View Full Version : appalachian trail look good on a resume?
johnhump
03-29-2011, 17:36
would hiking the AT look good on a college or work resume?
Lone Wolf
03-29-2011, 17:41
no. really don't know why it would?
In most cases it probably looks worse than nothing. In a few cases it might look good (gear store, school for outdoor recreation).
Second Half
03-29-2011, 17:53
Worse than nothing? Wow.
I've hired (and fired) many people in my career. I have to say that something different/unique that shows a person can stick with and achieve a goal (i.e. a 6 month thru-hike) would not be a negative. Weeding through dozens of resumes something like this would stand out.
Just my $0.02
paistes5
03-29-2011, 17:59
Having hired and looked at a number of resumes myself, I think that it would be a positive point for a resume. A lot of times all the resumes are very similar and something that shows determination would definitely stick out and while not may get you the job, sure would warrant an interview, all thinks being equal.
As a previous owner of several businesses and still own my own it's definitely a plus. Especially if you thru hiked. Shows determination, self reliance, and stick with it attitude. All of which I look for when I hire some one.
johnnyjohnson2043
03-29-2011, 18:00
I think it depends on how you phrase the experience. My wife is in the Air Force and for evaluations her supervisors have made the most simple and mundane task sound as if she saved the world. For example, if one of her jobs was to sign for packages her supervisor might phrase it as "Responsible for the receipt and distribution of packages and correspondence with 100% accountability." Of course they were so much better at the BS game than I am but the idea is to phrase it in a way that will catch someone's attention. Just don't lie or exaggerate. A lot of people may not understand why anyone would spend 5 or 6 months walking 2000 miles but if you explain it in a way that relates to them they might at least see it in a better light than before. The first thing that comes to my mind is sticktoitiveness, perseverance, determination, etc. I'm sure others will be able to come up with some great ones too.
Tenderheart
03-29-2011, 18:01
Worse than nothing? Wow.
I've hired (and fired) many people in my career. I have to say that something different/unique that shows a person can stick with and achieve a goal (i.e. a 6 month thru-hike) would not be a negative. Weeding through dozens of resumes something like this would stand out.
Just my $0.02
I'd have to agree. If I were a prospective employer, it would certainly impress me. I guess it depends on the area and the type job you're applying for. But, I'd have to say that in my area, most people have never heard of the AT, nor are they impressed by an AT thru hiker.
johnnyjohnson2043
03-29-2011, 18:03
It also depends on the job and/or college degree you plan on applying for. If it is related (forestry, outdoor recreation, etc.) I would definately say it is a plus.
Shutterbug
03-29-2011, 18:13
would hiking the AT look good on a college or work resume?
In my career, I have reviewed thousands of resumes. After a while they all look alike. Anything that distinguishes you from the other applicants is positive.
That being said, all it will get you is an interview. You will still have to sell your self in the face to face interview.
There is another aspect of hiking the AT that is more important than your resume. You will meet a wide variety of people. In the business community we call that "networking." Some of those people you meet during your hike may be instrumental in helping you find employment after your hike. Build your network as you hike.
In my experience most people are employed as a result of knowing someone. Recommendations are really, really important.
WingedMonkey
03-29-2011, 18:40
would hiking the AT look good on a college or work resume?
You are assuming they even now what the Appalachian Trail is or care.
Ask someone that has thru hiked if they would want someone else they met on the trail to live in their house. The answers would vary from "I would make room for them" to "I wouldn't even want them in my neighborhood".
:sun
You are assuming they even now what the Appalachian Trail is or care.
Ask someone that has thru hiked if they would want someone else they met on the trail to live in their house. The answers would vary from "I would make room for them" to "I wouldn't even want them in my neighborhood".
:sun
Huh what? I have plenty of employees that do a great job for me that I wouldn't want to live with me. That response was kinda clueless.
Speer Carrier
03-29-2011, 19:00
When I was hiring, I always looked for people that had a demonstrated skill in my business. So, I would think it would help, as others have said, if you were looking to work for an outfitter, etc.
And, I know at least 20 people who have thru hiked that I would not hire for anything but outdoorsy stuff, because they have no demonstrated skills in anything else.
I agree with Lone Wolf (as I usually do), having thru hiked the Appalachian Trail is not indicative of anything but an ability to thru hike the Appalachian Trail.
kayak karl
03-29-2011, 19:13
in an interview i would ask this, "thats nice. are you planning other hikes? you didn't like this hike? not hiking again? will you want another 6 month leave? why did you hike? why did you go to college? you wanted a break from what? you sure you can handle this job? ............... NEXT
Chester Copperpot
03-29-2011, 19:25
letting an employer know that you took six months off to hike in the woods and commune with hippies might not be the best corse of action.
the only "real world" people that know i long distance hike outside of family are other hikers/backpackers.
