Would you mention that you are a skydiver?

[skytash 0]

in a capability based interview - Have you ever had to make a fast decision that went against the rules? Yes - I opened my parachute too high because someone below me didn't track far enough and deployed and I didn't trust myself to track over the top of the pilot chute.

I doubt anyone else can come up with as fast a decision as that one, and it can make you stand out from the crowd.

Whether it's perceived as positive or negative by them doesn't really matter. I strongly believe that I need to feel comfortable with the culture of the company I work in and hence the attitudes of the people. If someone doesn't like the idea that I skydive I don't want to have to report to them!

tash

Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Being alive is a special occasion. Avril Sloe

[dbattman 0]

A few lines on your CV about your interests is an opportuinty to show that you are a well rounded person. For me, skydiving is listed on my CV at the end under 'Skills and Training.' It is six words long (Licensed skydiver- United States Parachute Association). Only came up once in an interview because I was referred by an employee who also jumps. Just above that is my private pilots license and the next section below is a few lines about my volunteer experience in South America which relates to a line in my Summary of Skills 'Experienced third world traveler'.

You are correct- the perception of your skydiving being a positive or negative will depend on your communication skills and the position. If you are going into sales it's a definite plus. Going into field engineering or manufacturing with aggressive site managers and skilled tradesmen that are into hunting? Plus. Looking to bang a keyboard with a bunch of geeks in a data center for 70 hours a week? Could be a minus- they will probably want you at work all the time with the rest of the overworked and underpaid IT professionals.

If you've got some experience and can talk calmly about it relative to the position you are applying for I'd list it but not mention it unless asked. If you giggle and talk about getting plastered at boogies whenever the subject comes up I'd probably skip it.

However, it does look better than "Hobbies and Interests: Music, reading, computers" Booooring!

[DZ_EPHESUS_TR 0]

If I feel strongly that it will make me loose the deal, I will not tell. There is no need to loose something very importand for me.

But I wouldn't lie something like '' I quit '' if they already know it

[jumpinfarmer 0]

I'm not sure that I would mention it now. When I first started I told everyone I knew about it but now I waite for them or someone else to bring it up.

Of course I have never been in a job interview before. I don't have any idea what goes on during one.

[dharma1976 0]

I have told all of my employers taht I am a skydiver while being interviewed....think abotu this

skydiving is expensive

therefore you need money

so logically you will be a good worker when not tryign to play hookey at 3:00 during the summer to go skydiving...which I actually have a job that will allow me every friday off during the summer :-P

so cheers

Dave

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[Orange1 0]

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I have told all of my employers taht I am a skydiver while being interviewed....think abotu this

skydiving is expensive

therefore you need money

so logically you will be a good worker when not tryign to play hookey at 3:00 during the summer to go skydiving...which I actually have a job that will allow me every friday off during the summer :-P

lol - good point!!

interesting, i'm picking up a bit of "stereotyping" about the corporate world here, which is kind of the inverse of the stereotypes people seem to expect others to have about skydivers I work in the "corporate world", in investment management, and to me it's very similar to skydiving because both are really about managing risk. The investment community here is quite small and there are a number of people who now or (if older) used to skydive/paraglide/hangglide/rock-climb etc. In fact when I had my interview for my current position - before i started jumping - i was specifically asked if i did any kind of "extreme" sport and got the distinct impression they would have been more impressed if i'd said yes!

Skydiving: wasting fossil fuels just for fun.

[Andy9o8 2]

Interesting side note about this thread. Right now, the votes in the poll are close to a dead heat, assuming a standard statistical " +/- " variable. And yet the posts thus far are almost universally "yes" answers. Sometimes people don't like to publicly express something that goes against the perceived trend. For those of you who voted "no", how about telling us why you voted that way?

[Croc 0]

I would not mention that I'm a skydiver, but then, I'm not Superman :)
And when you take up BASE, are you going to tell them that? They'll think you're nuts! Just my 2 cents. Good luck with the interview.

"Here's a good specimen of my own wisdom. Something is so, except when it isn't so."

Charles Fort, commenting on the many contradictions of astronomy

[dharma1976 0]

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lol - good point!!

interesting, i'm picking up a bit of "stereotyping" about the corporate world here, which is kind of the inverse of the stereotypes people seem to expect others to have about skydivers I work in the "corporate world", in investment management, and to me it's very similar to skydiving because both are really about managing risk. The investment community here is quite small and there are a number of people who now or (if older) used to skydive/paraglide/hangglide/rock-climb etc. In fact when I had my interview for my current position - before i started jumping - i was specifically asked if i did any kind of "extreme" sport and got the distinct impression they would have been more impressed if i'd said yes!

and remember that the corporate world takes some balls to succede so they like wild people to some degree :-P

I work for the NBA and I think they were impressed by that myself ;)

Cheers

Dave

http://www.skyjunky.com

CSpenceFLY - I can't believe the number of people willing to bet their life on someone else doing the right thing.

