Would you mention that you are a skydiver?

[billvon 2,400]

>But lets look at Skydiving Movies:

Well, if those are the standards you use, best not mention that you worked as a cop ("Renegade cop makes his own brand of justice. . . out of control cop") or a scientist (". . . as an obsessed scientist tampers with nature . . . ".) Both have been maligned in popular movies.

I tend to not mention skydiving just because it has nothing to do with what I usually do, so it's inappropriate.

[rehmwa 2]

I can't wait to see you two as teammates.......

say hi to storrie and Howie next time you see them

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Spatula 0]

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It really depends where you are applying to work.
For example, mentioning to an army recruiter that you skydive will earn you points (aggressive, brave, etc.), but saying the same thing to an Air Force recruiter will label you as "weird."

Hate to break it to you but an Air Force recruiter wouldn't label you as such, since there are a few jobs that require jump wings (statis and HALO). They would probably lead you towards them since that would earn them a larger bonus by enlisting someone into those career fields (Pararescue & Combat Control).

[rehmwa 2]

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It really depends where you are applying to work.
For example, mentioning to an army recruiter that you skydive will earn you points (aggressive, brave, etc.), but saying the same thing to an Air Force recruiter will label you as "weird."

Hate to break it to you but an Air Force recruiter wouldn't label you as such, since there are a few jobs that require jump wings (statis and HALO). They would probably lead you towards them since that would earn them a larger bonus by enlisting someone into those career fields (Pararescue & Combat Control).

maybe so, but he'd still be wierd

edit: All this thread proves is that ~ half of us are so impressed with our choice of a recreational activity, that we have to get it out, even to a stranger, even though it could seriously impact our ability to land a job. I remember being in that place my first 3 years in the sport. Skydiving is just plain that cool (to skydivers anyway). I'd love to see the poll broken down by jump numbers, I bet the newer in the sport one is, the more prone they are to vote "yes" (always exceptions, I'm thinking a more GLM type of statistical analysis of the inputs, one of which being number of jumps)

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Jeth 0]

Its funny you mentioned this -- I was just at an interview on Thursday and was pondering mentioning it. They seemed like cool guys, the interview was going well, and they seemed to like me. So I I felt comfortable mentioning it. (And besides, it might be that "cool" factor, and score some extra points ) But they never asked me my hobbies, so it never came up.

But now that they've hired me, I don't have to worry about first impressions anymore so I'll definitely be telling them when it comes up.

"At 13,000 feet nothing else matters."
PFRX!!!!!
Team Funnel #174, Sunshine kisspass #109
My Jump Site

[riggerrob 558]

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It really depends where you are applying to work.
For example, mentioning to an army recruiter that you skydive will earn you points (aggressive, brave, etc.), but saying the same thing to an Air Force recruiter will label you as "weird."

Hate to break it to you but an Air Force recruiter wouldn't label you as such, since there are a few jobs that require jump wings (status and HALO). They would probably lead you towards them since that would earn them a larger bonus by enlisting someone into those career fields (Pararescue & Combat Control).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Depends whose air force you apply to.
Few air forces are large enough to accept initial enlistments as combat controllers.
Heck, only a few air forces are large enough to train combat controllers or para-rescue types, period.
For example,the only personnel in the Canadian Air Force - that jump on a regular basis - are Search and Rescue Technicians.
CSAR is a remuster -only trade that usually attracts people from "army" trades because no one else has the time or energy to achieve that level of physical fitness.
Canadian Air Force recruiters look for boring people who will do the same job, year in and year out, and who are uncomfortable taking risks. This leads to low accident rates.

[Andy9o8 0]

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Canadian Air Force recruiters look for boring people who will do the same job, year in and year out, and who are uncomfortable taking risks. This leads to low accident rates.

Just curious - how does that translate into what kind of fighter pilots the CAF has?

[Ron 7]

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Well, if those are the standards you use, best not mention that you worked as a cop

They have a negative feel as well in many positions. Also being a cop is a job, not a hobby. For example saying you were one of the folks that gaurded the border to prevent illegal immigrants from comming over would be bad to mention in an interview as well since it could backfire.

Like it or not many people do in fact associate us by the movies that portray us.

Is it accuarate? NOPE. But people still do it and its a bad idea to risk a job based on how a person will take your participation in a hobby.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[Ron 7]

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The Great Ron has spoken?

And if you want to quote dictionary entries, it helps to spell it properly: weird.


One last thing you might want to consider, Ron, is that it's just barely possible I have been on both sides of the interview table, and I'm not speaking out of my arse.