I find that other normal people do not take well to having backpacking's challenge and beauty explained to them. Therefore, when meeting new people (especially now that I am back in school) I specifically leave out that I can take care of myself while hiking for hundreds of miles at a time, and that I do not get lonely. I have found that most people are incredibly stupid, and that avoiding these otherwize embarassing conversations.
There were a couple of companies I interviewed with after my thru-hike that were really put off by my thru-hike. They assumed I was burnt-out from a decade of military service. They couldn't comprehend someone would actually take the initiative to follow a personal goal for themselves.
It was a good sign to me that they weren't folks I wanted to work for anyway.
I eventually landed a pretty decent supervisory job with Bridgestone Tires. But in the end, my thru-hike kind of ruined me for a "regular" job. I eventually left and moved into teaching, which makes me much much happier.
Long and short, the AT on a resume may help with certain lines of work and certain companies, but it can sink your chances with others.
Blue Jay
03-29-2011, 20:07
But in the end, my thru-hike kind of ruined me for a "regular" job. I eventually left and moved into teaching, which makes me much much happier.
This is EXACTLY what the vast majority of Human Resources is going to think.
Remember to most corporations that is all you are, a "resource", nothing more.
If you spend months not chasing money like a robot, you are the last thing they are looking for. Sorry, I know most of you cannot accept this.
WingedMonkey
03-29-2011, 20:14
Would you hire someone that didn't finish a thru hike? Would you base thier position on how far they made it?
:-?
DBCFlash
03-29-2011, 20:37
I would be impressed with their ability to complete such a mammoth undertaking, then skeptically curious as to how they were able to "drop out" for six months with no income. Next thought would be whether they might feel compelled to "drop out" again.
It wouldn't go on any resume I'd submit, partly for those reasons, and primarily because I haven't thru hiked the AT (yet).
I agree with Shutterbug's comments. Depends on the job you seek and if you will be able to expound on completing an thru-hike with the prosective employer so you can relate the positives that you've learned and the notion of what it means to complete a thru-hike of 2200 miles. Depends on how, or if, you can explain exactly what you did and how you are better for what you did and how you bring those learned traits to the job you seek which sets you apart from and above others in this recent VERY competive job market. .
Definite plus and a great point of differentiation, as much as a potential employer is picking you, you are picking them as well, getting ready to exhange your life's hours for dollars. Agree that this could get you an interview but from there it is up to you!
Blissful
03-29-2011, 20:57
I put that I hiked the entire length of the AT in my bio on my writing proposals. The one editor I've worked with is very impressed by it. When I finished it in '07 she even put it on the editorial blog.
johnhump
03-29-2011, 21:02
the job i would be trying to get would hopefully be something geared towards the outdoors
kayak karl
03-29-2011, 21:04
the other side is im 55. im hiking this year. not the AT, but hiking. i get calls every week. ARE YOU READY TO WORK AGAIN? they are my age and envy me. the housing development in the Philippines is almost ready for me to manage.
"Backapacing been bery, bery good to me."
If it's like the typical city people I've met, as soon as you say you were hiking the AT, they will ask if you met the Governor of South Carolina while you were out there...
Let's just say the conversation was not very satisfying from my point of view and I probably should have never brought it up.
But generally on a resume I would favor anything that shows personal initiative. It's so rare in so many people.
Blackbird
03-29-2011, 21:11
... then skeptically curious as to how they were able to "drop out" for six months with no income. ...
Because life is all about chasing and spending and getting the money, of course, right?
Nothing is more antithetical to that mindset than hiking the AT.
roguedeadguy
03-29-2011, 21:16
Anyone who completes a thru-hike demonstrates the ability to adapt, and that's valuable in any job. Hikers tend to have a little MacGuyver in them. Minimal gear, long distances, unpredictable situations. While those traits may not be valued in a "do-as-I-say" job at McDonald's, they're quite valuable in many other professions.
letting an employer know that you took six months off to hike in the woods and commune with hippies might not be the best corse of action.
the only "real world" people that know i long distance hike outside of family are other hikers/backpackers.
I find that other normal people do not take well to having backpacking's challenge and beauty explained to them. Therefore, when meeting new people (especially now that I am back in school) I specifically leave out that I can take care of myself while hiking for hundreds of miles at a time, and that I do not get lonely. I have found that most people are incredibly stupid, and that avoiding these otherwize embarassing conversations.
