Unsolicited resumes?
 

If a PNM has no rec to a certain sorority and is from a rural community, with no knowledge of any alums in the area - is it unheard of to send an unsolicited resume with pictures to the chapter? I know that greek life sends the registration information to the chapters, but they aren't really as comprehensive as a resume. This was a discussion I've heard recently and wanted someone else's feedback. Thanks!

One sorority at UGA says on its website that it "recommends that all potential new members send an unofficial transcript, picture, and resume to our mailing address." I would believe that it is not unheard of for girls to send this information even when it is not explicitly stated on the group's website. However, I don't recall ever receiving information like this.

It's not unheard of, especially if you send a letter (much like a cover letter) explaining the reasoning. I remember one year we recieved a poster with a girl's resume, multiple pictures, and a bunch of other things about herself on it. Apparently it was common at her older sisters' school, so they had helped her make it. Every year we recieve a resume or something like that poster, normally from girls with older sisters or mothers whose chapter it was common for.

I worked for two years helping our recruitment secretary go through applications and recs and we got a few dozen resumes from pnms.

The AOII website at Ole Miss has the same verbage. We also received resumes from time to time at Illinois - there were too many chapters there for most PNMs to get recs for every single one.

We get some here at Bama as well. It's also not uncommon for us to receive letters of recommendation from non-alum teachers, guidance counselor, etc. We use the info on the resume to fill in any gaps that aren't on the Panhellenic registration form.

Side note: I've said this before, but wouldn't it be nice if NPC would design a standard registration form for every campus to use? That way everyone has the same type of info available to them and alums will know what info might be missing when writing a Rec regardless of where they went to school.

zillini..what a great idea!! i have seen recruitment registration forms that are contained in a non standardized booklet (6 x 8 or 10 inches) and tiny, tiny blanks for the pnm to fill in. needless to say, there is not much room for lengthy information sharing.

..and make it a digitized version, so it can be typeable, then saved as a PDF!!!!

AND THEN, creating software that will easily allow the chapters to keep track of all paperwork!?

Hey I have mad excel skills.

If I was allowed I'd show you how we kept track of all of that stuff from the forms to notations etc. But I can't :D

Thanks for the responses - and here's another question. Could an unsolicited resume harm a pnm's chances during recruitment. Would a chapter think it was out of line. Again, thanks in advance.

If the school you will be attending is one where recs are the norm, these chapters receive transcripts, resumes and headshots from the PNMs in addition to alumnae recs. You can certainly send them a letter explaining that you have been unable to secure a rec, but still wanted them to know you are excited to meet them in the fall and you are enclosing your resume and an unofficial transcript for their recruitment files.

If you're going to a school where there is little to no fuss about letters of recommendation, don't worry about sending the chapters a resume or these items.

I don't think it would harm. A lot of the relevant info on your resume is also on your rush app. But I think it would only help. I've said before we get recs very very rarely at my chapter, but we did get resumes along with the applications. The only way it would hurt is if there is something negative on there.. Which isn't something you put on a resume either...

So no worries. And go ahead and send to the schools that don't need recs. It takes almost no time and it brings your name out. I probably still remember names from special touches like that.

That is not necessarily true. I wish it was, but not all recruitment apps ask for resume-type information. If hers doesn't, I would say she should go ahead and send in the resume and transcript with a letter.

Yeah, i was saying go ahead and send anyway! :)