How to List Your Sorority or Fraternity on a Resume

How to List Yur Sorority or Fraternity on a Resume How to List aSorority or Fraternityon Your ResumeMay 14, 2019 By Jess Chen Want to leverage your Greek life experience for the job hunt? Learn why you should put your fraternity or sorority on your resume and how to do it in our comprehensive guide.Make a Resume in MinutesGreek life has a bit of a bad rap.Between reports of wild parteying and hazing incidents, people forget that such behaviors dont represent the whole experience.In reality, being part of a fraternity or sorority involves leadership, philanthropy, and other important resume building traits that hiring managers seek out in new graduates.How to Add a Fraternity or Sorority to Your ResumeOne of the most important parts of putting your greek life on your resume is how you display it and where. Depending on how much youd like to disclose about your fraternity or sorority experience, there are two options for smoothly incorporating it on your resume.Method 1 Include It in Your Professional ExperienceWe recommend adding your Greek life experience to your Professional Experience section in two circumstances.You dont have enough actual professional experiences to fill up a full resume pageYou had enough experiences during your Greek life to justify 3-6 bullet points, particularly experiences that demonstrate achievements of some kindSince this option allows you to go into detail on what you did as a member of Greek life, its the clearest way to express how your experience has shaped you and how youre a stronger candidate because of it.DO THISTREASURER / Theta Pi Fraternity / Miami University / 2015-presentRaise $250,000 for the Red Cross through large scale fundraising events that involve the entire student body.Calculate and balance budget of $75,000 for the chapter for the purpose of organizing social events and to keep the house running.Track expenses using a comprehensive Microsoft Excel sheet to ensure that the chapter stays within budget.Method 2 Put It in Your Activities or Volunteering SectionsIf you want to indicate your affiliation, but dont want to dedicate a lot of space on your resume to Greek life, add an entry to your Activities or Volunteering section.Use this option ifYou didnt hold significant positions in your fraternity or sororityYou simply dont want to draw too much attention to your Greek experienceEven if youre not devoting as much room on your resume to your Greek life, be sure to quantify your experiences with numbers so your employer has a clearer idea of what youve accomplished.DO THISACHIEVEMENTSRaise $250,000 for the Red Cross through large scale fundraising events that involve the entire student body as Treasurer for the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.Maintained a 3.2 GPA while actively participating in Beta Theta Pi events and activities. TipReady to put your Greek life on an actual resume? Our easy-to-use free resume builder can help you make one in minutes.5 Reasons to Put a Fraternity or Sorority on Your ResumeAfter learning how to add greek life to your resume, you may be wondering why you should go through the trouble of doing it. In fact, there are many compelling reasons why putting a fraternity or sorority on your resume can help you land employment.1. Greek Life Demonstrates Leadership and Other Transferable SkillsSimilar to clubs and other extracurricular activities, Greek organizations have leadership positions, such as president or recruitment chair. If youre someone who currently holds ones of ansicht positions, youve probably planned parties or rushes for your fraternity or sorority.Since organizing these kinds of experiences use soft skills that are transferable to a job, you should list them on your resume as examples of your accomplishments, as well as evidence of the skills you exercised as a leader.Describe orchestrating a fraternity social gathering on your resume.As a leader of your fraternity or sorority, you may have used transferable soft skills likeCommuni cationTeamworkProblem solvingCreativityInterpersonalAttention to detailThese soft skills would be invaluable if you pursue a career as an event planner, executive assistant, or camp counselor. With the experience youve gained from coordinating Greek events and running the organization, youll easily convince the hiring manager why youre a suitable candidate.Even if you werent in a direct leadership position in your fraternity or sorority, you may have had experiences that nonetheless required leadership or other transferable skills.For instanceDid you volunteer at a fundraiser held by your sorority?Did you secure supplies or equipment needed for a party?Did you situate or mentor new members to your fraternity?You can spin these activities into bullet points that demonstrate your skills, especially if you quantify them with achievements. By quantify, we mean that instead of simply writing that you raised money volunteering, you can highlight the exact dollar amount raised.Heres an exa mple bullet pointContacted lighting company and set up times for workers to install professional lighting for our talent show that raised $40,000 for disadvantaged childrens education.2. Greek Life Highlights Your Civic EngagementEngage the community in a fraternity or sorority.Philanthropy is another essential component of the Greek life experience. Many chapters stress giving back to the community through charity work as a central tenet that their members are encouraged to participate in.If your fraternity or sorority is charitable, think about how you contributed to raising money for charity and describe these experiences as bullet points on your resume.For exampleWere you part of the fundraiser planning committee?Did you help promote the fundraiser across campus?Did you participate in the fundraiser itself?These kind of achievements show your employer how you work as part of a team, as well as your drive for getting things done.Heres an example bullet pointRan social media accou nts to promote the relay race our sorority holds to raise money for cancer research by scheduling daily posts across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter.Similarly, if your chapter is active in civic engagement, introduce your volunteer work in bullet points on your resume. Even though its unpaid, volunteering is still known as volunteer work for a reason. Community service helps volunteers develop valuable work-related skills that are highly prized by employers.Consider the following questionsDid your fraternity devote substantial hours to the local soup kitchen?Did your sorority help build homes for disaster victims?Did your organization read stories to young children at the regional library?Describe your role in these activities, emphasizing the results of your work with quantifiable achievements, such as how many people you assisted or how many homes you built.Heres an example bullet pointBuilt 200 homes for Hurricane Harvey disaster victims during a two-week retreat with my sorority.3. Networking PerksMeeting a fellow fraternity member can lead to your next job.Take advantage of national Greek alumni networks during your job search by including your fraternity or sorority on your resume. If the hiring manager is also a Greek organization member, that connection could help you land an bewerberinterview.Another way to capitalize on the alumni network is to have your fraternity or sorority on your resume when you hand them out at Greek alumni events. By proudly displaying your affiliation on your resume, youll leave a stronger impression on the alumni contacts you connect with, possibly sparking conversations that lead to future job opportunities.4. Greek Life Can Be a Conversation StarterWhile having your fraternity or sorority on your resume isnt an interview-granting guarantee, its a great way to break the ice during an interview. Acknowledging your Greek experience is an easy way for you to show another side of yourself.Your skills and experiences arent the only measures for whether youre a good fit for a company. Company culture is important, too. If the company culture values friendliness, socializing, or community, presenting your personable nature through your Greek experience could show your employer that you would fit right in. TipNervous about your interview? Prepare yourself with these common job interview questions and answers.5. Greek Life Displays Time Management AbilitiesBalancing your social life with studying displays serious time management skills.Being an active member of Greek life and a successful college student requires stellar time management skills. Between social events, philanthropy, volunteering, and other activities, balancing Greek life with a heavy course load is no easy task.By disclosing both your academic achievements and active Greek participation, hiring managers will know that you can effectively manage your time.This makes you a desirable candidate, especially if the company has a fast-pace d environment where youll juggle multiple tasks. TipNot sure what skills to put on your resume? Read up on what the right skills to highlight are in our skills for resume writing guide.Want more resume help? Dont forget to check out our industry-tailored resume samples or our stylish, HR-approved resume templates. Or, feel free to leave a comment below