So, as you may have noticed from my incessant tweets and various posts, I am in the middle of completing my last semester of graduate school and in the process of looking for a job. I am always looking to the future so I have been mentally prepping for things like moving, finding an apartment, buying necessary furniture, etc. for some time. One of the things that got a little looked over was my resume. I have not wanted to fool with it at all. Finally (after 3 months) my resume is finished and I have to say I am pretty proud of it. The best part of having a resume is knowing what all you have accomplished that will apply to your professional life. If you would have asked me six months ago what I had accomplished there would have been a lot of ummms and uhhhs. Now I can confidently communicate what I can apply to my next job.
I have students tell me constantly that they don't have the experience needed for a job. They have completed internships, but no other skills have been obtained. I usually end up staring at them blankly until I laugh. I laugh because these are not just any students. These are chapter leaders and council officers I work with on a daily basis. They have worked themselves to death during recruitment or to plan a fundraising event. Yet, they do not consider these skills. I know my job is a little different, but believe me when I tell you that almost any job is looking for someone who has experience handling budgets, managing a group, and marketing a successful campaign.
The best way to see what you have done in your sorority positions is to evaluate what you have done. Then consider if your position was a real job (trust me, I know it is a real job) what the description would say about what is entailed.
Have you used your sorority leadership experiences as a way to get an internship or a job? Tell me about it below!
P.S. For this week only, I am accepting any question you want to know about me on my Tumblr! Don't miss your chance to ask the personal questions :)
I've put my sorority's volunteer efforts and other positions I've held in my sorority. I have had several potential employers tell me these things make me stand out!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't recommend mentioning a sorority past. The cons clearly outweigh the pros, unless your interviewer was in a sorority, too. Or maybe ESPECIALLY if your interviewer was in a sorority!
ReplyDeleteI would really like to know why you think the "cons clearly outweigh the pros".
DeleteThe list of pros for being involved in my sorority is huge.
-Personal growth and development
-Increased communication skills (obtained through workshops, educational events, leadership positions, communicating to a chapter of 50+ women, etc)
-Leadership skills (obtained through multiple positions, coordinating events, managing committees, etc)
-Learning the importance of Public Relations
-Building a life on values and ethics
-Creating a network of men and women in multiple fields throughout the country
-Team-working Skills (obtained through working on committees, working with an executive board, staff and faculty on campus, workshops, officer positions)
-The opportunity to Differentiate yourself from others ( Less than 3% of the United States is Greek.)
-The chance to be passionate about a cause (Volunteering for a philanthropy, learning how to help better others lives, coordinating philanthropic events, etc)
Want more pros..I can continue. Also look at http://www.whygogreek.com/stats.html
The ONLY Con I can even think of is that people uneducated about Greek Life have a negative view of Sororities and Fraternities and they stereotype us. YOU SHOULD NEVER DO THAT.
Please tell me how the cons outweigh the pros.
Amen, Mallory!
DeleteThank you for your example of wording for how to appropriately work in a sorority experience during an interview. I always struggle with finding the right words to explain my sorority contributions without sounding all high and mighty by starting my sentence off with the typical, "when I was in a sorority...". Much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteI was in a chapter at the University of Alabama that had over 250 members, and it was really difficult to get an officer position because of the sheer number of people competing for them. Do you think it's appropriate to list experience in a sorority under an "Activities" heading, even though I was never an officer? I still consider it a valuable experience in interpersonal skills, campus involvement, and living according to a set of values and standards, but does it make me seem lazy when there is no office listed?
ReplyDeleteWhether you chapter has 25 people or 250 people I think you should always list your sorority experience. It is up to you to determine where you think it fits best on your resume. If you have an office, that is great and you should definitely highlight the skills you received in the position rather than just saying, "I was Social Chair." Even if you did not hold a position, being a member of a sorority offers you so many skills. For example, think about time management, professionalism, people skills, and networking possibilities.
ReplyDeleteYou can also use any involvement on committees or volunteer work!
ReplyDeleteAll great pointers! And some that I used when I interviewed for my first salaried position over a year ago! :) I'm assuming you are a KD too! ;)
ReplyDelete