Harry, would you say the same thing about anyone who has served their 4-6 year commitment in the military? Would you, as a recruiter prefer one over the other?

I know there are a lot of employers who LOVE military folks because of the rigor, training and mental toughness they bring to the job.

I like Paul's question about the military and I would say that the Eagle Scout is more special because it is not mandatory once you sign up that you have to continue on the path as you do with military service plus it show that this person was committed to this at an age when young people generally cannot stay focused for more than five minutes.
Also being a prior service man myself I know you can get buy for 4 to 6 years in the military but you can't get buy and become an eagle scout.
But having either would show me that this person has been through some metal toughness training that most people will not see.

Thanks for the reminder, Harry. Those who make Eagle Scout have an incredible amount of commitment for a teenage boy. It takes a lot of work to earn each merit badge (they take hours and hours) plus all the community service you mention as well as leadership in a troop. That attention to detail and perseverance make up some of the right ingredients for a fine executive.

Check out this great blog I saw recently at ReturnCustomer on how to run your business like an Eagle Scout: http://www.returncustomer.com/2007/01/08/how-to-run-your-business-like-an-eagle-scout/

A friend of the family who is an HR VP at a huge, multi-national company, and has been in that industry for 20+ years, used to say that being an Eagle Scout would get someone hired over a similar candidate who was not.

Harry, as an Eagle Scout, I know what it takes to earn the rank. I've never flaunted it, and it was never on my resume. But almost anytime I mention I'm an Eagle if it comes up in conversation, it draws words of admiration.

If I had two job candidates of equal qualifications, the Eagle rank might be the tie-breaker. Similarly with military service.

I'm not sure how much the Eagle rank means to yoing people today, though. I know Scouting has taken a major hit over thge last 20 years, as kids have so many other activities including computers, and the movement has struggled to maintain relevancy.

That's a shame, since I remember how much I got from Scouting in terms of teamwork, leadership, problem-solving and so much more.

Thanks one and all for the thoughtful comments.

1.) Military service is very admirable, and it certainly matters to me. Not because I have been in the military, but military people tend to have a "can-do" attitude and seem to know how to get a lot done with limited resources. At least that's been my experience.

2.) "Eagle Scout" on a resume is shorthand for "virtue." Eagle Scouts are solemnly sworn to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. As a marketing recruiter, it can be difficult for me to ask someone outright about these character traits. But if the words "Eagle Scout" appear on a resume, then I can be confident that the candidate is a straight-shooter. It certainly doesn't knockout non-Eagles, nor does it automatically green light Eagles. But it is a sort of "Good Housekeeping" seal for the person's character.

3. I am no paragon of virtue, and I am hardly the voice of Scouting. Indeed, I have more flaws and idiosyncrasies than 95% of the candidates I interview.

However, a few years ago my six year old son asked me if he could join Scouts. I cringed at the thought of my running around in a nerdy BSA outfit.

But then I researched what Scouts stands for and came to the conclusion that our secular society forces boys (and girls!!) to grow up too soon. And I thought to myself "If I don't get off of my couch and teach my boy what it means to be a man, Snoop Dogg and MTV will do it for me."

So we joined BSA, and it has been a wonderful experience. We actually slept in a cave last year -- and my son and I have created many wonderful, productive, happy memories together.

Great to see this spoken about here. No one will ever forget President Ford in the scout ad, wearing his BSA uniform! That picture tells the whole story!

Yes and President Ford was the only President every to be an Eagle Scout. It certainly was an indicator of his personality and ethics as he represented himself with that code of conduct (trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent) until his death last month.

Kind of refreshing to read that there are still people in this world that appreciate those values!

I am a 21 year old Eagle Scout, going to school for Mechanical Engineering. I live outside Detroit and jobs are hard to come by right now, especially in my field. I was just wondering if any of you had any suggestions on how to properly put Eagle Scout on my resume. I'm trying hard to get some sort of internship or even a job offer since I will be graduating by the end of the year. Also, working midnights is getting old. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

My son is a 1st year Webelos in Cub Scouts. My husband is an Eagle Scout. Our son specifically joined Scouts to be an Eagle just like his Daddy and asks how much longer it will be. We tell him 7 to 8 years and he says that's o.k. he can wait. The Eagle rank has brought much value not only to my husband's life but to a little boy who values his Daddy and wants to grow up and be just like him and thinks its worth the wait.

First let me say I think scouting is one of the best activities for young men. but I'd like to pose a question here regarding what I consider to be the "dumbing down" of the Eagle Award. When I was a scout (20-25 years ago) few boys attained Eagle. As a high school teacher I have known many Eagle scouts over the years. some I have had sincere reservations about their character. One had even been arrested and charged with crimes just a year before his Eagle Award. My son is a scout and we discussed early on the idea of attaining Eagle. He made it clear that he was interested in attaining Eagle because he was very interested in learning from earning the variety of merit badges required. I considered this an extremely healthy attitude for an 11 year old and supported him saying he was in it for the experience of the path rather than the destination. I see merit badges (especially at summer camps) regularly earned with less and less time and/or work. I sit on boards of review for rank advancement and when posed with the quesiton of why a scout is advancing the answer is consistently "because I want to earn Eagle to help me get into a good college! Thoughts?