[rwieder 0]

Good, bad or indifferent you must tell a prospective employer if you sky dive. It will come out anyway when you sign up for the insurance program and there's no sense getting caught trying to withold pertinent information.

-Richard-
"You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall"

[headoverheels 333]

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Good, bad or indifferent you must tell a prospective employer if you sky dive. It will come out anyway when you sign up for the insurance program and there's no sense getting caught trying to withold pertinent information.

Not true of any company insurance I've ever had. There might be exclusions in the coverage, but I've never been asked about such activities for company-provided policies.

I wouldn't offer such information at the interview, unless I was certain for some reason that I should.

[Icon134 0]

I had that I was a Juggler on my first resume (of course that was before I had any real work experience.)

I have enough hobbies that if during an interview I happened to get asked about my interests I could chose to mention it if I wanted to but wouldn't need to if I didn't feel it was appropiate.

Scott

Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife...

[daveb 1]

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If you had a really important interview, for a great new job/parternship, or a postgrad professional school, or whatever, would you mention that you are a skydiver?

Yes, I did. In fact, I let them know that it was a big part of my life, and I needed extra days off for training and Nationals, as well as three weeks off in Jan-Feb 2006 for an event. My rationale: 1) I needed the extra time off, 2) It explains a large gap in my resume 3) It helps explain who am I - and what drives and motivates me.

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Negative perceptions: You're crazy, have a death wish, immature, may die or become incapacitated and therefore not worth the investiment, etc

Their response to me: don't die. BTW, I got the job. The biggest issue was the time off requirement, not the danger.

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P.S. What are your hobbies or what you do for fun is a possible question and likely to be asked.

Don't lie. Use it to tout your strengths. Find the positives unique to the job, and the common threads in your hobbies. Don't argue with them, or try to justify the sport.

[JohnMitchell 16]

On a job interview, Yes. If I get the job, sooner or later they'll know I skydive, and it can have positive connotations.

In casual social settings, no, because most people can't really relate to it. Better to just talk about how the lawn needs mowing, how 'bout them Seahawks, blah blah blah.

Wait, now I remember why I don't hang out with whuffos.

[rwieder 0]

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I wouldn't offer such information at the interview, unless I was certain for some reason that I should.

I'll play devil's advocate for a moment. You've stayed your 90 days and are now eligible for company insurance. Let's say you breeze through the interview and no one asked you if you drive race cars, moto-cross, sky dive etc all of which are to be considered hazardous and deadly sports. You break a leg sky diving, the costs won't be covered by your insurance, This is a hypothetical situation now, don't forget. Now that all of this has happened, not only are you not getting paid, your job is in detriment as well for with holding information and putting the company at a risk it should not be in had you divulged the infornation to begin with. Most companies will hire you anyway, but if you put them in a bad situation, your an anchient memory.

It's always best to be staright right away. That way you don't hurt your reputation, and you don't put your employer or their insurance in jeprody.

-Richard-
"You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall"

[Eule 0]

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If you had a really important interview, for a great new job/parternship, or a postgrad professional school, or whatever, would you mention that you are a skydiver?

I asked this at the DZ one day. Most of the people who worked at the DZ and also have "day time
jjobs" - AFF/tandem instructors, video guys, etc, said they wouldn't mention it unless it came up, and
that they probably wouldn't put it on their resume.

I'm not looking right now, but I have thought that if I do need to dust off the resume, I've got a section
for "other experience" which includes things like having a ham radio license and doing volunteer
webmaster work. I've thought about putting something a bit cryptic, like "USPA A-license" or "USPA
A-1234567" or similar. If the interviewer asks, I might say "Oh, I'm a glider pilot" (which is true) and if
that line of talk goes further and goes well (interviewer is a pilot, or likes planes, or whatever), then I
might get into the details of how I launch my glider. Of course, there is always the possibility that
somebody who knows what that means and doesn't like skydivers will turn you down for the job, but
to some extent, that's life.

As far as the "lying to the insurance" thing goes - I think it might be reasonable to ask for a few details
about the health plan offered, or maybe to see a copy of the policy. You might not be able to take the
policy home but they should let you read it at their office. This may work better once they've called you
with an offer and you let on that part of your decision is based on getting a look at the policy. If they
ask why you can say something like "I'm just figuring the total costs" or "someone I know got a surprise
about what their policy covered and I just want to check" or similar.