You seem to have a personal problem with me....Maybe this is something you should bring up before we form a team.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[stoneycase 0]

in my line of work, i would absolutely NOT mention that i "am a skydiver" or "skydive regularly" during an inteview or something similar to what you are describing.

however, it's all about context and environment. personally, i don't need skydiving to explain to an employer/potential employer who i am, or what i can do professionally. skydiving is something i do on my own time, and therefore not really a concern of my employer.

i would leave it OUT of any initial conversation because it's not "useful information". sure if your job interview is at Aerodyne, or something similar then go that route - talk up your jump numbers. in general, every single professional i've ever spoken to has told me point blank: interviews are not about your hobbies, part-time activities, etc. they are about communicating your skills and abilities. if you start talking about your hobbies and other activities in order to accomplish this goal(communicate your skills and abilities), then chances are you not qualified for the position. what i mean by this is you should have some other way to communicate, whatever positive characteristic you believe skydiving gives you, to your employer rather than just talking about skydiving.

for example, if you thought that being a regular skydiver made you a more analytical person that calculates risk on the fly and can perform in difficult or pressure situations, then i would suggest you relay this information to your potential employer by looking at either your prior work experience, accomplishments (professional, technical, etc), or education and finding an appropriate example. you and i both know that if you bring up skydiving to whuffo during an interview to talk about how you can perform under pressure, or whatever, you're screwed. (worst case you get hired and now you're the "skydiving guy". personally, i'd just rather be the new guy or FNG and make a name for myself through the job/work itself)

i never really cared for the folks that went around blabbing "look @ me i skydive" anyway. if i was interested in what you do for fun i would have asked you...

good luck.

[AlexCrowley 0]

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worst case you get hired and now you're the "skydiving guy".

suuuuuuuuuuuuuure.

Are you speaking from personal experience? As I said earlier, it came up in my interview and hasn't been mentioned since (except in the form of bonuses and time off).

Of course, I'm known around the office as [anything but a skydiving] guy. So it's prolly somewhere on the list after 'asshole'.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[stoneycase 0]

so it's not possible that bringing up skydiving during an interview (at any point) would lead to you being billed as "the skydiving guy/gal"? give me a break man...

speaking from personal experience - YES. i started jumping while working a professional job. immediately it was watercooler fodder. then came halloween. guess what question i heard 50K times? "are you going to be a skydiver for halloween??" did it affect my performance - naw. did it change people's perception of me - absolutely. personally i would much rather have my employer's and coworker's perception of me influenced primarily by my behavior and accomplishments at work, on the job and nothing else. this is why you won't see me at the holiday party sucking up the free drinks. (ok maybe i'll suck em up, but that's right before i get in the cab to get the hell out of there)

seriously though, if it is appropriate, bring it up. i thought one of the best examples in this thread of when TO bring it up was somebody talking about getting hired as an Instructor at their job. The person had been a skydiving instructor for 12 years, obviously mentioning this qualification helps to convey to the employer their skills and abilities. Additionally, the fact they are a skydiving instructor shows that they are able to "teach" concepts and "intangibles" to students. All around, this person had a great in to bring up skydiving.

Change that around, say they were applying for a management position, I would say that you need to NOT mention skydiving as it has no direct bearing on your abilities as a manager, even if you are/were an instructor. Want the mgmt job? Find a spot on your resume under "experience, accomplishments, or education" that will relate why you should have your job and you'll go farther than the guy who walks in talking about "how he opened fast because someone tracked under him therefore he would be good manager because he can perform well under pressure" or something similar. (ok it may be a bad ex, but hopefully you get the point)

just my .02, again it's all driven by environment and context. however, if you fail to mention skydiving i would say the chances of this failure being labeled a "mistake" or the reason why you didnt get the job as being slim to none and slim left town. look @ the flipside, there is a chance that mentioning skydiving could have a negative effect, you say so in your first post. you have a lot more to risk by throwing it out there than keeping it to yourself. play the odds. be smart. find another way to relate that characteristic or attribute, you'll be better off for it.

[AlexCrowley 0]

nah, just that you said at the least you'd be labeled as such and I hadn't been.

Then again I dont work in large companies where I'd meet people who would be blown away by the concept of being around a real skydiver.

urm, actually Im the token normal/sane guy here...which says a great deal about the company I work for.

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[stoneycase 0]

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nah, just that you said at the least you'd be labeled as such and I hadn't been.

ah MY BAD.

good point about the size though, im in a 500+ employee company, and my previous job was a 1K+ employee co.

i'm hesitant to say that a larger company would frown upon skydiving or perhaps be less likely to "accept" or "see the positives", but i would venture to say if you polled HR at large co's and small co's you'd probably find some of coorelation between size and their "outlook" on skydiving.

but hey, if you are that guy I talked about interviewing for the Instructor position at a Fortune 100 with over 10K employees, I still think you have a great in to talk about skydiving as a certified AFF Instructor, etc. And in that case, the fact that your subject material is "skydiving" should make for a damn interesting interview, especially in comparison to the yahoo who's talking about instructing people at seminar's, conferences, etc.

Does whisky count as beer? - Homer
There's no justice like angry mob justice. - Skinner
Be careful. There's a limited future in low pulls - JohnMitchell

[darrenspooner 0]

Don't spontaneously bring it up, you'll be seen as a narcissist. But if they ask just add t to your list of hobbies and sports. Their ears will prick up and they'll ask you why. You do it because you want to live, not because you want to die. You are prepared to take a risk to acheive something. You are meticulous. You are not afraid. But you're not stupid.

