Re: Personal Stuff on Resumes

["Mason, Catheryn" <CMason -at- INFINITEC-COM -dot- COM>]

In my opinion, if an "outside" affiliation or involvement is relevant to
a particular skill set that you possess, by all means put it on the
resume (whether it is specifically work-related or not).  A good example
would be serving on a board of directors for an organization, or running
a major annual fundraising event for a community agency, or
teaching/mentoring activities -- if these activities help illustrate
skills that you wish to highlight.  If such information bears no
relevance to the position applied for and is merely a "get to know me"
sort of gesture, it's ineffective and probably inappropriate.
Information about marital status, children, personal hobbies ("I have
five lovely children and enjoy playing the piano") is certainly
unnecessary.

If I were hiring, such information would also be unwelcome - particulars
about age, religious affiliation, sexual preference, race, or disability
have no place in today's workplace, certainly not in the hiring process,
anyway.  Hopefully, employees in an organization will get along and form
personal relationships (at which point all of the above information may
come into play).  But a company hiring those employees must turn a blind
eye to any of these considerations.  In fact, it must go farther - it
should, at any rate, strive to create an atmosphere that values (and
protects) diversity in the workplace, where the good old golden rule is
the company norm.  Companies should make it clear that all employees are
expected, within the confines of the office at least, to treat one
another with tolerance and respect regardless of any religious,
political, sexual, or racial differences they may have.

C Mason
Technical Writer
Infinitec Communications, Inc.
Cmason -at- infinitec-com -dot- com