A friend of mine thinks that if he scores high on a Mensa “test” he can use it to, and I quote, “get a job anywhere in the country.”
Isn’t Mensa something of a joke? A bunch of trekkies telling each other mathematical jokes and comparing highschool bully stories?
What, seriously, other than a nametag at the next convention, will a high Mensa score get you?
IANA Member but I’m guessing kudos with those who think it means you are super-clever.
In other words - Most people.
edit: Correct me if I’m wrong but don’t you have to qualifiy to be a member by taking an intelligence test? And wouldn’t doing that give reasonable indication that you are intelligent? And wouldn’t that be acceptable reason to become a member>??
But is it an “official” test? Is it sanctioned by any accredited bodies? Is it anything other than a means for a group of lonely people to gather and congratulate themselves about?
I’ve had no real interaction with Mensa, but if I were hiring someone and they included a Mensa score in their resume, I would bin it.
Maybe it’s his magic feather.
One of my favorite waitresses ever was a MENSA member (true story).
What would you be hiring them for?
I think it’s premature to do that, without knowing more about Mensa. If ‘Mensa’ meant ‘Astrology’ or ‘Palmistry’ then maybe. But it means ‘High IQ people’ and at the very least it might be a ‘qualification’ for intelligence.
A very self-centered one I admit.
Former Mensa member checking in; unless things have drastically changed they don’t administer their own test, they accept results from tests like the Stanford-Binet.
It’s pretty much just a social club for people with high IQs. Regional publications, activities, parties and such. Definitely not a network that will get you a job anywhere in the country - a decent education will go much further in that regard.
Yes, we administer our own test. We also accept prior evidence. If you take the Mensa admission test, you will be notified that you have passed or not passed; you will not receive a score. This is because the test usually is administered by volunteer proctors who are not psychologists and who therefore are not qualified to offer IQ tests like Stanford-Binet, CTMM, etc.
Yes, it is a social club. Many of us like to get together and do stuff, just like other social clubs do. But some of our members never show up at anything; some are housebound, some are too busy, some just like to read the magazine, some just want a Mensa ID card in their wallet. My state senator put his Mensa membership on all his campaign literature, but I’ve never met him. I think that was a jerkish thing to do.
No, it won’t automatically get you hired. I have my Mensa membership on my resume, but only because I have served in a number of offices, coordinated large events, written articles for the national magazine, won awards, and worked in lots of capacities that show my skills. If I hadn’t done any of those things, I wouldn’t put it on my resume, because it would be irrelevant.
Yes, we have waitresses in our group, and mechanics, and university professors, and rocket scientists, and factory workers. Some are extremely self-centered, some are creeps and some are the most generous and noble people I know. Having a high IQ doesn’t give you common sense, good judgment, integrity, initiative, or freedom from emotional baggage dumped on them by their accursed parents.
I stand corrected re: point 1. I was a member almost twenty years ago now and I’m sure I’ve forgotten all sorts of things about the organization.
“Mensa tests” are IQ tests. As others have noted, Mensa will also accept other forms of intelligence tests, such as college entrance exams. Putting an IQ test score on a job application usually doesn’t matter much, employers are more interested in experience.
In some groups, there is quite a bit of social networking going on. Other groups, not so much. Networking can help find available jobs, but simply being a Mensa member will not guarantee acceptance.
I don’t know why so many people get this image of Mensa, it certainly comes up frequently enough on the SDMB…but no, we don’t usually sit around telling math jokes. Nor do we tell ST stories as a general rule. At the last monthly meeting of the Fort Worth chapter, we did talk about science fiction, but that was because the speaker talked about cislunar space, the space effort, and related subjects. The month before THAT, we had a Young Earth Creationist trying to convince us that the world is only 6000 years old. THAT was a lot of fun. Since we don’t offer any speaking fees, we take what we can get.
