Membership in professional and
social organizations can be a great way to network, scout out new career
opportunities, and to actually make meaningful connections with other people
within your industry and across industries. These organizations can be
cause-related, general society groups or industry-specific. This post is the
first of a series which specifically takes a look at Black Greek Letter
Organizations (BGLOs) and Black Corporate culture. These are
sororities and fraternities whose memberships consist primarily of college-educated Black
people, mostly professionals and many Black Corporates.
THE RESUME:
My sorority is on my resume. When I was in grad school, my career adviser, a black woman, suggested that I remove it. I heard her explanation and considered her advice, but I decided that in my relationship-based profession, it was it more useful than harmful. The below describes some of the pros and cons of including a BGLO on a resume and best practices for including it.
Reasons to include your Greek Affiliation
THE RESUME:
My sorority is on my resume. When I was in grad school, my career adviser, a black woman, suggested that I remove it. I heard her explanation and considered her advice, but I decided that in my relationship-based profession, it was it more useful than harmful. The below describes some of the pros and cons of including a BGLO on a resume and best practices for including it.
Reasons to include your Greek Affiliation
- Create a connection with your resume reviewer: If your reviewer has a positive association with BGLOs, the reviewer may view your resume more favorably or better remember your resume. The odds are more in your favor that this will be the case give the numbers of political leaders, scholars and artists who are members of BGLOs and the impact that many chapters have on their local communities.
- Emphasize Community Service: Good corporate citizenship is en vogue. Companies want to hire good people who do good work. Community service signals selflessness, compassion and dedication to a cause.
- Highlight Involvement and Leadership: Most companies want a team player who is willing to be involved and committed beyond business hours. By showing involvement and leadership outside of your academic and professional pursuits, you show a willingness to contribute. You signal to potential employers that you are more likely to join and even lead company committees and initiatives.
