Creating a resume for an application is tough… whether it’s for a job, for an internship, or for school. You have a lot of experience in different things like sports, clubs, internships, and volunteer work but Girl Scouts? Can you really use your years hanging out with friends selling cookies and going to camp on your resume?! Of course, you can! In fact, your Girl Scout experience is part of what separates you from other candidates!

Pin this post for later!

Start with thinking about the skills and experience you have gained in Girl Scouting.

The number of years you have been a Girl Scout is a great thing to include on any resume as continuing with a singular organization shows commitment, even if you’ve only been part of Girl Scouts for a few years.

Did you participate in the fall sale program or Girl Scout Cookie program?

Now think back to when you were selling fall products or cookies. What was your goal? What did you do to accomplish your goal? Did you have to sell for multiple years to raise enough money? What about talking to customers? Did you have to explain what you were selling, and why? The fall sale and cookie programs help girls learn goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics, and even participating in just one sale sets you up with these essential skills. The more times you did it, the more experience you gained.

Did you lead any meetings or plan any events?

Being part of Girl Scouts, you probably learned how to lead your troop meetings, orchestrated a group through an activity, or maybe even practiced different types of governance within your troop, your service unit, and even the organization.

You may have even planned events. Did you ever host a World Thinking Day Celebration? Spearheaded a badge day or Journey? What about my gal and me or my guy and me tea party or dance? Doing any or all of these demonstrates your leadership, event management, program planning, organizational and money management skills.

Did you earn a Higher Award?

If you earned your Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and/or Gold Award, you learned how to research an issue, work with the community, pitch a sustainable project idea, recruit and lead a team of volunteers from start to finish, and manage budgets and timelines. This demonstrates large project management, problem solving, communication, and team management skills as well as passion for helping the community.

Were you part of a Girl Scout interest group?

Were you part of a very specific troop like the Space Cookies robotics team, Mariner Scouts, or an Outdoor Troop like the Backpacking Interest Group? These troops give unique experiences with STEM, nautical, and outdoor adventures which can be used as general experience or capitalized on for particular programs or internships you are applying for. In addition to invaluable skills, participation in these interest groups demonstrates dedication and hands-on experience that will give you an edge over other applicants who just have an interest or desire to learn more.

All Girl Scout experiences help to develop essential life skills, as well as confidence and competence. I’m sure not all skills you learned (or could have learned) are listed here, but hopefully this list will help you start thinking of what you have accomplished as a Girl Scout.

Now how do you frame these skills and experiences on your resume?

Each individual’s Girl Scout career will appear differently on a resume. Everyone has a different writing style, and depending on the program or job you are applying for, you’re likely going to highlight and emphasize different aspects of your Girl Scout career. To help you get started, here are some examples of how to make your impressive Girl Scouting experiences standout on your resume.

Start with how many years you were a Girl Scout, and add in things that you did prior to high school in a concise way. For example: “A member of Girl Scouts for 12 years. Ran a successful business for 10 years selling cookies by developing and maintaining a customer base as well as utilizing the latest technology available. Recruited, motivated, and steered teams of volunteers through planning and hosting two large events and championing the resolution of a local issue through earning the Girl Scout Silver Award.”

Make sure to highlight any major programs, events, positions, or awards completed in high school with a short summary of what you did. Depending on how much space you have on your resume, separate out your various achievements and include specific accomplishments.

Examples:

Gold Award Girl Scout (May 12, 2017)

The Gold Award is the Highest Award a Girl Scout can earn. Analyzed the root cause of the education gap. Recruited, motivated, and trained volunteers to work with students. Implemented a trial partnership between the local Title-1 Elementary School and the volunteers which developed into a reading/tutoring program with locations at every elementary school in Fremont.

Lead the Way Planning Committee Member and Chair (Aug-March 2015-2018)
Helped organize a leadership conference for 160 high school girls consecutively for 3 years. Persuaded donations of goods as a member of the welcoming committee. Directed the recreation committee through the development and implementation of STEM based activities. Chaired the entire committee and conference through recruitment, marketing, and designing.

Girl Board Participant (2016-2018)
Participated in Board of Director’s meetings and advised on important policies and discussions. Conveyed the important girl perspective and lobbied concerns. Publicized on behalf of the council and engaged in fundraising events as part of the Board of Directors.

No matter what you are applying for, be it a competitive internship, your dream school, a job as a teacher, astronaut, visual designer, rocket scientist, or maybe even the CEO of Girl Scouts of the United States of America, the skills you have learned as a Girl Scout will help you get to places you never thought possible. Sally Ride once said, “Young girls need to see role models in whatever careers they may choose, just so they can picture themselves doing those jobs someday.” Be that inspiration and let Girl Scouts be your spring board to achieve the impossible.

What to do next:

• Explore our Girl Scout programs for more inspiration on the skills you can highlight on your resume.
• Find a resume template that works for you and start building your resume. Google and Microsoft Office both have some great options.
• For a related read, check out Girl Scouts of Western Ohio’s blog post: How to Highlight Your Girl Scout Experience on Your Resume: Volunteer Edition.

Courtney Mierop—Courtney is the Program Coordinator, Older Girl Leadership and Awards for Girl Scouts of Northern California where she manages the system for the Highest Awards for all of Girl Scouts of Northern California’s 19 counties, as well as 5 volunteer committees, and programs for Older Girls. Courtney came to GSNorCal four years ago with a vast background in customer service and education, specifically youth based. Courtney has a Bachelor of Science in Justice Studies from San Jose State University.