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  1. #1
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    Default How do I make this sound good on a resume?

    So, the hike is over and it looks as though it is time for me to get a job. I feel that my time on the trail is an asset rather than a detriment, however I assume that some prospective employers will look at it like I spent five months screwing off. How do I explain this gap in employment without sounding like a slacker?

  2. #2
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    Persistence, stamina, achieving objectives, dedication, goal seeking, planning, ability to work under stress... these might be some words to describe your characteristics as demonstrated by the hike. If you're applying at any of the outdoor sports companies you may have a BIG advantage.

    As far as the gap is concerned, you took advantage of an opportunity (bad job market, commitments, responsibilities changed, etc.).

    Good luck!
    Simple is good.

  3. #3
    So many trails... so little time. Many Walks's Avatar
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    What type of business and occupation are you applying for?
    That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. Henry David Thoreau

  4. #4

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    as an alum of the natinal outdoor leadership school concidered the harvard of outdoor educations, and haveing been choosin for the instructors course at 17,......i will mention this fact concerning what perspective employers want. nasa, this countrys proud leader in space exsploration has as a prerecwisit for all astronauts, that they complete a wilderness course at nols. the reason as stated by nasa. self relience. and the proof of it. also, hikers are jedis with power to take jobs.i have been out of work since two weeks before last holloween and am just finding small jobs now. i didnt depend on anyone. sept maby an access card for 200 $ of food in the end when i had nothing . but i pounded the sidewalks and kept positive and all with my hiker streanths.
    matthewski

  5. #5
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    Pony,
    Just be honest, sincere, yourself and persistent. Just like completing the hike.
    Simple is good.

  6. #6
    Registered User Moose2001's Avatar
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    First.....I would not put the hike on your resume. I think it's something that just doesn't look right on a resume. Don't get me wrong. It's something to be proud of. It's a huge accomplishment. Look at it from an employers perspective though.

    When the question about the gap in your employment comes up, and it will, it's your chance to toot your own horn. Explain what the AT is and what a thru is. Phrases like determination, hard work, persistence, hardest thing you've ever done seem to capture an interviewer's attention. Anyone with any brains will quickly see you're the kind of person they want working for them. You can make it a positive.
    GA - NJ 2001; GA - ME 2003; GA - ME 2005; GA - ME 2007; PCT 2006

    A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.
    —SPANISH PROVERB

  7. #7
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    You know, this might be the best reason yet to consider hiking to raise money for charity.

    Saying, "I undertook the challenge to walk 2179 miles to raise money for a cure for cancer." or something to that effect sounds pretty good.

    And it's a cool thing to raise money for a worthwhile cause anyway.

  8. #8
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    My 3 cents, I would proudly put an accomplishment like thru hiking the AT on my resume, remember, you are getting ready to trade your life's hours for $$$$'s. (The more the better)............time for YOU to be selective as well.

    Not sure what you are like, your skill sets, your passions or your real business / occupational dreams & desires, if they are not aligned I would question taking that job. Most of the people I meet have little spark, that is a HUGE difference on who someone might hire or not.

    Anyone who has thru hiked the AT has my complete respect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    A prospective employer should get that, or walk away, they are not worth your time, you are a buyer too (for a job)

  9. #9
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    To be fair, I didn't thru-hike. In 2008 I hiked from Springer to Damascus, and this year I hiked from Damascus to Katahdin. Yeah I know, splitting hairs. It should come as no surprise that I am looking for a job where I can spend some time outdoors, so I am currently looking at Columbus Metro Parks and Ohio Department of Natural Resources. I have a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in Integrated Social Studies, so unless I want to teach, my other option is to bartend, which I have been doing since I graduated.

    I have no doubt that if I were given an interview I could impress them to a degree, but getting the interview is sometimes the problem. Could this be a problem with the resume, or am I just not annoying (by annoying, I mean persistent) enough?

  10. #10
    Registered User lonewolftrekker's Avatar
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    Pony bro... are you sure we weren't just screwing off ib the woods... I still remember us lost at 10pm, LOL. but it was fun.
    stumbling goes the hippie.
    howling goes the wolf.
    i am stumble wolf

  11. #11
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    Not lost, just didn't know where we were.

  12. #12
    Iron Guts IronGutsTommy's Avatar
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    i wouldnt put it on a resume, but yeah when the gap comes up id simply explain what an accomplishment it was. a thru hike is a far cry from getting drunk in an RV, thats for sure
    I broke a mirror in my house. I'm supposed to get seven years bad luck but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pony View Post
    So, the hike is over and it looks as though it is time for me to get a job. I feel that my time on the trail is an asset rather than a detriment, however I assume that some prospective employers will look at it like I spent five months screwing off. How do I explain this gap in employment without sounding like a slacker?
    what makes your time walkin' with no purpose other than gettin' to a mountain an asset?

  14. #14
    Serial Hiker
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    Place it under a section called Personal Accomplishments. It's something you're proud of, and rightly so. Just be ready to explain the positives of your hike when asked - what you learned, how you follow through things to the end, etc.
    perrito

    684.4 down, 1507.6 to go.

    "If a man speaks in the woods, and there is no woman there to hear, is he still wrong?"

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lone Wolf View Post
    what makes your time walkin' with no purpose other than gettin' to a mountain an asset?
    Nothing really, it's just walkin'

  16. #16
    Registered User Toolshed's Avatar
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    Put it at the bottom under "Activities & Interests".
    I frequently scan resumes for my department and if you have the business skills I am looking for, then this added piece gets you in the door as a conversation starter.
    .....Someday, like many others who joined WB in the early years, I may dry up and dissapear....

  17. #17
    Hike smarter, not harder.
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    Just explain the gap if they ask. I've never cared about the hobbies of the people I've hired, only their job-related performance. Be cool to hear about after they're hired though.
    Con men understand that their job is not to use facts to convince skeptics but to use words to help the gullible to believe what they want to believe - Thomas Sowell

  18. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pony View Post
    How do I explain this gap in employment without sounding like a slacker?
    Tell them you were in prison.
    Drab as a Fool, as aloof as a Bard!

    http://www.wizardsofthepct.com

  19. #19
    Registered User Toolshed's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by skinewmexico View Post
    Just explain the gap if they ask. I've never cared about the hobbies of the people I've hired, only their job-related performance. Be cool to hear about after they're hired though.
    Old line thinking
    New line thinking - What is your emotional intelligence. Not so much related to being a superstar, academic abilities, B-School Degree, Technical Knowledge or years of experience, but rather how you measure up to being able to work with others and eventually move into leadership.

    Things that have become far more important now in many organizations are the personal qualities - Initiative, Empathy, Adaptability and Persuasiveness..

    If you can add a bit of human element to your resume, do it.
    .....Someday, like many others who joined WB in the early years, I may dry up and dissapear....

  20. #20
    Registered User Old Hiker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pony View Post
    Not lost, just didn't know where we were.
    You knew were YOU were, you just didn't know where anyone else was. Apologies to Dan'l Boone for paraphrasing.
    Old Hiker
    AT Hike 2012 - 497 Miles of 2184
    AT Thru Hiker - 29 FEB - 03 OCT 2016 2189.1 miles
    Just because my teeth are showing, does NOT mean I'm smiling.
    Hányszor lennél inkább máshol?

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