Does a Sorority look Good on a Resume?

As someone who has reviewed tens of thousands of resumes and headhunted for numerous roles, I will say with authority that having a sorority listed on your resume always looks good.

If you are creating a resume and you are deliberating whether or not you should add your sorority to it, then the answer is a resounding yes. Because it will impress, it will help you get work, and it does look good.

The Negative Stereotype Of Sororities Is A Hollywood Trope

Are you worried that the idea of having a sorority on your resume will make you look “stupid” or “ditzy” or a “party girl”?  Don’t

That is a Hollywood trope. Corporate America is not Hollywood. You have to remember, most people who are in Hollywood are not educated. Most of the people who work in Hollywood, you should realize, are not college graduates. A significant portion of them get into show business because their family is in it, or else they become entertainers straight out of high school.

There’s a trope that Hollywood loves to use over and over again, and that is the dumb sorority girl. But it’s simply not true. And if you look at successful woman across multiple fields in corporate America, you will find many who were in sororities.

So, what I suggest is that you don’t take your career advice from Hollywood. Remember, Hollywood is made up primarily of the benefactors of nepotism and people who skipped college to become entertainers.  Hollywood worships the super elite academics with mental or physical issues  see beautiful mind or the film about hawking) but ridicules normal students.

Why Does a Sorority Look Good on a Resume?

So, now that we know that a sorority looks good on a resume, let’s examine why it does?

First, because most people in the corporate world went to college, they understand the real picture of sororities and fraternities. Yes, some are hard parties (this is more of a frat thing) but so are a lot of general college students.

More importantly, sororities are exclusive to varying degrees. And exclusivity is an attractive concept to people. If you’re someone who was in a sorority, especially a high value one that has a stellar rep, it speaks to your value as an individual.

Other people found you worthy to bring into their exclusive clique, which in turn makes it so that you become desirable and validated in the eyes of other people.

The other reason that it’s good to list a sorority on your resume is that it means that you’re keen on becoming part of a group. And companies want this.

Someone who was in a sorority is both social and a good networker. This is important in most areas of corporate America.

Listen, if you’re going to work in the medical field, or the non-profit sector, or work for the government, then it’s not really an issue. Those sectors do not place a high value on productivity and the competition for those roles is significantly less than roles in corporate America. Realize that for most government jobs all you have to do is take a test and then you wait to get hired.

Sororities have regulations and rules that members have to follow. This is important for companies as it means that you as a sorority member understand organizational membership and the important of following rules.

Do Sororities Help You Get Jobs

Yes, they most certainly do. Not only are sororities good to have listed on your resume, they are amazing for networking.

Of course, if you’re already in a sorority you know this. My intention when writing this was to gear it more towards people who wanted to know if they should list their sorority on their resume.  However, it is important to know that your sorority networking goes beyond just the immediate contacts and your in-world network.

By listing your sorority on your resume you can connect with sorority members all around the country that might not be in your immediate or real life network.

Take for instance the situation where a former member is the talent acquisition head of a cosmetic firm. If she’s reviewing resumes and happens to see her former sorority on someone’s resume, then she’s likely to connect with that person over a similar resume that has the same qualifications.

It’s the rule of likeness. People like what they know. So, it’s always good to list your sorority on your resume because you might connect with someone who either is from that sorority, or has a positive experience of the sorority in the past.

It’s also important to know that sororities have reputations in the general public that is much different than the hollywood tropes. And different sororities have different reps. Here are some good links to popular articles that cover the different sororities and how they are perceived in the general public and business world.

When Should You Remove the Sorority from Your Resume?

Alright, so if it’s a good idea to list a sorority on your resume, when should you remove it? Because at some point it does look strange to highlight your college experience, not just your sorority involvement.

First off, you don’t have to ever completely remove it. You can always list it under your education as an accomplishment. However, you should not make it a focal point once you are three plus years out of college.

This is the time in which you should have made some significant career accomplishments. You have had enough time to succeeded in some manner in the jobs at which you were working.

When you come across a resume of someone who graduated several years before and they highlight in details their sorority and activities associated with the sorority it does strike a bit of a strange cord.

Those people tend to not have many accomplishments in the workplace, or else why bother highlighting the sorority? Or at least that’s the thought from most recruiters and hiring managers.

It’s fine to list the sorority (which you should so that former members can identify you) but don’t go into too great detail as to what you did there. It certainly should not appear as a above the education job function (which is ok for new grads).