'T-shirt Chair' on 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.

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by amIblue?

snip

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.

I advise new grads to include the activity that gave them the experience, but simply to say "chapter of a national sorority". No sense losing a chance over something you can control - even if it is only remotely possible. It's not the sorority (or fraternity) the employer is looking for - usually - it's the experience. If the interviewer is interested, s/he'll ask which organization.

I include some DG activities on my resume, for certain positions, because some of my alumnae activities are demonstrative of my skills, not because they're DG. It doesn't matter whether activities are paid or not; the experience is defined by the extent, scope, and breadth of the activity. If an activity clearly demonstrates a level of responsibility, a leadership capacity, a collaborative nature, or whatever, that is of value to the employer, include it.