First things first: I am an Eagle Scout (earned mine in 1964) and , now, so is my son (earned his in 2006). After a 25 year "retirement" from Scouting, I got re-involved when he joined Cub Scouts.

There is no question that the Eagle is a "door opener." Different folks may view it for different values : perseverance, integrity, leadership, skills, or all of the above. However, it is the reputation of the Eagles - once they get the chance to show what they are made of - that gives it a lasting value. When we hold an Eagle Court of Honor (the formal ceremony where the badge and medal are presented), one of the pieces of the ceremony is the reminder that the Eagle is a "marked man;" that, going forward, people will now expect more of him because of his rank.
The great majority of the Eagles that I know or have known live up to that challenge. Even some boys that I had some initial "doubts" about have "grown into" the responsibility.
Thus, while some boys start out wanting to attain Eagle because of some perceived advantage, the rank changes them, by the time they reach Eagle, or shortly thereafter, they get that Eagle attitude that stays with them the rest of their life.

I too am an Eagle Scout, and although I have never received special placement in education or employment due to my rank the principles built into and behind the rank show through. I have been with my company for 18 years, starting out at the lowest of positions. I have now worked through many different positions in the company and am currently in middle management. Far more of my employees give up after a few months or years than are willing to stay through the storms and the bottom of the heap jobs that are required.

As both a Cub Master and Scout Master I can tell you that scouting is still relevant. The merit badges that are required are on track for building young boys into men for the good of our future. Some merit badges do come easy, but most are intense and far from easy. The badges that are named as required for the rank of Eagle are among the toughest and require extensive work and study.

I am also a veterin of the US Army, and although I am proud to have served my country... I feel far more accomplishment in earning the rank of Eagle than my entire 7 years of military service.

It takes a special type of person to be a Boy Scout. To stand up and take the peer pressure of being a scout instead of the school jock or Joe cool gang banger is not easy! I have respect for any boy who earns his First Class rank, as this marks the point of the foundation being set for him to build the structure required to earn his Eagle award. It is within this foundation where a boy decides how far he will go and what he can accomplish in scouts and beyond.

If you have a son who shows even a slight interest in scouts, get him to a meeting, stand with him, and encourage him with all you have. It is worth every moment of time, money and energy you could ever invest.

God Bless,

I am not an Eagle Scout but was in the Scouts. I have to say we did some cool and, at times, challenging things.

Every month there was some sort of outdoor activity: backpacking, skiing, spelunking (caving), etc.

I remember crawling through a cave, going around something called "the figure eight", and seeing bats up close with my head lamp.

Later in our spelunking adventure someone asked the adult Scout leaders (as they poured over maps of the cave network) if we were lost? Not lost, replied the Scout leader, we are temporarily dis-oriented. I loved that cool, calm response.

I did lose interest in Scouting but have always admired those who stayed with it to become Eagle Scouts. It is my impression that it takes until about your Senior year in high school to achieve Eagle status. You must do a fairly major project, hands on, to finally be awarded your Eagle.

I think people should address Chris's question above. He wants to know how to properly present his Eagle achievement on his resume.

Chris, does your resume have an "accomplishments" section? That might be the place.

I have been both a job seeker and now I help hire for our company. And I can tell you hiring is very stressful. You want to make sure you are getting a good, reliable person who can get along with others, etc. Your Eagle might make the difference in getting you in for an interview. You are likely a more mature than average 21 year old student.

I am an eagle scout, and quite proud of it. I'm also now a scoutmaster, and proud to say that I encourage as many youth as possible through the trail to earning their Eagle rank. While the rank is demanding, and can require rather rigorous personal intent; I think that some of the above posters are corrent in their assesment that it isn't quite as tough as it was before. Perhaps it's due to the increased structure of the program as a whole, with more resources and training making leaders more involved and proactive in pushing youth when a more proactive youth led approach might be better in the long run. That being said, getting 21 merit badges, and serving as a leader for 1.3 years (the minimum) and racking up at least 20 or so service hours is tough, but it isn't inordinantly difficult. Many of the youth in our troop progress from no rank to first class in the first year, (by their twelfth birthday), and then earn each of the subsequent ranks in the minimum alloted time (4 months to star, 6 months to life, 6 months to eagle), and can earn eagle right around their 14th birthday.

I used to be opposed to this rapid progression, thinking instead that a scout should pace their progress to last them until they neared the age of 18, when the cutoff for advancement occurs. But as I've grown more familiar with the varisty program (a high-adventure and/or sports oriented program, geared towards older scouts 14-18), and the venturing program (a high-level deep approach to personalized scout progress in some great areas of emphasis), I realize that Eagle scout is more akin to graduating from college. The varisty program is the natural progression, as would be a masters degree; and the Venturing program is a crowning achievement, much like a PhD. I've only met a few scouts who have earned the Silver Medal (the eagle scout of the Venturing Program) and they were amazing individuals. We now encourage our youth to progress through eagle quickly, and 'graduate' into the programs that give them a more diversified and deep experience than simply earning eagle.

But, at the end of the day, any achievement in scouting is noteworthy. I am proud to be an eagle scout, but attribute much of it to leaders who realized it was important when I did not. I put it on every resume I'd ever made, proudly, and in bold letters. And now I give back and push the youth as much as I can to do the same. Advancement is only one of the many ways in which scouting improves the life of the kids who participate in it, but all of them are better for it's influence, however limited.

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