Help With Resume
 

I have been meaning to send in my resume to a few sororities at the school I will attend this fall, but the only problem is, I'm not really sure what to put. I don't want to put too much information down, but I'm scared I will just blend in if I don't. I read everyone's advice on the type of paper to use, etc. and that helped so much! I hadn't even thought about that. Another friend of mine who is also working on her resume and I placed in the top 10 out of slightly over 100 girls at our school. This is quite an honor, and we were wondering if we should include it. I don't want to sound vain or conceited, but at the same time, it is a big deal. Should we include something like that? I have no professional pictures that are any good. A couple of my friends in sororities have told me that my snapshots would be fine, but those are also people I know. What do y'all recommend as far as pictures go? Thanks for the help! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif

Hi BamaBound -- on another subject-- I saw in your profile you are a DMB fan. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif Check out the thread in chitchat called Leslie and Amycat-- its a home for all us Daveheads!

under the "education" part of your resume, you could say you are a graduate of X high school, ranked 6/122 (or whatever)... or "graduated in top tenth of class"... whatever fits better. i don't think it sounds like bragging if you leave it at that. i mean, if you were valedictorian, you'd mention that.

my best advice is to keep your resume to a single page. any more than that, and they'll skim or just not even read it all. if it takes more than one page, you're listing things that are not that important or that many other rushees will also be listing. you only need to list things that will set you apart.

as for pictures, you should get the best you can, because sometimes that's all girls will know you by if they don't know you from your hometown. the picture can serve as your "first impression", so make it good. you could do your hair nice and spend time on makeup and clothes, and have your mom take a roll of film of you posing outside in a garden or something... pick the best ones and make multiple copies... or you could use a professional photography studio. for my rush pictures, i sent in my senior yearbook photos, which everyone at my high school has done professionally. they were just small headshots, not even 3 by 5... but they were me looking my best.

I agree with twinstars... And I'll add one more thing about pictures. Some girls go all out and have professional glamour shots made just for rush. At first it seems like a good idea. But, although they look great, I don't know of a single girl who actually looks like a beauty queen all the time. You want the sorority women to be able to recognize you when you walk in the door so that they can match your name with the rush application you send in. Anyway, hope this helps!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif Good luck!!

Oh sorry, I goofed :0 I meant my friend and I placed in the top 10 of our school's senior beauty pageant. That's why I wondered if I should put that or if it would sound conceited. We have almost 700 in our class, but there were only a little over 100 in the pageant. What do you girls who are already in sororities look for in a resume, or consider a good resume? Thanks again! Sorry about the mix up; it made sense to me http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

since it's a high school beauty pageant, i don't know... i mean, they can judge for themselves how hot you are from your pictures.

if girls in these sororities went to your high school, and are familiar with the pageant, it might mean more.

If it is a "beauty plus" pageant - like if you represent a local industry (example - dairy princess) or something - I think it would be OK. Otherwise, you have to be careful with things like that. A girl from my hs told everyone she met at our college campus how she was homecoming queen in high school. No one was too impressed.

I think regular snapshots are fine, since they would show you really are attractive - they can make ANYONE look hot at Glamour Shots! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif Thank God for airbrushes.

A word of caution: if you get professional photos done, think "cute and pretty", NOT sexy.

Glamour shots are glamourous, but you don't want to look "burlesque" or like a sexpot! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif

HI y'all! Sorry, but I gotta ask. First of all, why would HS students send resumes to sororities?? I'm a little lost on that. I am a memner of a BGLO, so i'm just trying to figure out the purpose behind it. Also, why would you take professional pictures, or send pictures at all? I was just thinking why send pictures to GLO's unless you are basing bid opinions partly on how potential rushees look. Please don't jump down my throat, I am truly just wondering on the benefit of this process, and how widespread it may be. Thank you in advance for the info! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

soror6

[This message has been edited by soror6 (edited March 22, 2001).]

soror6,
One reason to send in a photograph is to make it easier for the sorority members to get to know the faces of the girls more quickly. In a large school with a big Rush, after sometimes meeting 2,000 girls in the first round, it helps to have pictures so you can go back through and say "Yeah I remember her, we clicked." It's very difficult to remember all of the names, so having photographs to match to faces can be a big help.

pictures help the sororities to get familiar with girls before rush begins, especially at schools with rush in january (deferred formal rush). sometimes we use the pictures that rushees give us to make posters of our favorites, or of legacies (of course these are kept locked away in the chapter room and destroyed after rush). or they can be made into slides to use when voting, so everyone knows who's being discussed. every house on campus gets a picture of each rushee, and it's up to each house to decide how to use it, or not to use it at all. and i suppose, like any other thing in life, being attractive can only help. it's important to look like you take care of yourself.

resumes aren't all that common where i go to school (in virginia). i think some girls included them with their recommendation forms. we have all the rushees fill out a one-page rush registration form a few months prior to rush where they can list their top 3 extracurricular activities, GPA, and interests. at other colleges, a resume might be standard or even required. i'm not sure.

