“Eagle Scout Canidate” On Resume

[TAHAWK]

So is the Scout who passed for Life yesterday.  

[Chisos]

I wouldn't put it on there, at least until you've completed all requirements except your BoR.  Here's why--how will you explain it if asked?  If a prospective employer asks about it, and you say you've done all the requirements, your project's done and approved, and you're just waiting on the adults to get together for your BoR, that would sound good.  But if you replied with, well, I still have a couple of merit badges and a project to do, an employer would probably see it as "resume padding"...you want the word "Eagle" on your resume, but you haven't done all the work yet.

[ItsBrian]

8 hours ago, Chisos said:

I wouldn't put it on there, at least until you've completed all requirements except your BoR.  Here's why--how will you explain it if asked?  If a prospective employer asks about it, and you say you've done all the requirements, your project's done and approved, and you're just waiting on the adults to get together for your BoR, that would sound good.  But if you replied with, well, I still have a couple of merit badges and a project to do, an employer would probably see it as "resume padding"...you want the word "Eagle" on your resume, but you haven't done all the work yet.

I’ve done my project (kind of the main part of Eagle), but still need to do two merit badges.

[CalicoPenn]

Other than the obvious answer of not spelling Candidate as Canidate , I would not put it on my resume.  Would you put Life Scout candidate if you were a Star Scout?  You want your resume to reflect your accomplishments - Eagle Scout Candidate is not an accomplishment - it says you are hoping to become an Eagle Scout in the future.  The only thing your resume should indicate is a hope for the future is a statement listing what kind of job or career you are desiring.  

For now, just state that you are a Boy Scout as one of your activities.  Hold off on listing Eagle Scout until after the medal is pinned to your shirt.

 

[ItsBrian]

Just now, CalicoPenn said:

Other than the obvious answer of not spelling Candidate as Canidate , I would not put it on my resume.  Would you put Life Scout candidate if you were a Star Scout?  You want your resume to reflect your accomplishments - Eagle Scout Candidate is not an accomplishment - it says you are hoping to become an Eagle Scout in the future.  The only thing your resume should indicate is a hope for the future is a statement listing what kind of job or career you are desiring.  

For now, just state that you are a Boy Scout as one of your activities.  Hold off on listing Eagle Scout until after the medal is pinned to your shirt.

 

Yeah I noticed the typo afterwards, the time to edit it ran out haha. 

I agree with not putting it, just wanted others opinions.

[Eagle94-A1]

Sometimes words have different meanings based upon the setting.

 

In some places, and "Eagle Scout Candidate" is a Life Scout who has completed everything except his BOR. In other places it is someone who has passed his EBOR and is waiting on national approval. And still in others, probably old school troops like my old growing up, an Eagle Candidate is a Life Scout who passed his BOR and confirmed by National, and is awaiting his Eagle Court of Honor. I still mess around with one of my Eagles, and call him an 'Eagle Canidate" because he never had his COH due to his Uncle Sam.

[T2Eagle]

As a former HR executive, what I tell people is that anything you have on your resume should have a purpose, usually either to convey an argument about why someone should hire you, or as a prompt to a discussion that will then allow you to make the argument why someone should hire you. 

An additional consideration is the amount of space you have available on your resume.  Since you're young, I assume you don't have a lot of other experience and so using some space to  highlight scouting is good idea.

If you want to put something about the prospect of becoming an Eagle scout on your resume, what I would do is the same thing that people who are on track to graduate but haven't yet graduated do, which is give the date which you honestly believe that you will achieve the award.  For degrees it usually reads something like Bachelor of Arts, Anticipated May 20xx.  So you could do something like, Anticipated Eagle Scout Award xmonth/year xxxx.  You are thereby conveying accurate information that is pretty easily understood even by someone with no knowledge of the program, and more importantly you are setting up a prompt for someone to ask you about being an Eagle Scout.  AND THIS IS THE CRITICAL PART, you need to be ready --- to have practiced out loud in a variety of ways -- to answer questions about being an Eagle, about your project, and about what it all means to you, that will serve as an argument in favor of that person hiring you.

I cannot emphasize enough how important that last part is, BE PREPARED, practice these answers and other anticipated answers ahead of time.  Practice out loud, have other people ask you questions, practice, practice, practice.

[EmberMike]

I like the approach @T2Eagle mentions. Resumes allow for some descriptive text, so you can put down that you're a Life Scout, and then elaborate a bit on "working towards Eagle..."

[EmberMike]

On 1/27/2018 at 12:55 PM, Pselb said:

I might be in a rather small minority in today's society, but I don't get all that worked up about someone's celebrity, political, or social status.  I much rather focus on a person's character and no amount of titles, stardom, accomplishments or position in life makes a bit of difference in how I may "judge" them. 

That's all well and good, but not many people are going to even give someone the chance to show their character until after they've already submitted a resume. And a resume needs all of those titles, accomplishments, etc. 

[Tampa Turtle]

Like some of you I have hired a lot of folks (50, 60 I forget). I would read this as "Not an Eagle". I stick with Life Scout until you have done anything. All things being equal I'd call in a Life Scout just as much as an Eagle...

[MattR]

I think there's still an opportunity to start a much better discussion than whether or not you'll become an eagle scout. If you were an SPL then talk about some skills you developed in that roll. Teamwork, leadership, making things happen, solving problems. That's why someone might hire you, so talk about that. If someone isn't really sure about what eagle means then it might be better to talk about what you've done in words they understand.

[TAHAWK]

Effective leaders are always are valued.

[ItsBrian]

8 hours ago, MattR said:

I think there's still an opportunity to start a much better discussion than whether or not you'll become an eagle scout. If you were an SPL then talk about some skills you developed in that roll. Teamwork, leadership, making things happen, solving problems. That's why someone might hire you, so talk about that. If someone isn't really sure about what eagle means then it might be better to talk about what you've done in words they understand.

SPL, on my 2nd and final term. (They wanted me to continue for a 3rd term because small Troop, almost no senior scouts)

Getting burnt out 

 

Edited January 30, 2018 by ItsBrian

[scoutldr]

I do judge grammar and spelling errors.  It indicates a lack of attention to detail.  I used to have a professional colleague who had business cards printed up listing his name as "John Doe, PhD (candidate)".  There was another one who listed himself as "John Doe, MS, ABD" (all but dissertation).  We laugh at guys like that...and certainly didn't hire them.  Humility is an admirable trait.

[DuctTape]

Also one could add descriptors of their leadership accomplishments or mbs completed which might be relevant to the position sought.