34

Should I include any information about Stack Exchange, or more generally, any Q&A, sites that I am an active contributor to on my resume? If so, how prominent should this information be and at what level of detail should I include?

I am particularly concerned about striking the correct balance between giving this point appropriate prominence, without appearing to give it higher priority than more important points, such as previous experience.

Improve this question
5
  • 2
    see also: Is “Stack Exchange use” a valuable skill on my CV?
    – gnat
    Aug 14, 2015 at 15:38
  • 2
    Possible duplicate of Is "Stack Exchange use" a valuable skill on my CV?
    – DarkCygnus ♦
    Sep 25, 2018 at 18:25
  • @DarkCygnus: Is the earlier question a duplicate of the later one?
    – user145
    Sep 25, 2018 at 19:14
  • 1
    Hey @JosefK the dupe target should be the one that has more and higher-quality answers. As this one only has 2, and the other one has 9 (and highly more voted that these ones), this post, although older, should be the dupe of the earlier one. Please read here to see what I mean, quoting: "Usually a recent question will be closed as a duplicate of an older question, but this isn't an absolute rule. The general rule is to keep the question with the best collection of answers, and close the other one as a duplicate."
    – DarkCygnus ♦
    Sep 25, 2018 at 19:23
  • OK, in that case: no, not a dupe. One question is asking whether Stack Exchange use is a skill (and all the highest-rated answers relate specifically to the point of whether it is a skill) while the other asks whether it is worth mentioning at all.
    – user145
    Sep 25, 2018 at 19:51

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
29

Unless you know that the employer is active on StackOverflow or another StackExchange site, I would avoid making your reputation and activity very explicit.

You might list that you're active on StackExchange in an "Interests" section. If the employer is aware of the site and values it, they'll look you up or ask for your username.

I would say that a more appropriate place to mention your profile is an online medium like LinkedIn. Having a link there doesn't seem out of place and adds to your overall online appearance.

And as ChrisF mentioned on Programmers, make sure that if you do include your profile in any way that your profile represents you well. You should view your profile in this case as an extension of your résumé, so make it look just as professional.

Improve this answer
3
  • 2
    That information will follow you. That seemingly innocuous comment rant about your boss that you did over a year ago may come back to haunt you if you divulge your username. I for one proceeded to "cleanup" a few things from my SE account history that I wasn't particularly proud of :)
    – maple_shaft
    Apr 11, 2012 at 12:53
  • 17
    Anything you can't delete you should flag for moderator attention; they can delete and/or disassociate you from posts. The disassociation is your right as part of the Creative Commons Wiki license we use for all user-generated content.
    – Aarthi
    Apr 11, 2012 at 13:14
  • 2
    Ideally, you should never have posted a rant or a rave about somebody in the first place. Unless the person is a public figure (e.g. Donald Trump, Donald Trump's hair piece), people are off-limits.
    – jdb1a1
    Jul 11, 2012 at 18:22
18

It depends (as the Q&A on Programmers.SE points out), but putting a notice in an "Interests" section cannot hurt, as root45 mentions.

I just want to add the fact that some professions consider time spent on StackExchange sites as "service to the profession" -- in particular, the Project Management Institute (PMI) allows claiming of PDUs (professional development units) for time spent asking and answering questions at Project Management.SE.

I don't know if "impress" is the right term to use, but when I evaluate resumes and I see that potential employees are participating in informal and volunteer communities of knowledge, and gaining reputation in those communities, I consider it a bonus. I think StackExchange itself assessed market value (and usefulness) by constructing Careers 2.0 the way that they did.

Improve this answer
1
  • 3
    +1 for "see that potential employees are participating in informal and volunteer communities of knowledge" - this is a very important quality in an employee, and I hope most people would consider it in a positive light, like you do.
    – weronika
    Apr 13, 2012 at 3:50

You must log in to answer this question.