Friend, there're lots of long-distance hikers and runners all around you up there in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. A lot of them are the people doing the hiring, especially in Charlottesville. While you may not get a job or make a friend because of the hike, it won't hurt and may help if they are people you want to be friends with in the first place.
Lone Wolf
03-29-2011, 21:19
thru-hikin' in 6 months is just havin' the time and money. not really a major feat. now running a 50 or 100 mile ultra is noteworthy
tcha5782
03-29-2011, 21:22
The one-year anniversary of the start of my hike is coming up and I have been thinking about the experience a lot. Not a thru-hike, but I went as far as I planned in as much time as I had budgeted. I think just about all points on this thread are valid but I wanted to offset what I felt like was a trend towards "don't put this on your resume."
I started the hike right after I decided on an MBA graduate program and ended it about 2 weeks before that program started. Once I got to school and started sending my resume out to companies in search of a summer internship, I put my love of long-distance hiking and the miles I had hiked this past summer at the bottom of my resume under the "additional/interests" section. The trip has separated me from many of my classmates and many of my interviewers have brought it up (and I've done fairly well in my job search).
I respectfully disagree with whoever said that recruiters want robots who are money-hungry and that this would detract from my ability to help my company be successful. In fact I think many of my interviewers have been impressed that I am more than your typical business school student whose goal in life is to be a money machine, and that I have some passion for life which comes through with the hike and other points on my resume. Most importantly, I think anyone writing a resume should think about what the overall message is that he/she is trying to convey. I have enough points that show my professional competence and skills and wanted to show something unique and interesting in the personal section, while also having the chance to talk about my ability to be motivated, patient, to plan, to push my self, etc.
And to all the questions in the quote below, I can think of positive ways to respond to each question and put myself in a positive light. Interviews are all about how you spin your story and sell yourself.
in an interview i would ask this, "thats nice. are you planning other hikes? you didn't like this hike? not hiking again? will you want another 6 month leave? why did you hike? why did you go to college? you wanted a break from what? you sure you can handle this job? ............... NEXT
I put that I hiked the entire length of the AT in my bio on my writing proposals. The one editor I've worked with is very impressed by it. When I finished it in '07 she even put it on the editorial blog.Blissful, you are a writer and I can see this. But unfortunately I agree with the other's that stated that most companies could probably care less in regards to completing a thru-hike, and most likely taking months and months off from the "real" workaday world will be viewed in a negative light by many potential employers today. With 5 job seeker's for every job in this miserable economy, if they even think you may be the type to want to take time off in the future for "whatever", you will be waiting a long, long time for that phone call back:rolleyes:.
paistes5
03-29-2011, 22:09
The responses that say it's a negative are a bit perplexing to me. I'm new to all of this, however I am one of those that has been in the office for a number of years.
I can say absolutely, without a doubt, all things being equal, you will get an interview. That's all you get, but it will absolutely separate you from all of the drones of your peers. If I thru hiked, I'd proudly put it on my resume without any fears.
No way. Unless it's something outdoor related and applicable. Most people won't even have the faintest idea of what thruhiking is, anyway.
I would even say it's negative. I know my employer wouldn't see it as a positive. Where I work the more robotic you are the better.
fiddlehead
03-29-2011, 22:22
the job i would be trying to get would hopefully be something geared towards the outdoors
Then, i would do it.
I was going to say that it really depends on the job.
If you are going to work in some corporate cubicle, definitely not (they may think that you will get bored with the cubicle life and go on another journey)
But, if you want to impress someone one that you can do physical things, have stamina, get the job done, etc.
I would not only include it but describe it a bit.
Good Luck!
I could never work for someone else anyway.
and if I did, it would be something I really like to do and would do my best to make them be aware of THAT fact. Because THAT is important.
Feral Bill
03-29-2011, 23:20
As I am currently job hunting. I've just read The 6 Reasons You'll Get the Job by Debera Abgel MacDougal abd Elisabeth Harney Sanders-Park. The book is chock full of good advise. I highly recommend it. In a nutshell, you need to learn enough about each employer you are looking at to know whether an AT thru hike goes in the individualized resume for that company or night.
Wish me luck on my big interview next week.
FB
johnhump
03-30-2011, 15:57
hmm interesting posts how well would this look on a college resume?
Worse than nothing? Wow.
