liza bean
Last night I was working on my resume and I was thinking. I've always been told to try to stand out -in a good way- by mentioning a unique skill or experience that I've had. And then there's always that column of "activities" or "membership" and I have nothing! And what's so frustrating is that I don't just sit around doing nothing...I do a lot of Baha'i things. And those activities illustrate qualities that employers are looking for: leadership, organizational skills, enthusiasm, service to your community, flexibilty, creativity...man. But I'm not allowed to mention my affiliation with a religious organization because employers might be judgemental. Oh well! At least I've had those experiences and have learned a lot from them.
Speaking of those activities. I nearly cried at children's classes. From joy! I was talking to the kids about what protection means. And we played this game where the kids all dressed up into animal costumes - a little spat broke out about who would get to be the deer but luckily Billy jumped in and nicely resolved the situation- and I was the "sneak" and tried to steal all their food. We have awesome wooden "toy" food. Well, at first I was an easy "sneak". I didn't try super hard to steal the lose wooden apple that had stumbled out of one of the kid's hands, but then I did try hard and the animals lost a precious apple and pear. Then, the moment: where as before they each grabbed some food and cowered over their own pile, they now began to put the food into a very large pile and all worked together to protect all the food. At it worked! Without me even having to be an easy "sneak". Okay, so what was so awesome about that moment? They problem solved and decided to work together all on their OWN. With none of my usual promptings. I was so proud of them. I now wish I had showered them with even more glee but I think they got the idea.
For me the significance of that moment is grand. Part of my struggle as a teacher is to see those teachable moments and to see those moments that illustrate a virtue so clearly. And I'm excited because I'm beginning to see the fruits of experience from working with these children. They have taught me to see virtue in those little moments.
Hmmmm, I've never heard that you should not mention religious affiliation on a resume. I've read several resumes that have included youth groups, retreats, Sunday school classes, and missions. Even if you choose not to reveal specifics, I think that you can include the general activities/tasks that you have participated in. For example "organized, scheduled, and ran a fundraising dinner for 30 participants" or "oversaw and motivated 10 volunteers at community dinner event" etc. I don't think you should let your hard work and great experiences go unmentioned.
Posted by: KT at July 6, 2004 12:59 PMHey there Liza,
I know that some applications say that you shouldn't say what religious group you belong to, but I don't think that rule really applies to resumes. Also, there is most likely a way to word your experience in a way that does not specifically say what group you were with when you gained the experience. Just an idea.