is this safe to put on my resume?
 

hello all!

i have a question, of course, and unfortunately it just hit me now, after my resume has been sent out to half of my reccomenders already!

i am rushing at a large, conservative school in the deep south - from my username, you probably can figure it out pretty quickly...;-). however, while southern, i am also a - GASP! - liberal! for the past two summers, i have done extensive work on political campaigns for prominent democrats - i interned for a local campaign last summer, and i am interning for obama this summer.

taking into account the area of the country and the political climate of the school that i will be attending (and the likely conservative political leanings of my rec writers and potential sisters), how should i handle this information? should i keep things vague - saying that i "interned for two political campaigns" - or keep my resume as-is, stating exactly who i interned for? i don't want to take the chance of my status as a pledge being jeopardized due to something like that. i would hope that my recommenders and potential sisters would not think less of me for harboring political leanings different from their own, but i really do not want to take the chance if there is one! what do y'all think?

Greeks at southern schools are almost uniformly Republican. I don't know much about girl's rush so don't consider my advice to necessarily be right unless someone else can confirm it.

I would word it that I have been very politically active and have done some work on campaigns at both a local and national level. That being said, someone will probably ask who you worked for (and you will probably be asked what you did this summer as well) and in that case I would tell them, but I wouldn't highlight who it was on my resume.

It's been strongly suggested that PNMs refrain from discussing politics during rounds. That said, I agree with CB...I would be as vague as possible and not really highlight it.

hah...either that, or lie and say mccain. :-)

(i kid, of course.)

Or get some good sense and ACTUALLY work for McCain :D

(i kid too)

In the deep south, you might be surprised at how many yellow dog Democrats there still are at the local and state level, although it's less and less common. (Sonny Perdue became the first Republican governor of Georgia since Reconstruction, and he was first elected in 2002. Georgia wasn't politically liberal before.) Democratic officials at the local and state level are often held in high regard, even by people who would prefer to vote for Republicans at the national level.

The most vocal Greeks politically are probably Republicans at SEC schools right now, if I has to guess. But it's not going to be the case, I don't think, that your experience is going to be any kind of recruitment kiss of death.

I think your internships will be impressive even to people who aren't going to vote for the people you worked for.

Good luck as a political liberal at Ole Miss though. It might be a little like moving back in time.

:-) thanks for the warm wishes. i've grown up in a conservative area, so i get a fair amount of heckling...especially when i'm helping out with local obama phone banks. :-\ you should hear some of the slurs i get!

I definitely wouldn't talk about it unless some ask you but don't lie either. I go to a school that is in the "south" and is fairly conservative but has recently become a lot more liberal do to students now thinking for themselves instead of thinking what their parent told them to. I know some of the most liberal are Greek but that is usually no the case. Just use your best judgment if some ask you about it and they seem snappy then you know to try to change the subject. Just say something like it is for the experience and move on. Good luck!!

I'm pretty sure that every active of every chapter of every sorority knows that talking about politics during recruitment is a no-no, (ie. an active won't ask a PNM, "How do you feel about a woman's right to choose?").

I'd be surprised (yet, Greek life in the South continues to surprise me) if you'd be cut from a chapter solely for stating your political affiliation on your resumes sent to your recommenders. No doubt, actives are going to want to talk to you about your internships/activities during recruitment, and inevitably this will come up, but there are different ways to go about it. Highlight your leadership skills gained and your feelings about working for a campaign. As long as you stay away from the issues and don't try to incite a political disagreement, you should be ok.

I don't think your political affiliations will be a problem. As stated above, no one is going to outright ask you who you support or how you feel on key issues. But, they may pick up on that bit of info and use it as a way to make conversation...which is fine. The advice to stay away from issues and avoid disagreement is good.

Also, I do not think any of your rec writers will be offended or will "no-rec" you for it. Of course, I am hoping you did not elaborate on political views on your recs, but instead, just listed your activities...Maybe you said "Served as a volunteer for the Obama for President Campaign" Not, " Worked hard for Obama, the savior of this country. Go Democrats!" ;)

Be as vague as possible. When I was in college in PA, I participated in College Republicans. I then went home to Massachusetts to try and find my first job. Needless to say, MA is an extremely liberal state. I worded my resume in such a way that I never said “Republican”. In all of the interviews that I went on, no one asked specifically which party I supported, and when I discussed my involvement in politics on campus, I talked about debates, signing people up to vote, campaigning, and attending political rallies.

But if someone does ask, be honest. The key is getting in the door. Once someone meets you and sees that you’re a nice, friendly, intelligent person, they won’t care which candidate you support. And honestly, the more intelligent the person, the more willing they are to get to know someone who has different beliefs and opinions than their own. And those are the people you want to surround yourself with. :)

I think you all are making this a bigger deal than it is. While it would generally be advisable not to talk extensively about politics during recruitment, I'd be honestly shocked if the chapters at Ole Miss didn't already have some political mix. Obama supporters are likely a small and maybe quiet minority in some, but this campus has 200+ member chapters. I doubt working for Obama is going to be regarded as a big negative.

He's the candidate for President of a major US party. Theoretically, the people the OP asked for recs are adults. What adult person would no rec someone or cut an otherwise well-qualified PNM for being of a member of a different mainstream political party or supporting a different candidate? I know it's Mississippi, but come on. If you don't have more faith in the membership standards of your organization and it's members, we've really got a big problem.

I don't think it's that big of a deal. I know several people who are more liberal than most and it doesn't bother anyone. If anyone asked just say that you helped work on his campaign and leave it at that. It's good to know that you are involved in something that big and I think that is more important than who you support.

it's great to hear from a fellow rebel. :-) thanks for your input!

I think it's perfectly fine to list on your resume who you have worked for/with. It will probably be a good way to show that you are aware and connected in the real world. It would also probably help the chapter match you with someone similar to you. Of course there is no reason to discuss political issues during recruitment, but I don't see any problem with talking about working on a campaign trail. What Obama's interns and McCain's interns do is probably very similar as far as intern duties. It will be probably make for a good break from the "what's you major" discussion! I say list it! There are girls in my chapter who are vocal conservatives, liberals and EVERYTHING in between as far as their political ideology is concerned. I really think it will help you and not hurt you at all.