I've hired (and fired) many people in my career. I have to say that something different/unique that shows a person can stick with and achieve a goal (i.e. a 6 month thru-hike) would not be a negative. Weeding through dozens of resumes something like this would stand out.
I agree Second, I'd phrase it as an accomplishment of a goal, something you had to work for and strive to achieve, the obstacles you overcame, etc. That would tell me, as the hiring manager, you're not going to just give up when a problem looks tough. IMHO
takethisbread
03-30-2011, 17:44
i would be highly impressed, and when i hire folks for my company i would rate thru hiking above a college degree, particularly if it were finished in less than 6 months.
I have yet to get an applicant who has done so.
CaptChaos
03-30-2011, 18:49
Hello Everyone:
I have really enjoyed this thread. What an interesting question.
It really depends on two people and what their views are. The interviewer and their personal likes and dislikes and the person applying for the position.
My son recevied the Medal of Honor with Crossed Palms for Lifesaving from the Boy Scouts when he was in High School. When it came time after college for him to create a resume and start searching for employment he did not want to put his honor down. I had to explain to him that what made him any different from 10,000 other college students coming out of college. He was up against 9,999 others for a position. He did list his honor and it was the source of conversation in many of his interviews. He is now working for the government and since his desire is law enforcement it might have helped him in his interview. But it was never pointed out that it made a difference one way or the other.
Years ago I had in my resume that I liked 18th dynasty history of Egypt. I had an interview and the manager wanted to know why I liked the 18th dynasty. When I told him why he told me that he was sure he knew the answer but he wanted to see me anyway. It got me an interview but it did not get me the position.
If the person doing the hiring is not a people person and really does not care about the person that they are interviewing then your reference to your journey will mean nothing. As a backpacker myself I would be interested in the reference and i would be impressed that you made the trip and completed it. It still does not imply to me that you can do the job but I would be impressed and it would be an ice breaker that we could talk about as we warmed up our conversations.
I worked with a guy once who knew nothing about computers and was in reality lost when it came to working with our customers. But he got the position because he was a college football player for a big team and the hiring manager was impressed that he played football and he liked to talk about the "glory" days. As far as the job went he was clueless as to computers and marketing. Again, it is the likes and dislike of the person doing the interviewing and the person on the other end in selling themselves.
A lot of times the course of the interview will determine if you need to talk about your experience. If the job had a lot of planning or logistics in the positon then I might talk about all of the planning and the supply logistics that I had to do for my trip. Its related and worth talking about. If not then just let it lie since no one wants to talk about it.
On it's own merit, hiking the appalachian trail, will most likely not get you a job. But being able to express your trip to your interviewer might break the ice for more conversation.
CaptChaos
thru-hikin' in 6 months is just havin' the time and money. not really a major feat. now running a 50 or 100 mile ultra is noteworthy
thru hike is still a feat .. and you know that.
:-?
I would suggest that any resume would have to be adapted to whatever job you apply for. One of the important things would be not to merely list a bunch of jobs or achievements, but to say something about how relevant those tasks are wrt the desired employment.
I would also suggest to put yourself in the shoes of the hiring company and ask yourself what are they looking for ? A Thru-hike would maybe look good for a job at REI, or an Adventure Touring company, but maybe not for a banking job.
Kernel
thru-hikin' in 6 months is just havin' the time and money. not really a major feat. now running a 50 or 100 mile ultra is noteworthy
I did a double marathon. The AT had much more impact upon my life...
Just sayin'... :)
Putting the AT on a resume may help or hinder you getting a job. All depends on the hiring person.
johnhump
03-30-2011, 19:59
WHAT ABOUT A COLLEGE RESUME!!! sorry that was part of the question too
WHAT ABOUT A COLLEGE RESUME!!! sorry that was part of the question too
See above..it all depends. :) Think it may help more for college than corporate if I had to guess... (and it is a WAG!)
I started a thread very similar to this not too long ago. I've had two interviews since then, and both jobs were geared toward working in the outdoors. One as a park ranger, the other as an intern to a naturalist. I never put my hike on my resume, but did bring it up in the interview. In my mind, I thought, great this should help me out. Here's what happened in reality.
The first interview, after I mentioned my hike, the very next question was "You do know that if you are selected, you will not be able to take six months off to do this sort of thing again, don't you?"
The next interview, they said "oohhhh" and nodded and wrote something down that I couldn't read. Neither one seemed to be impressed by my hike.
From now on, if I am asked about my interests and activities, I think I will mention that I like to hike, but won't talk about a thru hike unless they seem really interested.
And yes, I am still a bartender.