Scouting and Eagle on Applications

[Engineer61]

I thought this might be an interesting spin-off topic...

 

College and Job applications...

 

I've filled out my share of employment applications over the years, I've never seen anything that specifically mentioned Scouting or Eagle (or any other specific organization).

 

Out of curiosity, I did ask my HR representative about Scouting and Eagle...her response was, "We don't ask about it, and if it's on the application or resume, we can't consider it."

 

Seems that the Legal Department considers Scouts to be a religious organization and therefore cannot be considered a factor in the decision making process.

 

I would expect this to be the same for publically funded colleges as well.

 

Anyone else here in HR or College Admissions?

 

Thoughts?

[shortridge]

Definitely not with regard to college admissions. Colleges and universities are looking for well-rounded people with leadership and other experience, whether they come by that through church groups, Scouting or the FFA. Some of those activities and affiliations do reveal information about the applicant - religion, ethnic background, sexual orientation, etc. That's just the way it works. You can't have a completely blind application system.

[scoutingagain]

On my son's college application there was a place for "other awards and recognition" where he listed his Eagle. He also included his experiences working at the council camp in his essay. He used the generic online application accepted by many large institutions.

 

His acceptance letter from an out of state, state university where several thousand applications are processed each year, included a hand written acknowledgement of his leadership experience. I'm certain the Eagle was noticed.

 

My nephew, also an Eagle in another state, applied for a college internship at one of the state agencies. The interviewer explictly told him the fact he included his Eagle on his resume helped him get an interview. Don't know if there was a place on the application for it.

 

Now no one gets into college or gets hired just because they are an Eagle Scout. However it helps them get noticed.

 

HR and Legal departments can make all the rules they want, but ulitmately a hiring manager or admissions officer makes a decision. They are human and have thier own biases based on their own experiences. Just my recent experience. YMMV

 

SA

[skeptic]

It would not surprise me to find out that your HR department person simply stated an opinion. Not likely that is written in any of their rules and so on. Could be wrong; but seems really an odd idea.

 

I know in 25 years in management, we were never told to ignore such things. That applies to scholarship interviews as well; Eagle Scout was a positive factor in the review process.

[WAKWIB]

I can really just speak on this from personal experience. I am very sure that being an Eagle Scout helped me land my first "real" job after college. It was mostly a happy coincidence that the employer was himself an Eagle and, at that time, an active Scouter. I didn't know that going in for the interview. It was sure apparent quickly as much of our interview time was spent discussing Scouting, summer camp, etc...

 

In our community, Scouting is a deeply rooted tradition, and it probably does help some folks get their foot in the door.

 

The two private colleges that my oldest son has attended offer scholarships for Eagle Scouts, which he applied for and received.

 

I have never heard of the HR scenario described by Engineer61, but I suppose if it happens at one company it could happen at others.

[evmori]

I have known people who were equally qualified with other candidates that got the job because they are Eagle Scouts. Your HR department telling you what they told you sounds like a really poor HR department.

[Eagle92]

Most applications I've seen, both work and educational, have a place for other awards/honors. I usually put Eagle there.

 

One scholarship app had a spot specifically for Eagle Scout. They also a spot for Quartermaster for Sea Scouts, and other recognitions by other youth associations. And if memory serves you did get points towards the total for listing Eagle and the other honors. Grant you the NROTC application may have changed since I filled one out, but I beleive it's still on the application.

 

I have Eagle listed on my resume and CV. Yes I have other honors listed, both professional and scholastic, but Eagle si the one I am most proud of, especially since I was one of those who completed everything but the EBOR before turning 18.

 

And I had a VP of HR ask me about Scouting. Not only my involvement with the program, but about work related expereinces gained. Apparently one 20 something applicant had a heavy dose of leadership experience from being in the OA, and working summer camp during his college years. He found it difficult to beleive that someone in the 20s could have done everything he said he did. I had to say it's possible and relate what I did prior to graduating college. Needless to say he was impressed.

[Horizon]

My wife was on the faculty panel reviewing admissions criteria for her university. They give a point for Eagle and its equivalents, and ANOTHER point for Senior Patrol Leader - they want to know if you were a leader.

[packsaddle]

I ran this by some admissions people and Scouting activities and awards are pretty much thrown into the extracurricular activity pot. They are considered but not as much as GPA, academic standing, and SAT/ACT scores.

[shortridge]

I also wanted to mention that I got my first "real job" because of Scouting. I'd spent the summer of my 14th birthday working as a CIT at summer camp, and in the fall applied for a cashier's position at the local pharmacy. Turns out the manager's son was a Cub Scout and both remembered me from camp that summer - including the times when I filled in running the trading post, holding off hordes of candy bar-crazed kids. I got the job.

[NJCubScouter]

When my son was applying for colleges he told me of at least one that did specifically ask if he was an Eagle Scout, and this was a state institution.

 

I believe it is still the case that someone who has made Eagle can skip the lowest enlisted rank in the military. I am sure there are enough military-types here who can tell us whether that is a myth or not.

 

I too have heard stories of people whose resume stood out because they were an Eagle Scout. At the very least, as my grandmothers used to say, "it couldn't hurt."

 

More generally, the idea that an achievement as a member of a "religious organization" (leaving aside whether the BSA is one) cannot be considered in employment decisions sounds like the personal preference of the person you were speaking with, and nothing more. I can see if someone held an important non-clergy position in their place of worship, under (at least) some circumstances they would want to put that on their resume. It shows ties to the community, respect in the community, leadership, etc. Why would a company be required to ignore that?

[perdidochas]

Eagle does get an automatic promotion to E-2 upon enlistment.

 

"Accelerated Promotion for Scouts

Those Boy Scouts who have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and Girl Scouts who have earned the Gold Award Certificate and are either currently in high school, a high school senior or a high school diploma graduate, may enlist as private second class."

 

 

http://www.usarec.army.mil/hq/apa/download/2010_Pocket_Guide.pdf

[acco40]

Which is about a $283 delta per month (not much but if you think of it as about a 20% raise it sounds tremendous!

[Mike F]

The Air Force Academy application has a very clear section which asks if you were an Eagle/Gold Scout and if you were a Troop Leader/Officer.

 

I have also known many adults who strongly believed it had a positive effect on their job hunt. Not an overwhelming factor, but a positive factor which helped.

[BadenP]

Engineer

 

My wife is an HR director for her company and she agrees with what you have been told. If there are two applicants with almost the exact same qualifications, but one lists being an Eagle Scout that can not be used as a deciding factor in choosing who gets the job, ethically, professionally, or legally. This runs true in almost all companies these days, while it may look good on a college application it has no relevance or standing in the corporate world climate of today.