Being a boy scout really taught me some skills down through the years.
And while a lot of those skills are physical in their nature, and come in handy while I’m at play on adventures, other skills that are more mental in nature were also instilled in me.
Skills that can be applied in everyday aspects of your work and life. And importantly, skills that employers crave for their employees to have.
These kinds of skills are on every employers checklist when it comes to hiring and promoting staff, and not just here in the States – but all over the world.
Teamwork:
Something that every employer is interested in is “how do you work as part of a team?”.
Teamwork is seen as vital in pretty much every working situation you could imagine, and for good reason. Working as part of a team is rewarding and this is a skill that all boy scouts learn.
Being able to work effectively with a range of different personality types will stand well to you in your employment.
Time Management:
Another thing that employers often ask is “how do you prioritize your time?”.
Having the ability to meet targets, weigh up tasks that should be completed first and general planning competencies are great abilities to have, and are likely to come up at almost every interview you will ever attend.
Leadership:
Some people are more naturally gifted leaders than others, but there are others that are followers. In the boy scouts, you are taught it is better to display leadership qualities together with your team working skills.
Be the person that people want to follow, not the person people are told to follow. This is achieved by working in the team, carrying out the same tasks as the rest, rather than dictating tasks to the team and taking a back seat.
The best way to improve a team is to lead the way, rather than directing them on their way, and watching them wandering off aimlessly.
Employers clamor for people with leadership skills in every single industry.
Adaptability:
Another question often asked at interviews is “How do you deal with change?”
Well, adaptability is something that comes naturally to boy scouts in time. You are constantly immersed in new environments, and you’d better adapt to them, or else your gonna have bad times!
But seriously, in the scouts, you could be in a range of different conditions, and adaptability is key, and can mean the difference between excelling at your task at hand or performing badly.
Change should only ever be seen as a good thing, not a obstacle to be overcome, but an opportunity to excel, and maybe learn something new in doing so.
We are taught many things in the scouts, and it really is a great tool, a way of preparing you for stepping out into the big bad world.