I'm graduating college this semester with a degree in computer science along with a concentration in information assurance. My question is, should I put the fraternity I'm in on the resume? I hear conflicting reports if I should or not. I would like to know what employers in industry think about this.
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I've read quite a few new CS graduate resumes, and I can't remember seeing a fraternity listed. That means either none of them listed it, or it seemed too unimportant to make any impression on me.– Patricia ShanahanCommented Feb 18, 2017 at 23:42
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1I did involve my other organization. Because it relates to my degree. But having a fraternity on the resume can sometimes have a negative cogitation.– rtayl0aCommented Feb 18, 2017 at 23:42
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3Pardon my ignorance, but what is a fraternity?– Masked ManCommented Feb 19, 2017 at 1:04
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2I can't see a positive reason for it, given all the bad PR fraternities get.– PeteConCommented Feb 19, 2017 at 3:03
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1Probably depends on company culture. If everyone at the company seems to be a brogrammer, then it might not hurt your chances. That said, the only people who don't hate brogrammers are other brogrammers. So, you may not want to make the bold career move of only looking appealing to companies whose names become synonymous with gross misconduct and sexual harassment (e.g. Zillow, Zenefits).– Parthian ShotCommented Feb 23, 2017 at 8:41
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3 Answers
The answer is "it depends".
Did your experience in the fraternity give you some kind of experience relevant to the work place? I'm sure being in a fraternity didn't up your coding skills, but if you held a leadership role, that would be a good thing to see on a resume from a soon to be or recent grad.
Otherwise, the answer is probably "No"
Unless you know people from your fraternity have a strong presence in the company, or you've done something for them that would be relevant regardless of what the organization was (ex a leadership role) listing your membership is unlikely to offer anything of value. From the other direction, you run the risk of your resume being dismissed by someone with a strong negative opinion of fraternities in general; regardless of if any of the negative stereotypes apply to you or the organization that you're a part of.
answered Feb 18, 2017 at 23:46
Dan Is Fiddling By FirelightDan Is Fiddling By Firelight
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If you know that people from your fraternity have a strong presence in the company, if I was hiring I would be very wary of adding more people from that fraternity. Commented Feb 18, 2017 at 23:51
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@gnasher729 My assumption is that scenario would only be likely to occur id there was a pro-fraternity bias there due to its members having significant influence over hiring due to controlling at least a decent chunk of management. Commented Feb 19, 2017 at 2:53
Note that there are many kinds of fraternities, from social to community service organizations to honor societies.
If your membership signifies unusual skills or experience, you might want to cite it with a few words about what you did and why the potential employer should find it interesting, at least when looking for your first job after school when you have little or no experience to cite.
If you were one of the officers, that might be worth mentioning if you can explain how that experience makes you a better candidate. Again, value drops after you have been out for a few years, unless you have been showing leadership as an alumni volunteer or something like that.
If you were just a member of just a social frat... that says nothing more than that people liked you enough at one point to invite you to pledge and be elevated. Not exactly boastworthy.
If you can't explain why someone who is not one of your brothers should be impressed, even if they think most frats are like Animal House (or worse), it doesn't belong in the resume.
