[QUOTE=hajario]
…I would be concerned about an employee who thought it was appropriate to put a social organization on a resume for a technical position./QUOTE]
This doesn’t entirely make sense. Social organisations that have no relevant membership criteria are one thing. A social organisation that requires you to pass a test of problem solving is potentially an indicator of an ability that might be useful in the position is quite another.
I am personally against any sort of elitism – the “we’re better than you” idea. That being said, an ex-girlfriend’s parents were in the DC mensas and I went on a joint DC-Annapolis mensa outing with them. The people were a wide mix, but unjudgemental and surprisingly a lot of fun.
I would certainly never put it on my resume (if I decided to become a member and if I was eligible. The non-blue collar mensas that I have met have certainly better things to put on their resume.
You can get into Mensa by having a very high SAT (college entrance exam) score that you took when you were 16 years old. You can get into Mensa like I did by having done well on an IQ test when you were 10 years old. Why on Earth should I give a shit about that when interviewing a person with an engineering degree who is in their 20’s or 30’s or older?
Virtually anyone who manages to get an engineering degree is going to do very well on a standard IQ test. Whether they would score in the top 2% or top 5% is entirely irrelevant.
Haj
[QUOTE=Princhester]
All this is crazy - how many people put on their resume they mountainbike? They volunteer, they participate, they are spiritual, they have a life, they aren’t one-dimensional? So what if these interests have nothing to do with the job?
I’ve talked to a LOT of human resources workers - and I know for certain that outside interests give you a hook. Outside interests aren’t cheap - they help you stand out. If I was hiring robots I’d want constructs who are members of organizations that are relevent to the field, and that’s all I’d want listed. If someone didn’t have any outside interests other than the field it would be impossible to see a human on that resume. Last time I was applying, I put down that I participate in an agressive hobby that has nothing to do with the job at hand - and while it didn’t get me the job, not a single interviewer failed to ask questions about it.
I can guess who would be bothered the most by a job applicant putting down that they are a member of Mensa, because for every guy you meet carrying one of those Mensa puzzle books and talking about their membership, there are two or three people who make snide remarks and feel they don’t have to wear their brains on their sleeves, but in the meantime doesn’t do much with theirs.
I say, if it gets them eggheads out of the house, Good for them! 
and no, I’m not a member…
I’m not a human resource worker but I have been in the position to hire people to work for and with me. I never said or implied that I don’t want to hire people with hobbies. I said that it doesn’t belong on a resume any more than it belongs on a formal business letter. The most I said is that it would be a minor strike against them, it wouldn’t take them out of the running.
I don’t know what field you’re in but I can assure you that putting crap about your bowling league or whatever on an engineering resume would be a very bad idea.
Haj
I qualified with my IQ scores, but didn’t bother. After meeting a card-carying member, I don’t regret it. What a conceited prick. It appears to be an absolutely worthless credential, for people who need as many credentials as possible to feel a sense of worth.
I’ve been interviewing a lot of people for jobs. If I ever saw Mensa on their CV, I’d toss it in the recycling bin. If I saw “SDMB Member”, I’d put it near the top of the pile. I mean, a club designed to exlude people who are dumb? That’s not fighting ignorance, that’s being a snot.
Maybe this is just the way we work, but if it has nothing to do with the job, it shouldn’t be on the resume. If we received a resume listing mountain biking, church and mensa, we’d probably pass it around and snicker at it. If your hobbies are related to the job, list them as independent skills, otherwise leave them off and maybe mention them in the interview.
I’m sorry you never met an intelligent manager. When I was doing a lot of hiring, I always looked for people who might be smarter than me–or at least had deeper knowledge in the specific field. If I’m smarter than all of my employees, I end up having to do their jobs for them. If I hire a bunch of very intelligent people, they’ll be more likely to operate independently and produce better results than I could by myself.
Of course, speaking from experience, managing people like that is like herding cats, but it’s well worth it.
I heartily agree, with certain exceptions. Always list foreign languages you’re fluent in. You never know when that’ll come in handy. I was working on a bunch of proposals for some work in South America when I received a resume from a fellow who was fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. That little bit of extra got him the job.
Similarly, listing membership in a community service organization (Elks, Lions, Rotary…) shows that you are a well-rounded and community-minded person, and I always view that as a positive. Telling me you’re a member of Mensa doesn’t say anything I can’t figure out in the interview.
