I was asked today by a slightly over 40 man, if he should leave or take off of his resume the fraternity affiliation.  My initial reaction was leave it on due the state we live in. On further reflection later, as I worked on my social media stuff, I thought maybe not have it on the resume.  It certainly should  be noted on his FB/LI. And given the way people are being vetted by prospective employers, then that would suffice.  Any thoughts,  comments?

Is he still active in the fraternity? Or is this something he joined 20+ years ago in college and hasn’t done much with (except maybe attend a few alumni keggers) since he graduated?

If he holds some kind of national office or actively mentors/sponsors a collegiate chapter, then by all means he should mention that on the resume.

If, on the other hand, his active participation in the group pretty much ended when he graduated, I’d put it in the same category as GPA. It might have been significant when he was going after his first job, to show “leadership” or something along those lines, but 20 years later? Nobody really cares.

Worse, including it could raise all sorts of uncomfortable questions. Like, hasn’t he done anything since then that would be more important? Is he one of those “glory days” guys who can’t let go of the past? With the job market what it is these days, nobody needs to go out of their way to raise awkward questions in an interviewer’s mind. I’d say, focus on more recent achievements and memberships if he’s got them. (And if he doesn’t, he should get out there and acquire some! )

As a potential employer, I’m much more interested in seeing what somebody’s done within, say, the last 5-10 years. IMO, what a 40+ year-old did in college is ancient history.

Not into the Greek life myself. But today you can tailor your resume for each interview. Put it in if it will help. Keep your hoodie in the closet if it will hurt.