Way to check life’s oil and make your own breaks...back points awarded
If it were me I would list it as "Expedition Leader" it takes a lot of planning, logistics, budgeting/finance, prioritization, self direction and a host of other attributes to thru hike and you should reflect such on your resume.... Many people do not understand just how much commitment, planning and self grit it really takes.
The profile of 80% of AT thru hikers is well known - young kids right out of school/searching for a career or recently retired looking to do something outside of a cubicle or factory with their waning years of good health. But to say there is nothing special about successful long distance hikers is either uninformed, if you have never been there; or cavalier, if you have done it yourself.
A successful long distance hiker requires commitment, passion, planning, flexibility, adaptability, judgement, resiliency and a little bit of luck. Traits that as a hiring manager, I was usually looking for. My biggest concern about hiring a thru hiker, would be that they have seen the world through a different lens and may not want to put up with the mindless B.S. that most jobs revolve around.
I would highlight that the hike reinforced your ability to problem solve when given limited information, adapt to a constantly changing environment, persistence to follow through with a goal that is both physical and mental, the ability to routinely prioritize what is important, the realization that a team effort is important but everyone has to pull their own weight for success. You probably gained the ability to self motivate when things weren't going well, the ability to motivate others, and the ability to sort through multiple feeds of information to make sound decisions, that on occasion may have had severe health risks. If you can somehow incorporate these skills into your narrative, it can make your hike look beneficial towards the private sector.
Whether you think you can, or think you can't--you're right--Henry Ford; The Journey Is The Destination
I think you can put a lot spin on a thru-hike - if you choose to. Whether or not it sells is another story. If you try to make it out to be more than it is, such as representing serious professional and/or management skills, I think a LOT of hiring managers (both hikers and non-hikers) are going to call BS on it and some could actually be turned off when someone starts slinging the BS really deep. It does show commitment, some personal planning, and some really serious walking skills. But other than the ability to walks miles on end, those qualities are pretty much expected of all applicants that would ultimately be considered. Beyond that, I would deeply discount all the management, problem solving, and decision making skills some would claim it represents. They don't necessarily transfer as easily as some people think they do. The skills needed to thru-hike are mostly personal ones - not professional ones. As the saying goes, "It's just walking."
Originally Posted by Montana AT05
+1.
Several ways I get around resume gaps.
1) Connect or relate the gaps to the career or job that further that job or career. Don't let a LD hike be defined as a vacation or for recreational purposes or as an aimless "walk." Do this by knowing and approaching LD hiking/thru-hiking as experiencing more than hiking. Non hikers often don't fathom this as well as many hikers. It's up to you to tersely explain this while gaining command of the interviewing process - selling yourself. For instance, most of my resume gaps are LD backpacking and adventure related. All these trips incorporate dedicated education and hands on learning about regional flora, visiting outstanding Botanical Gardens and plant nurseries/plant breeders, recognizing noteworthy landscape architecture and design firms, etc. On many LD hikes I'll often volunteer 2 days at a Botanical Garden. Volunteering and pro bono work are great resume builders that be used to connect a career to hiking. My degrees, and passions, are in Landscape Architecture/landscape design and Horticulture. After hiking in Hawaii for 2 months I was offered three positions(all that I applied for) because I was able to correctly pronounce the Hawaiian names of many ornamental and native flora and minutely detail their growing requirements. It helps I'm also interested in regional and local Geology that correspond to soil sciences applicable to horticulture, golf courses, and Landscape Architecture.
2) I intentionally work on term projects. These are projects of a limited time. For example, I'll manage or be hired for a 2-6 month grow of say perennials or annuals or palms. I'm moving around the U.S. somewhat like seasonal worker's experience to do this. Work gaps in the projects are a built in part of the equation. It allows me to continue hiking in different places.
3) I have several portfolios professionally done that can speak louder than words on a resume or divert attention from resume gaps. I usually have at least two of them on an interview. If the interview is going sideways concerning these gaps I bring out the second "ooh ahh nice work saver portfolio."
4) I do the hiring because I own the business. I've been a business owner. I don't have to explain any gaps to anyone else.
This is unbelievably good advice here. Thank you for sharing. I took a long sabbatical from the working world a few years ago. Hiked the AT and did a bunch of other things I never could get around to doing when I had a job..or career...or whatever people call those things. So when I got bored again and decided to reenter the "real world" I listed a thru-hike as a way to (partially) explain my gap in employment.
This one, single solitary item lead to a interview with a guy who had received 100's of resumes for a single job opening. He told me as much. And I now have maybe the best job or career or whatever you call the thing where you trade your time and skills for cash that I have ever had.
No one will ever know if thru hiking hurt their opportunities to get an interview. But at least in my case, it was the reason that I got the interview. I am humbled by this because, as far as I know, the only thing I learned about myself as a thru hiker is that I can walk farther than most with a pack on my back while smelling really awful. Plus I can eat peanut butter and honey on a soft taco shell everyday for 5+ months and not get too tired of it.
BTW, Pony (OP) did you hike in '10? If so, we met somewhere. In Tn? Va? NH?
In my experience, those higher up the food chain have always appreciated learning of my thru hike most.
Company owners — always.
Mid-level managers and HR screeners much less so.
Good to know your audience — to the extent that is possible.
I've been retired for a number of years now, so haven't had to apply for a job lately, but when I did I long ago quit the whole chronological based resume. I wrote a "skills based (or functional) resume" where I highlighted __ skills and where I attained them. It works nicely for gaps in a resume but it also is good for unusual qualifications and skills. That says there may be places I wouldn't list it and others where I would. It's a judgement call, but I would think certain skills gained thru-hiking apply to areas not having to do with outdoor activities.
https://www.monster.com/career-advic...ctional-resume
I also think to emphasize that only 10%-15% complete the trail each year with thousands starting. To me this shows determination and willingness to see a project/job task thru to the end.