Eule

PLF does not stand for Please Land on Face.

[peckerhead 0]

No, whuffos will never understand.

Unless you are looking for a skydiving related job or you happen to hook up with the 1 in a million person who might find it admirable....

There is no advantage to sharing your quirky weekend pastime.

[rasmack 0]

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in a capability based interview - Have you ever had to make a fast decision that went against the rules? Yes - I opened my parachute too high because someone below me didn't track far enough and deployed and I didn't trust myself to track over the top of the pilot chute.

Very good example. Sometimes these things just come up as relevant. I have once used the fact that I teach martial arts to make a point in an interview. I will not exclude the possibility that skydiving might prove relevant. I would fear, however, that the rest of the interview would be spent talking about skydiving. "No, I do not do it to get a near-death experience, actually I find it quite relaxing."

HF #682, Team Dirty Sanchez #227
“I simply hate, detest, loathe, despise, and abhor redundancy.”
- Not quite Oscar Wilde...

[AlexCrowley 0]

I'm not sure what type of job you're interviewing for, but like someone mentioned earlier if it's something you're going to be making fast decisions in high pressure environments it can be a useful thing to mention.

I usually work on systems that demand high performance and the 9s as far as reliability, when they crash the company loses $10ks per minute, so hiring people who can think clearly under pressure is paramount. When I got this current job I was just finishing AFF, so when the questions turned towards 'explain how you keep a cool head under pressure' it was pretty easy to talk about the various aspects of the course and how it related to what would be expected in my role. It wasnt about bragging and I didnt mention it in any other interviews I was having at the time, in that case it was simply the right example for the right audience.

If it really illustrates something about you specifically I dont see an issue, but I'm not sure saying your'e a skydiver without context really gives an employer the impression of anything other than you're an crazy person who likes to jump out of planes (unless they're also involved in the sport).

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

[peregrinerose 0]

I wouldn't go walking in the interview talking nothing but skydiving, but if the interview turns toward personality, hobbies, get to know me better kind of things, then yes, I'd bring it up. Why hide it? Since I work in a fairly small profession where everyone knows everyone else, everyone I work with now did know I jumped prior to hiring me in that context (not interview) and it was never a problem.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[Superman32 0]

In this position, it is absolutely imperative that I be able to gather, process and act on information very, very quickly, therefore, I know skydiving would be a great asset. Where it gets iffy about skydiving, is that the company is making a significant investment on the employee and may in turn see it as a risk.

I'm starting to think that if put forth in the right light, it may be beneficial and help set me apart from the crowd. I'm still worried about the quiet masses that are against divulging it.

Inveniam Viam aut Faciam
I'm back biatches!

[Ron 10]

NO........Hell no.

People do not see skydivers as paying attention to detail, they see them as dangerous, drug using, wild, unreliable, thrill seekers.

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P.S. What are your hobbies or what you do for fun is a possible question and likely to be asked.

So tell them other hobbies.

Edit, so it actually depends on the job. If its a job in an office, or bank, no.

If its a job that requires physical skills...MAYBE.

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

[calledisrael 0]

i mentioned it yesterday in an interview. he offered me the job, and then asked me to take him skydiving.

i pulled out the map and he helped me figure out directions to the nearest dz. which nicely enough would be 30 miles, compared to the 100+ i currently drive...

life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.
(helen keller)

[billvon 2,991]

>Good, bad or indifferent you must tell a prospective employer if you sky dive.

Not if it has nothing to do with your job. You might not be covered under their insurance if you have HIV, but you have no obligation to tell them that either. Indeed, it is generally illegal for them to ask. (about HIV, not skydiving.)

[rehmwa 2]

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NO........Hell no.

at least one post of reason here

In an interview, it is received about as good as some guy bragging about it in a bar to a girl......with about the same success rate.

Unless one is absolutely certain the interviewer would take it positively, bringing it up just reinforces the negative connotations that most wuffos have. What's worse, it's a decent ice breaker, so the wuffo will continue with the topic as it's easy to get talking with that (he'll still leave with the bad stereotype). So it's not playing the odds very well at all.

Unless you are interviewing in the skydiving industry, it's a bad idea, no matter how hard you try to 'explain' the positive aspects.

If it gets pulled out (somehow they know and ask about it), then it's good to have the standard spiel about: team building, thoughtful risk taking, responsibility for actions, planning, leadership, etc.

But don't initiate it.

(note, somepeople have used it for their benefits, think Fastrax, but that wasn't for a job, that was in the context of running a private enterprise - there's a big difference there between the boss using it for sales and hand shaking, and someone looking to join a business as an hourly or salaried employee).

...
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