FTR I am not a member, However, I’ve been thinking about taking the test. It’s strictly for shits and giggles and it would be kind of fun to socialize with a myriad of people with differing intellectual areas of expertise. I wouldn’t put a membership on an application although I was curious if people do, in fact, do just that.
I am not a big fan of folks that flaunt their intelligence and play the “i’m smarter than you card”
I personally challenge the statement that Mensa members are definitively smarter than anyone else. I just think that people who have the ability to solve the problems posed on the test have an ability to think laterally and may tend to be more well rounded in areas of intellectual understanding.
I have to wonder if Einstein, although brilliant as a physicist, would have possessed the ability pass such a test. Everyone in my social circle just happens to be extrememly intelligent but in a “jack of all trades, master of none” sense.
This is what makes them interesting and remarkable to me.
Anyway, call me a geek, but those Mensa puzzles are fun, kids!
The only people who would be impressed are the same ones who won’t hire you because of it.
I participate in a group like this.
I call it “my friends.”
I understand, though, that if your usual circles don’t give you the intellectual stimulation you need then a group like Mensa can serve a very useful social function.
Just to provide a little perspective, there has been some discussion in the past year in the Mensa newsletter on whether or not it’s appropriate to disclose membership on a resume.
If Mensa members themselves can’t agree on whether it’s appropriate, I hardly expect that anyone else will agree, too.
FWIW I did put it on my resume when I was looking for my current job. In retrospect I wish I hadn’t, because my company has an internal BBS that they post bios of new hires on. Yep, now everyone knows about it. I hope no one thought I was trying to brag or anything.
I joined in college based on SAT scores, mostly for shits and giggles. My local group is trying to get the “young crowd” active, and I’ve actually been introduced to a few real neat people. So it’s mostly a way to network for me.
I have to ask about this. Is it absolutely never appropriate to mention that type of membership? Suppose you were not only active in an organization, but took a lead role, like being the CFO on a volunteer basis? Of course, I only mean such situations where the goals of the organization are not at odds with the job you are applying for. For instance, if you were Vice President of the National Anti-Television League, you obviously wouldn’t want to mention that if you were applying to DirecTV.
It can be appropriate. If someone was applying for an engineering job and volunteered for a charity that encouraged inner city youth to strive to be engineers or something that would be fine. If they were the president of their college SWE chapter and recent graduates that would be fine as well.
Haj
Then it becomes relevant. If you’re applying for a job as an accountant, and you’ve been the volunteer bookkeeper at your church for 15 years, by all means mention it. If you’re applying for a job as a trade show coordinator and you’ve been the exhibit organizer at your local comic book convention for 5 years, that’s useful experience.
Funny - we just had this discussion on a technical writing e-mail list. The consensus seemed to be that it’d hurt you to include Mensa membership on a resume, not help. Some thought that those who did were pretentious snits; some thought that if it didn’t pertain to the job, it didn’t belong; some said don’t include it because you never give a reason that might disqualify you, however slight it seems. You just can’t count on how it’ll be perceived.
I don’t put any personal information on my resume, besides contact information and education (and that might go soon, as well). I guess I just don’t feel it belongs. I’m there to get a job and do things for you, not wow you with what I do after hours. If I had one that was relevant, I’d include it (like if the job description said “Spanish speaker preferred,” to steal someone else’s example); otherwise, it’s out.
Fresh out of school, your education matters a lot. With every new position, it matters less and less. After a while, people are much more interested what you’ve done with your life after school. At least where I am, in managerial positions, it’s almost irrelevant.
No one I know would hire a manager with MENSA on his/her CV. You may as well show up to the interview with “I’m an a-hole” stamped to your forehead. Given the higher-ups I know, everyone who would be in a position to hire you could easily get in, but they’re not members (or if they are, they don’t admit it publically), so that should tell you something.
Another question then, The first link to the other Mensa threads mentions the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA.) What, if any, correlation exists between Mensa members and members of the SCA?
This seems more a matter of opinion than fact, so I’ll move this thread to the IMHO forum.
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bibliophage
moderator GQ
There is some overlap. Of course there’s some overlap between Mensa members and just about any other organization you can name. Remember than Mensa has NO criteria other than doing well on an IQ test or equivalent. So you get the usual assortment of everything else.
On other matters, I’d agree that putting Mensa membership on a resume would not necessarily help you much, if at all. OTOH, if asked about other activities, it would not hurt to mention any leadership positions you have held. I’d mention it in that context, having held various offices at different times, just like I’d mention serving on my local school board.