Just don't go to the interview in your jumpsuit, metaphorically speaking

[AlexCrowley 0]

I agree on the large small thing. Larger companies have to adhere to policies and are usually mature enough to have developed some sort of rigidity and ..........boringness.

Hell, I spent 9 months working at head office for a hotel chain as the only technical guy in an analyst team and their feathers were ruffled by the fact that I'd get to work at 6 and leave at 4.30 (3 hours before they arrived, 30 minutes earlier than all of them left - in lockstep).

They got excited the day a new coffee machine arrived (which was 24 hours before I resigned because they got excited that a new coffee machine arrived).

TV's got them images, TV's got them all, nothing's shocking.

[Andy9o8 0]

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They got excited the day a new coffee machine arrived (which was 24 hours before I resigned because they got excited that a new coffee machine arrived).

LOL!!

[stoneycase 0]

hahaha

ah, yes, the beauties of quitting/resigning. i'd love to do it true skydiver fashion and leave that shirt or sticker that says "Take this job and shuv it, I'm going skydiving" on my empty desk.

[Ron 7]

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i thought one of the best examples in this thread of when TO bring it up was somebody talking about getting hired as an Instructor at their job. The person had been a skydiving instructor for 12 years, obviously mentioning this qualification helps to convey to the employer their skills and abilities. Additionally, the fact they are a skydiving instructor shows that they are able to "teach" concepts and "intangibles" to students. All around, this person had a great in to bring up skydiving.

That was me.
It is worth mentioning that:

1. It was for a position in the same company I already worked for and it was already known that I was a jumper. In fact the hiring manager and I had worked together before and a bunch of us talked about it before....So he already knew. Knowing that he knew already, it could not hurt.

2. It helped that I had been a martial arts instructor and had a medal from my Army time for being an instructor as well. In fact my skydiving instructor exp was only used to tie in the fact that I like to teach and gravitate to those positions.

Even then I was hired in in the lowest Instructor position available. They didn't count one day of my Skydivng, martial arts, or Military Instruction exp when it came to pay grades. The next step up requires two years of instructing exp, and the next 5 years. I asked and the answer was that while the experience showed I liked to teach and it helped me get the job, it was not "professional" enough instructing experience to warrant a pay grade bump. Not even one level. This was his opinion, and legal agreed.

Thats a 10 and 20 grand a year starting difference. I did not care since it was a raise anyway and I will get those promotions as I reach those marks automatically.

So it did help, but if I had been teaching something else, even for less time, it would have helped more.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[rehmwa 2]

the Great Ron has spoken



note ====>

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[billvon 2,400]

>For example saying you were one of the folks that gaurded the
> border to prevent illegal immigrants from comming over would be
> bad to mention in an interview as well since it could backfire.

Right, but if you were applying for a job as a prison guard it could be extremely relevant, and it might be foolish not to mention it. To me it's not whether or not the bit of info might cause people to have a preconception - it's whether or not the information is relevant to a job.

[Ron 7]

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Right, but if you were applying for a job as a prison guard it could be extremely relevant, and it might be foolish not to mention it.

Well the only thing about that is that is an emotionally charged subject. Lets say the interviewer was Hispanic. It could easily backfire on you. The thing is with resume's is you never know who is going to read them and be making that call.

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To me it's not whether or not the bit of info might cause people to have a preconception - it's whether or not the information is relevant to a job.

And I agree. The question is if you should put it on a resume....And I think in skydiving that answer is no in most cases. People on here have stated that personal hobbies are not a good thing to have on a resume.

One of the best pieces of advice I was given for interviewing was to answer the questions in this order:

1. Experience in that field/job.
2. Experience in another field/job.
3. Experience in a hobby.

I was told that is I had to dig to #3 that meant I was not qualified, only interested in that area.

It may work in some fields, it may back fire in others.

Most people have said it has never really been a plus and can be a negative.

JMO....Others can and will disagree and thats fine.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[rehmwa 2]

most interviews, skydiving is about as relevant as bragging about being a fire eater. The best you can hope for that is a confused look and then getting back to your "qualifications" for that job.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[LittleDJ 0]

i actually got asked what i do for a hobby, at the time i was planning on doing a bungee jump and answered with that, later i was asked how i deal with stress and also answered bungee jump for this, it made (my now) boss laugh and i got the job!! Its not a bad thing to admit you skydive, my work thinks its great i have the confidence to do it. also look at it from another point, if you do get asked the question, and answer with a more basic hobby, what will happen if you do get the job and they find out then. i would say, go with your instincts at the time.

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LittleDJ!!- There is no such thing as a perfectly good aircraft!!!

[Flygurl 0]

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most interviews, skydiving is about as relevant as bragging about being a fire eater. The best you can hope for that is a confused look and then getting back to your "qualifications" for that job.



HA HA!!!

As a senior manager with ten years of hiring experience, I have to agree with you. For most positions, skydiving is more likely to be a detriment than a positive on a resume or in an interview.

Save the skydiving for later conversations. Why distract them from all your fabulous qualifications?

________________________________________

"One out of every four American's are suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you."