[This message has been edited by twinstars (edited March 22, 2001).]

Pictures can help the women in the houses recognize you when you are going thru rush. This is particularly helpful at schools with large rushes. At my school, typically 800-1000 women would go thru, and each house had copies of her application, photo, recs, resume which we'd study, like flashcards so that we'd know who was who coming thru. It helped conversations get started and put us more at ease.

soror6 -

It is definitely a thing done mainly at schools with big, competitive rushes (most often in the South) for the reasons stated. A lot of schools where the Greek system is smaller or less popular don't use resumes, recs or photos at all.

I go to a mid-size university (12,000 - 15,000) and you had to have a resume... this is the south though. Also, while letters of recommendation were not specifically asked for, they do help a lot. I had at least three letters for each sorority. Rush here is prett competetive, but nowhere near as brutal as it is at Alabama and Auburn!

Good luck!

Allie http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/tongue.gif

im goin to UA, and i would just like to say i am soo scared about rush. i hear it is sooo competitive at UA and AU. wish me luck for the fall

In your resume, put where you graduated, your rank (if it was decent) your GPA (whatever it was- VERY IMPORTANT), any organizations you were involved in both school and extracurricular, any community service you've done, any awards or recognitions you've gotten. I wouldn't put the beauty pageant thing if it was just a high school beauty pageant. If you were in top 10 at Alabama's Junior Miss or currently reign as Miss Whatever County that is a prelim to Miss Alabama, I would put that in because of the emphasis those organizations put on community service and academics. Also include a picture. It doesn't have to be a "professional glamour shot" but it does need to be a good picture that will help the girls in the houses recognize you when you walk in. If you've had hair down to your waist your whole life, and just chopped it all off, get a new picture made. When you walk into the houses a lot of times the only way they know how to pick you out of a crowd is by the picture they have. Good luck!

I was surprised by this topic too. I graduated from a VERY large Greek system (21 PHC). We did not have resumes, or photos. Seems odd to me to hear stuff like that. If I had to do that I probably would not have rushed, since I did it very last minute.

We don't do resumes or snapshots at my school but I have a suggestion that wasn't mentioned. How about using your senior picture?

On your resume you want to include your gpa and scale, class rank and any academic honors you received. You also need to include any organizations that you were involved in - academic or social - in school or out of school - and any offices you held in the groups. Volunteer work you may have done should also be included. These are some of the things chapters look at during recruitment (rush).

Many chapters have a specific grade requirement and must (per their national organization) not invite these women back after a certain round. They also want to see how active you were in high school to see if you will be active in college.

Pictures don't need to be glamed up - but should be nice pictures of you and what you look like now. When my lil sis went through her older sister had to tell everyone that she no longer look like the pic she sent in (she went from brown hair to blonde).

The most important thing to remember about recruitment is to keep an open mind about all the chapters and most importantly to remember why you are joining a sorority. You want to join a chapter because you like the women you have met and want to know them better - because you can see their bond of sisterhood and want to share it. You should join because of the women - not because of the parties or the boys. You are making a lifelong commitment to a sisterhood and that should be the most important thing you look for in a sorority - the rest is just icing on the cake!

Using your senior pic is a good idea if it still looks like you. However, the first thing I did after graduation was cut my waist-length hair off and highlight it. If I had used my senior picture NOBODY would have recognized me.

bamabound, well..things are a little different everywhere but let me tell you about Texas rush. (I go to Baylor and my sister went to UT-Austin! Both of us served on rush teams for our Chi O chapters.)

send your resume to the alums writing your reccs, they will forward it on to the chapter...put on your resume things you are proud of...things that make you look good...things you can talk about in a rush party...to be honest, it isn't that big of a deal because half the girls in every house were homecoming queens/class president/whatever....it is more to show that you are an involved and well-rounded girl. things that make you stand out are cool. also, some chapters really like to see that you've done some sort of community service but others could care less.

Pictures should be cute but natural. They are used to familiarize people with your face...so they need to look like the real you...not Glamour Shots. Think outside in a park by a tree with a cute outfit on (you determine what is cute with your own personal style.

You want to pledge a house where you feel like you can sit on the couch and put your feet on the table and be yourself. (Note: I do not recommend putting your feet on the table during rush...but still be yourself!)

Look for girls who are genuine and real...you'll be spending at least four years with these girls...not to mention alumni life! so follow your heart and you'll know where you fit in! Good luck!!

Don't worry about rush at AU and UA that much, pleas1e. I rushed last year at AU and I recieved a bid from my number one choice! Just go in relaxed and be yourself! Everything else will fall into place. Good Luck.

Tina

------------------
Through bitter and sweet, through gain and defeat, cherish the thought that there grows. And the thought in the heart of the rose will gladden your lives hour by hour and dear love's beauty will glorify duty with the blooms of our bright Alpha rose.