I have a lot of fun at the monthly gatherings. And that’s why I joined. I don’t get out much, and I’m not very social. However, I’ve always been able to find some great discussions and friendly people at the gatherings. There are a number of Special Interest Groups in Mensa, too, which adds to the appeal. I just found a SIG that I intend to join.
For some reason, a lot of people seem to be hostile to the very idea of Mensa. I guess they feel that they wouldn’t qualify, and resent it.
OK, granted, my view on Mensa as a haven for the pocket-protector crowd. I apologize if I insulted anyone here.
But seriously, is it a good idea for my friend–or anyone–to include Mensa membership on a resume?
At the very least, good intentions aside, I still see Mensa a group primarily concerned with self-congratulation, and I would count that as a point against someone if they put it on a resume.
Listing something like Mensa membership or SAT/GRE scores on a resume, unless some employer explicitly requests them, is not seen as a good thing. It is seen as wanting to get paid for being smart, not for getting results. Most resumes I’ve seen with that included have been highly binnable without making that the criteria that tips them over the edge.
The leadership activities **Sigmagirl **mentions would probably be perceived as positively for Mensa as they would for another similar organization, like an alumni chapter.
ETA: I see absolutely nothing wrong with joining Mensa if you enjoy it. Just telling the OP’s friend that a Mensa membership on his resume will not open doors in his job search.
I recently read a great book called The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A. J. Jacobs. It’s a great read, I highly recommend it. In the book, he describes joining Mensa and going to a Mensa gathering. It’s entertaining.
If by acceptable you mean reasonable, then no. A reason for becoming a paying member to an organization are the benefits, not the requirements.
Going public with your Mensa membership at work can be a detriment. For one thing, some people will assume you’re an egotistical snob. Others will be resentful and jealous. In either case, the first time you make a mistake, someone is sure to say “Oh, I guess you’re not so SMART after all, are you?” At least that’s my experience, and I’ve heard others report the same.
If faced with a choice between hiring a Mensan or a non-Mensan, there would be about a gazillion other criteria I’d put ahead of that fact. All it tells someone is that you do well on certain standardized tests.
It’s funny how two people can react so differently to something…
I also read “Know It All” and while I thought the book was an OK read, I really loathe author A.J. Jacobs, who seems to me like a smug, self impressed jackass.
(the chapter about his attending a Mensa meeting makes it clear how he feels about Mensa members, but his opinions dont mean much to me)
My husband recently rejected a resume with a Mensa membership, not so much because he thought it was wanky (which he did) but because the applicant wasn’t qualified enough. To paraphrase him, having your Mensa membership on your resume is like having your university grades on there or including that you were on the basketball team in high school; there’s probably nothing inherently wrong with it but it’s the sort of thing you put on your resume when you don’t have any relevant experience.
I’d say that thinking Mensa membership will get your any job in the country probably means that you’re rather unlikely to get Mensa membership.
But what if it is relevant? What if you are the editor of your local newsletter, which could go to as many as 1000 people, and you are applying for a job that includes publishing such a newsletter? Wouldn’t you put on your resume that you already do this?
My point is that if some applicant lists only the groups to which he belongs, and Mensa is among them, he’s being, as **lissener **says, self-congratulatory. I would roll my eyes if I received such a resume. Explaining one’s experience and skills, whether earned through Mensa, Toastmasters, the Friends of the Library, etc., is the purpose of the resume. Are people supposed to put on their resumes that they have held multiple offices in a group that they dare not name? Employers will think it’s the Ku Klux Klan!
Totally agree. It is naive.
I can’t imagine anyone having a problem with that. In his case though, the Mensa membership was in the “Notable Achievements” section which, as you say, came across as very self-congratulatory and was wholly irrelevant to the job at hand (programming).
Former Mensan.
Social club describes it best. My primary reason for joining was to be put in the company of people likely to be truly horrid punsters.
Seriously, the mental gymnastics necessary to deliver horrid puns on the fly don’t come easily. I was not disappointed.