Affiliations
Affiliations can be boiled down to two basic flavors: career and civic. The first has to do with organizations dedicated to a profession, industry, or functional specialty. The second category covers community, nonprofit, and for-fun groups.
Volunteerism can fall under either category, depending on whether you are a mentor to business professionals or a role model for youth. Volunteerism is enjoying a renaissance in America, as in America’s Promise with powerhouse Colin Powell at the helm and, here in my home state, the California Mentoring Initiative for at-risk youth. Employers will regard this kind of service favorably: It not only benefits your chosen charitable cause, but also is great for business public relations. (Don’t, though, let this be your primary motivation for volunteering. The saying “Do something nice for someone today and don’t get caught” implies that volunteering has its own rewards!)
If numerous affiliations elevate you to “overachiever” status, consider splitting them into a career-related category and a community-related category for greater readability and impact. If you have only one organization to include, make sure it carries weight, or don’t include it. (See the upcoming tip on single-item lists.)
Choose one of following terms if you’ll be using an Affiliations category:
Tip
If you have a category with just one item in it (such as an affiliation, award, or interest), avoid listing it under a separate category. A single item can look “lonely” on its own, diminishing its impact. It also wastes two additional lines of space on the résumé (the heading line and the line space between the heading and the item). Extra space, called white space, also draws the reader’s eye to the item. If the single item is fabulously impressive, fine—list it by itself. If it isn’t, you have probably succeeded in drawing attention away from some other feature on your résumé that should have earned more recognition. This doesn’t mean you need to exclude one-liner items from your résumé. If including the item will support your candidacy, look for another category to weave it into, such as a Qualifications Summary or Accomplishments section.
