about your professional experience -- is this a good tradeoff?  

 

If you have any contacts within the organization you're applying to ask them.  

 

Whether BSA experience will help or hurt in the first sort is a crapshoot.  If it's something you feel is important to you or about you then practice working it into your answers to common interview questions.

 

 

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Professional head hunters will tell you keep anything off your resume that is in any way controversial. With the number of levels you need to clear in the typical hiring process, leave off the controv

Eagle rank, and any time in the BSA is something to be proud of, not ashamed of.   Dedication to voluntarily serving youth should always be looked upon favorably.

If they can't hire you for who you are, why would you want to work for them?  Tell 'em who you are.

I've been involved in recruitment, as a bit of a side line, for my employer this side of the pond and I would say you should always tweek your resume depending on who you are applying to.

 

So here, I would say someone fresh out of university looking for their firs career move should make a big thing of it if theyhave their Queen's Scout Award or in your case Eagle Scout. It shows dedication, not scared of hard work or geting hands dirty, team work, leadership etc. If it was someone in their mid 30s who was looking for a new job I would be wondering why they were telling me. Frankly if in your mid 30s you are not filling your CV or application with details based broadly on work experience I would be wondering if actually you just haven't done much at work!

 

The other side of that is voluntary work from the last few years will look good especially if you can show me how it has developed you and benefits you in the work place. You manage people? You risk assess? You follow regulations? You think on your feet? Fantastic stuff, tell me about it. Make sure it's recent and relevant though. If I was going for a job with a high pressure employer that would expect me to work long hours I would probably play it down.

 

In terms of controversial again research your potential employer. A large organisation is likely to have set criteria they are looking for and scouts volunteering may well help you meet those. It is smaller employers where you are more at the mercy of the particular point of view of the interviewer. See if you can find out anything about them. Google is your friend!

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Just looking for some advice.

 

Recently an employment advisor suggested I would get more results with my resume if I left off any reference to the BSA.

 

Probably for a general resume, he's right. If it's a targeted resume (for a single company), you need to research it first. 

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Different view 

 

Past significant achievements and awards ... always list.  It shows drive, competency and that others have evaluated you and marked you high.

 

Past volunteering ... it depends on the situation.  

 

Current service ... I would not list.  Partly to avoid controversy.  Mainly because of commitment?  Will you be investing in becoming the best you can at the job I'm hiring for?  Or are you so busy with your volunteer commitments that your paid job is a 9 to 5 punch the clock relationship.  Maybe lumping you into problem incidents they've had with other employees who can't stay late, can't work mandatory times or can't be flexible.  Or, will they try to run their 2nd volunteer job from their primary paid job?  An experienced manager will be thinking of these things.  They want someone who will commit to their job and their company ... not be partially committed and partly committed elsewhere.  ... and ... scouting volunteers often get overly committed to scouting.  It becomes a distraction from their main job.

 

Past achievements and awards are almost always a plus.  

 

Past volunteering maybe ... such as if you need to demonstrate capability.  

 

Raising current potentially conflicting commitments is usually bad.

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Past achievements and awards are almost always a plus.  

 

 

We are talking professional awards and achievements, right?

 

No one cares you got a Silver Beaver if I am hiring you to run my call center or manage my sales force.

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We are talking professional awards and achievements, right?

 

No one cares you got a Silver Beaver if I am hiring you to run my call center or manage my sales force.

 

Generally, the "past" ones we've been talking about are Eagle Scout or similar.  Silver Beaver would draw concern about current activities and distractions.  

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Generally, the "past" ones we've been talking about are Eagle Scout or similar.  Silver Beaver would draw concern about current activities and distractions.  

 

If you're under 28, then I would agree with Eagle.

 

If you're a 35 year old network engineer I don't care if you are Eagle or not. I *do* care if you have CISSP certification. ;)

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When I review candidates I might notice it and ask about it.  I want to hear about a passion about what you do.  Scouting/woodworking/whatever.   Show me your excitement and dedication, I want that same interest and dedication to your job.  I work in tech so it may be different for your industry.

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As someone who hires 100+ people a year I can tell you I could not give a rat's tuckus if you volunteer for BSA or not. I want someone who can do the job when I need them. 

 

Sorry, thats really sad and in very poor taste.  

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We are talking professional awards and achievements, right?

 

No one cares you got a Silver Beaver if I am hiring you to run my call center or manage my sales force.

 

I am really having a hard time with your distdain for volunteers, and then you throw our Silver Beaver under the bus?  You never know what 1 statement might mean to someone that is reading a resume, they in fact might have been a Silver Beaver recipient as well.    

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I am really having a hard time with your distdain for volunteers, and then you throw our Silver Beaver under the bus?  You never know what 1 statement might mean to someone that is reading a resume, they in fact might have been a Silver Beaver recipient as well.    

 

  Other than the first job I applied for after high school I have never listed my Eagle and later my volunteering as a leader. The different ways that people look at BSA and many of the controversies surrounding it makes me believe I may have a better chance of being hired or moving on to the next step by excluding those items. True the person might be a Siver Beaver recipient or possibly a supporter or member of LBGT too.

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Sorry, thats really sad and in very poor taste.

 

  

I am really having a hard time with your distdain for volunteers, and then you throw our Silver Beaver under the bus?  You never know what 1 statement might mean to someone that is reading a resume, they in fact might have been a Silver Beaver recipient as well.

 

We are talking real world here, not BSA world. No one cares about your BSA affiliations, knots or awards UNLESS you are going for a job where that stuff matters.

 

Be real, if I am hiring you as an accountant I want to know if you can do the job and leave the volunteers stuff for the discussion.

 

Any head hunter will tell you to leave ANYTHING off your resume that might be controversial. You might not like it but that's the real world.

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When I went in to have my resume evaluated, it was really surprising what they wanted taken off. 

 

Education, yes, years graduated, no.

 

Employment, last 10 years only.

 

     Management/Supervisory experience?  15 years of ministry and running a church doesn't count, more than 10 years ago.  Church organizer/founder, Ambulance Service organizer/founder.

     Computer experience?  15 years of custom programming, doesn't count, more than 10 years ago.

    10 years as Executive Administrative Assistant, 

 

Associate (Computer Science), Bachelors (Business Administration) and Masters (Professional Ministry) degrees and I qualify on my Resume as a Secretary.  

 

A resume is a political statement meant to spin in slogan format why you should get the job. If you wish to put down Eagle and Silver Beaver, go for it.

 

Top half of page 1 is all you get on your resume, make it count.....

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Be real, if I am hiring you as an accountant I want to know if you can do the job and leave the volunteers stuff for the discussion.

 

 

 

Funny you mentioned that.  I am in accounting, Interviewed with a large pharmaceutical co in Memphis and during the interview process the gentleman (now on the county commission) thanked me for my service as a volunteer.  Months later while he was running for office he mentioned he was an Eagle Scout.  You just never know.   

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