Latino Networker Builds Success Through Key Contacts
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Developing a personal brand
Having credentials will always help bump a person’s resume or college application to the top. Developing a personal brand will also help them succeed, regardless of whether they pursue education or enter the workforce.
As I spoke with Dan Conniff, COO of Westchester-Putnam County, we reviewed the three main venues through which Scouts network:
1. District, Council, and National events and activities:
Scouts work with other troops, engage in patch trading at Jamborees, and they share with each other what they’ve accomplished.
2. Merit Badges:
Scouts meet merit badges counselors with expertise in certain areas and learn to talk to public figures, such as judges, lawyers, and economists.
3. The Eagle Scout general rule of thumb:
If you are an Eagle Scout, your resume is going to rise to the top. All Eagle scouts find their way by connecting with other Eagles, so they always maintain a fluid and responsive network of colleagues.
“During my college interview, the person interviewing me was also an Eagle Scout, and the only question he asked me was, What was the best and worst merit badge experience you had? It was not about my score nor anything else,” says Dan.
Heriberto Contreras and Boy Scouts
It is my belief that networking is easier on a starry night around a fire, hiking in a mountain with a beautiful view, or walking together in the woods.
This is how scouts form bonds that remain strong. This also helps them form a personal brand that becomes meaningful throughout their lives.
I didn’t grow up as a Boy Scout, but if the person that I’m interviewing did, I likely will say, “You’re hired!”
Heriberto Contreras, clown and Scouts
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