PinkRose1098--- thanks, that puts me a little more @ ease. One of my friends is starting at AU this fall. I almost couldn't decide between Alabama or Auburn, lol.

That was going to be my question! We don't send resumes or pictures, we just fill out a quick fact sheet when applying to be a rushee, what schools ask for resume/pictures??

You send a resume so that the actives will know what kinds of organizations you have been involved in, how you did in school, etc. It also helps to pair the rushee up with the most appropriate active. For instance, if you are the only active in the house that has been to Russia and you have a girl coming through who spent a semester in Russia, you probably want to be the one to rush her, as you will have that one unusual thing in common.

You send a picture so that actives can recognize you out of the hundreds of girls that go through. Not because we're basing our recruitment on appearances. If that were the case, we wouldn't need a picture as we see EVERY girl that comes through rush. However, if you want an active to walk up to you during rush and say "Hey Suzie! I'm Cindy!" then they had better know what you look like.

When you register to rush at Alabama, you just fill out a quick fact sheet too. Panhell council doesn't require anything else but the quick lil fact sheet. HOWEVER, at Alabama rec's and resumes are VERY important, so when sending in those, they dont go through the panhell council, they go straight to the sorority the rec is for. THAT is where the pic's and stuff come in. hope that clears some stuff up. if not, ask away.
Liz

If I'm not mistaken Liz, if you send a picture with your Panhellenic factsheet, they will distribute it to all the houses. But it is always better to go ahead and send one directly to the houses.

The stuff we had from Panhellenic said that all pictures sent would be disposed of. Obviously the houses we have recs to will have a picture of us, but if there are houses we don't have a rec for do you think we should send a picture to that house anyway?? I mean is it even worth it?

Yes, go ahead and send them a pic anyway. A lot of houses will work on getting you a rec themselves if you don't have one by the second or third night. The realize that Alabama is a big school and people come from all over the place and may not know an alum from each and every house. Of course, it's always better if you can get them yourself. Who do you still need recs for?

By the way, you now have one for Pi Phi. And they have your picture.

[This message has been edited by Wine&Blue (edited June 23, 2001).]

what will the house think when they just recieve this picture w/ nothing else along w/ it??? won't they think that's crazy http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/confused.gif i'm taking your advice here wine&blue, cuz you definately know what you're talking about. i just wanna have my facts straight so i don't feel like a fool.
Liz--- have you gotten recs for most of the houses?? did you have any/alot w/ more than one??? http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/eek.gif i'm gonna go crazy!!!!! *pulling hair out* http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/eek.gif
Liz

If you are sending your picture to houses, go ahead and send your resume with it, even if you've already sent it. Better safe than sorry. I hope I'll get to make it to Tuscaloosa for bid day this year. Maybe I'll get to meet you guys.

Thanks Wine&Blue! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif
Liz, I do have recs to MOST of the houses, but not all. I still don't have recs for Alpha Chi (which I've heard is a really great sorority at UA) and Theta (I don't know much about their chapter at UA). There are some sororities that I have many recs for, and then there are some that I only have one for. What about you???

You definitely need a rec for Alpha Chi. They have a really strong chapter. And you only need one rec. Concentrate on getting recs for the houses you don't have them for.

liz--- i dont have rec's to all the houses either, but im working on it!!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif i only have more than one rec for one house and thats XO. But the others i only have one. they are: AOII, ADII, Pi Phi, DZ(thanx to tracy!!!), KKG, Phi mu, and one more. but, i can't think of it!!! Hopefully, i will get all the others i need soon!!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/eek.gif
Liz~

Hey BamaBound41:

I go to UA and I'm an Alpha Delta Pi here...

Email me if you want me to help you out with your rush stuff-- I'll be glad to help you since I know what everyone is looking for.

My email address is Linz9662@aol.com. I can't wait to hear from you!

Hi rolltidesoon:

I go to ua and i'm in a sorority here. You NEED to send a rec to every house you are interested in WITH a picture because the ones you don't send one to will not have a picture of you and won't know who you are when you come through the door. Email me and we can talk about it further if you want.

Hey Crmstidegrl, rolltidesoon and bamabound:

I can get you all recs for ADPI if you just send me your stuff--

I should have just said that in the first message I sent!

All of you email me your stuff, or you can mail it to me, either way. Just email me, or I'll email you my address or something. We'll get this all figured out. I know exactly how you feel because I went through all the same stuff. Don't worry. I can even try to get you recs for Kappa, Phi Mu and some other ones because I have lots of friends in all of the other ones you need/want.

I'll get all of your email addresses and try to get in touch with each of you about this. Take a deep breath, girls...it will all be okay. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

Another way for possible recs is to contact your area alumnae chapters for each sorority. Go to the national website and look around for the addressses. If you can't find them there, either email or call nationals. All of the sororities I have talked to have been very helpful in getting me in contact with alumni. Good luck!

I can help with Pi Phi.