'T-shirt Chair' on Resume

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

My opinion on the original topic... No, I would not list T-shirt Chair on a resume.

Did I include my leadership positions in Chi Omega on my resume? Most definitely. I am extremely proud of the organization and what I learned as a leader. The jobs I've held have been in the South and the Midwest, but the listing of Chi Omega always produced a positive connection for the person with whom I was interviewing. I remember the National CEO of the Arthritis Foundation proudly telling me his daughter was a Chi Omega!

It does surprise me that members of Greek Chat -- who care so much about the Greek experience that they participate frequently in this online community -- would not include their Greek affiliation on their resume.

Personally, it's not a matter of pride or anything like that. I'm proud of my affiliation, and I think my Kappa Sig experience has been great (not to mention, my best friends today I met through Kappa Sig).

That said, I just have very little Kappa Sig stuff on my resume. It's not a fear thing, and it hasn't hurt me in interviews.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

I remember the National CEO of the Arthritis Foundation proudly telling me his daughter was a Chi Omega!

That's wonderful. He could have just as easily disliked fraternities and sororities and not wanted to be bothered with someone who boasts about "that stuff."

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

It does surprise me that members of Greek Chat -- who care so much about the Greek experience that they participate frequently in this online community -- would not include their Greek affiliation on their resume.

I see nothing surprising about it. One of life's lessons is understanding how to market yourself. I tend to advise collegiate and alumnae Sorors to keep Delta off of their resume` unless they held/hold positions or participated/participate in programs that pertain to skills/careers/occupations/jobs; or were given an honor or award from/through Delta. I have more than one resume` and never had Delta on either of them because I know that Delta and Greekdom tend not to resonate with my target audience.

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

Personally, it's not a matter of pride or anything like that. I'm proud of my affiliation, and I think my Kappa Sig experience has been great (not to mention, my best friends today I met through Kappa Sig).

That said, I just have very little Kappa Sig stuff on my resume. It's not a fear thing, and it hasn't hurt me in interviews.

You'll never know how many connections you've missed out on.

I think you said you live in the Northeast, so I know it's a different story on how popular Greek life is there and how it's viewed. Luckily, I've never lived in that region of the country and have been able to list with pride my involvement in Chi Omega.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

You'll never know how many connections you've missed out on.

I think you said you live in the Northeast, so I know it's a different story on how popular Greek life is there and how it's viewed. Luckily, I've never lived in that region of the country and have been able to list with pride my involvement in Chi Omega.

If I put Phi Mu on my resume, it would mean leaving something else off. Believe me, I have much more important use for that space.

[NutBrnHair]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

If I put Phi Mu on my resume, it would mean leaving something else off. Believe me, I have much more important use for that space.

Wow. How lucky Phi Mu is to have you as a member.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

Wow. How lucky Phi Mu is to have you as a member.

Are you serious?

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

Wow. How lucky Phi Mu is to have you as a member.

Because she's showing good sense? Yes, they are lucky to have someone with sense as a member. I'd take that any day over some other traits I see exhibited here, including the ability to ride incredibly high horses.

It's not a matter of being proud of one's organization or not. It's a matter of knowing one's goal with a resume and knowing which of the many things that could be put on it should be put on it to accomplish that goal. It's also a matter of knowing one's audience and knowing, in the context of that audience, which things might fairly or unfairly thwart one in reaching that goal.

It works for you to put everything you've ever done for Chi O on your resume -- that's fine for you. But there's more than a little arrogance in your not-so-subtle suggestions that anyone who does things differently is ashamed of their GLOs or less loyal to their GLO than you.

[NutBrnHair]

I will attempt to explain this very simply --- and then I will go away and let you rip me to shreds.

1. If you believe your membership in your GLO is for a lifetime and more valuable to you than your membership in a health club, I think it belongs on your resume. In my case, I only included the high level offices I held as a collegian, along with other extra curricular involvement e.g., Student Government and Class Officer.

2. I have only applied for jobs in the South and Midwest, so I was never afraid that it would be viewed negatively.

3. It truly stuns me that posters/moderators on a GreekChat site care enough to be on here everyday and comment on hundreds of threads, but choose not to include their membership on a resume.

But, of course, I agree -- if I'd only served as T-shirt Chair, I wouldn't list that either.

[knight_shadow]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

I will attempt to explain this very simply --- and then I will go away and let you rip me to shreds.

1. If you believe your membership in your GLO is for a lifetime and more valuable to you than your membership in a health club, I think it belongs on your resume. In my case, I only included the high level offices I held as a collegian, along with other extra curricular involvement e.g., Student Government and Class Officer.

2. I have only applied for jobs in the South and Midwest, so I was never afraid that it would be viewed negatively.

3. It truly stuns me that posters/moderators on a GreekChat site care enough to be on here everyday and comment on hundreds of threads, but choose not to include their membership on a resume.

But, of course, I agree -- if I'd only served as T-shirt Chair, I wouldn't list that either.

Am I not able to remain active in my GLO if it's not listed on my resume?