Blackheart
You'll get varied answers but IMO, you don't
Put job duration to YR not M/YR
Use it when you can in answer "describe a time when" questions in and interview then you can say it was 5 months out off work but helped me to develop skill set etc or whatever. Use it in the interview, leave it off the resume.
Worked for me and I never told them how long just said I had a small hiatus to do a bucket list item... YMMV
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GAME '16 4/18/16-8/12/16
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As an employer, my main concerns aside from the required job skills were 1.) Is this person going to be reliable 2.) Does this person have a good work ethic 3.) Are they trust worthy 4.) Can they get along with others. A gap in employment for a six month vacation would raise questions about reliability and work ethic for me. If a person had a six month gap between school and starting their career, that would not be a big red flag for me but a 6 month gap mid career might be.
If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.
Tell you what. I'm in IT, and had been in IT for 13 years by the time I did my thru hike. When I came back from the trail, I was shunned by my industry. They are so ridiculously workaholic computer obsessed that the thought of taking a break for 6 months after 13 years of service was reprehensible. I was told by one recruiter "what makes you think you can just go and do something like this?" Absolutely no one would hire me. So I lied. I said I ran my own consultancy and when they asked for references from that time I told them that would be inappropriate to call my customers as they were not employers. Once I got my career back, and once enough time had passed, I started telling people what I did as I was already reestablished as good at what I do.
I'm not sure what you do, but if you are in technology, don't tell them you were hiking the Appalachian Trail. You'd be wasting your time, those nerds don't care about athletic endeavors.
Congrats on your accomplishment.
Wy yes I did, kind of. I left Springer in April 2008 and hiked to Damascus. I got off the trail there for reasons that still aren't clear to me but resumed my hike in April of 2010 and finished in September of 2010. So if we met it wouldn't have been in Tennessee. Can you refresh my memory?
Honesty and Integrity are traits that I value. It is the basis by which I judge others and the standard that I hold myself to. If I were to be completely honest with myself, my employment and career has nothing to do with the trail. I mistakenly thought that by getting a college degree I would be entitled to a job making great money with good benefits and be on a course to advance and retire at some point. Boy, was I wrong. So for nearly a decade I bartended because I was making good money and could manipulate my schedule to accommodate my hiking obsession among other traveling adventures. I got a bartending job a few weeks after I came home from the trail. It went well for a while but then I realized my boss, also the owner of the establishment, was an alcoholic, racist, misogynistic prick. One day he pulled one of his racist stunts and ran several of my bar guests off. I was infuriated. One of my coworkers was having a party that night, so I thought I could go blow off some steam and be ok the next day to work my shift. Turns out I couldn't get over it and was even more pissed the next day. So I called him up and told him exactly what I thought of him and why I couldn't work for him anymore. I was truthful.
I took a week and hiked around the Monongahela National Forrest. Spruce Knob, Seneca Rocks, and Dolly Sods Wilderness. I had a good talk with myself. I came to the realization that, unless you wanted a long island iced tea, I didn't have much to offer. Sure I had an education. I'm a hard worker. I'm dependable. I had the courage to leave my home behind and walk 2,000 miles. Other than the college degree, none of this was attractive to prospective employers that were willing to pay more than $12/hr. I wasn't going down like that.
I learned a lot about perseverance on my hike. I took the proverbial step back in order to take a step forward. I took a job with a temporary agency for $9/hr just to keep money coming in until I could find something better. I was doing manual labor; It was rather Zen. After nine months I got promoted to Team Leader. Several months later I was demoted. Well, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. I was over it and exploring other options. A good friend of mine who happened to be the Quality Control Supervisor talked me off the ledge. She persuaded me to join the Quality Control Team rather than leave the company. This was a game changer. I spent close to four years learning the company. Learning the industry. I gained knowledge that few others in the company knew. I was thirsty. Six months ago it finally paid off. I got the promotion I was waiting for.
It didn't last, never does. The difference is that I now have a stellar resume and several excellent references. I went on an interview last week and was told I was overqualified. that is the highest complement I have ever had.
So, I would say, don't put it in the resume, but don't shy away from it. the skills you learn on the trail are more valuable that the hike itself.
This is comedy gold.
He’s slippin’ schpellt astronuts corectively.
The best advice I ever got was from a guidance counselor when I had "flaws" on my resume: Do you really want to work for someone who would object to that flaw?
Wouldn't you rather work for someone who thought hiking the AT, or any adventure that took some stones to undertake and complete, was a cool thing? Conversely, would you really want to work for a scrooge who thought it was folly?
Yeah, if the price was right.
As a former HS wrestler from a long time ago, I appreciate the back point reference. I've always thought there were a lot of similarities between wrestling and hiking.Way to check life’s oil and make your own breaks...back points awarded
I like to revisit this thread from time to time. Anyway, here's a little update. Following my 2010 thru hike, I worked as a bartender for a short time, and then I took a position at a local manufacturing plant making $9/hr. I took whatever came my way and did the best I could with it. Over 11 years I changed roles countless times and eventually became the Quality Control Supervisor. During this time I gained imeasurable skills. Despite constant management turnover, I somehow survived.
Last thursday I was notified that due to restructuring, my position had been eliminated. I was devastated, but I was also left with two things.
The first, I gained priceless job skills during this time. Turns out, the six month gap on my resume didn't look nearly as bad as my lack of job skills.
The second thing, in recognition of my hard work and dedication, I was awarded a generous severence package.
That being said, sometime in the next 7-10 days, I will be getting on the Long Trail at Maine Junction and hiking to the northern terminus. Only this time, I am confident that I will have the job skills to make up for the gap in my employment.
That is how I made it sound good on a resume.
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