What if I have 4 work-related internships that would be beneficial in a new position. Should I remove one so that I can have room for my GLO?

I do have my fraternity listed on one of my resumes and I'm in the South, but to insinuate that folks are "less than" because they don't list their affiliations is silly.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

I have only applied for jobs in the South and Midwest, so I was never afraid that it would be viewed negatively.

Surely you grasp the concept that your experience does not mirror everone else's experience.

It truly stuns me that posters/moderators on a GreekChat site care enough to be on here everyday and comment on hundreds of threads, but choose not to include their membership on a resume.

Feel free to be stunned. I would list it on my resume, but I hope I would never be rude or condescending enough to suggest that someone who made a different choice was an embarrassment to her sorority.

[KDCat]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

I will attempt to explain this very simply --- and then I will go away and let you rip me to shreds.

1. If you believe your membership in your GLO is for a lifetime and more valuable to you than your membership in a health club, I think it belongs on your resume. In my case, I only included the high level offices I held as a collegian, along with other extra curricular involvement e.g., Student Government and Class Officer.

I don't just leave off my Greek membership; I leave off all of my undergrad extra curriculars. I was president of a couple of organizations related to my majors, an assistant editor of the college paper, and in multiple college theater productions. None of that stuff has been on my resume since I graduated law school. IMHO, it looks immature to include that stuff after you are a few years out of undergrad. I put it on my first resumes because I wanted to show that I had high grades and was able to balance a very busy schedule. I have no extracurriculars on my resume currently -- only academics, academic honors, and professional activities. My clerkship and my bar committees are more important to my career than KD. I love KD, but it's not relevant to my career. I know a ton of lawyers who are Greek, but no one I know puts it on their resumes. It's not relevant to anything we do.

I would only put that stuff on my resume if it relevant to the job I was immediately applying for -- ie. a writing job or a student affairs job or a theater job.

A resume is a short introduction on why someone should hire you. I don't think anyone should hire me because I am a KD or Greek. They should hire me because I'm good at my job.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

3. It truly stuns me that posters/moderators on a GreekChat site care enough to be on here everyday and comment on hundreds of threads, but choose not to include their membership on a resume.

Then this may really stun you. I did not attend my alumnae chapter meeting last week. I know...I know...I am on Greekchat almost everyday but could not go to my alumnae chapter meeting. It does not matter why I did not attend. The fact that I did not attend means that Delta should hang me from Fortitude.

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

But, of course, I agree -- if I'd only served as T-shirt Chair, I wouldn't list that either.

Then you are that which you despise. It does not matter whether you were t-shirt chair or leather chair. GLO membership is GLO membership, right? Details and context do not matter.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

I will attempt to explain this very simply --- and then I will go away and let you rip me to shreds.

1. If you believe your membership in your GLO is for a lifetime and more valuable to you than your membership in a health club, I think it belongs on your resume. In my case, I only included the high level offices I held as a collegian, along with other extra curricular involvement e.g., Student Government and Class Officer.

I would wager most people of faith put their religion above a health club membership and think it is for life (and beyond) yet I don't see a whole lot of religious affiliations on a resume.

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by NutBrnHair

I will attempt to explain this very simply --- and then I will go away and let you rip me to shreds.

1. If you believe your membership in your GLO is for a lifetime and more valuable to you than your membership in a health club, I think it belongs on your resume. In my case, I only included the high level offices I held as a collegian, along with other extra curricular involvement e.g., Student Government and Class Officer.

2. I have only applied for jobs in the South and Midwest, so I was never afraid that it would be viewed negatively.

3. It truly stuns me that posters/moderators on a GreekChat site care enough to be on here everyday and comment on hundreds of threads, but choose not to include their membership on a resume.

But, of course, I agree -- if I'd only served as T-shirt Chair, I wouldn't list that either.

I have only ever applied for jobs in the South (btw - we're in the same state). I am proud of my membership in Kappa. However, I was an active member about 20 years ago. I don't include anything that I did when I was in college on my resume other than where I attended, my degrees, my major, and the year I graduated. It has to do with marketing myself to what I want to accomplish; despite my affection for Kappa, I've accomplished much in that time that is more relevant in my career. I would think most people at this stage in the game are in a similar boat, unless they've worked exclusively for their GLO since graduation.

If I were to advise a recent college grad on writing a resume, I would not advise them to go crazy with the GLO-oriented activities. Not because some HR clerk may have a grudge against XYZ or Greeks in general, but because heavy focus on any one aspect when you're starting out causes a candidate to appear less well-rounded.

[excelblue]

I should seriously consider applying for jobs in the midwest and south by the sounds of it.

Here (in California), the negative stereotypes ring so true that most people think you're serious when you joke about them. I had a few brothers who used to jokingly respond to the question "so, you in a frat?" with something among the lines of "yeah, I'm in a frat, we black out, rape women, and drink goat blood," and it gets taken 100% seriously, with a simultaneous look of disgust and extreme discomfort.

Of course, despite all of that, we all know what actually happens, and I still proudly "wear my letters." My fraternity will definitely get its place in interviews and date, but just not on most resumes.