# Should I talk about political volunteering in a job interview? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 15, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-talk-about-political-volunteering-in-a-job-interview/784508 "2017-04-15T15:57:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-talk-about-political-volunteering-in-a-job-interview/784508/1 "2017-04-15T15:57:12Z")
I am looking for a new job in the IT field. I do have quite a bit of experience, but almost every job I had, I was working by myself. Several employers have turned me down for this, as they want someone with experience working on a team. I have volunteered for several political campaigns, and am still involved with the Planned Parenthood Political Action Team. In these all of these political campaigns, I was directly working with other people. If I am asked about things I did as part of a team, is it a good idea to bring up politics? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-talk-about-political-volunteering-in-a-job-interview/784508/2 "2017-04-15T16:02:25Z")
No. I could go in but that is the whole answer. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-talk-about-political-volunteering-in-a-job-interview/784508/3 "2017-04-15T16:07:08Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > If I am asked about things I did as part of a team, is it a good idea to bring up politics? No. Unless it’s some sort of political group that the organization you’re applying for is likely to support I would steer clear of politics if at all possible. I know you said you worked alone but did you communicate with your supervisor or client at all? Emphasize that. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-talk-about-political-volunteering-in-a-job-interview/784508/4 "2017-04-15T16:21:33Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > I am looking for a new job in the IT field. I do have quite a bit of experience, but almost every job I had, I was working by myself. Several employers have turned me down for this, as they want someone with experience working on a team. > I have volunteered for several political campaigns, and am still involved with the Planned Parenthood Political Action Team. In these all of these political campaigns, I was directly working with other people. > If I am asked about things I did as part of a team, is it a good idea to bring up politics? This would be a benefit in that it shows team-player experience, but it has the drawback of introducing lots of social/political beliefs into a work environment. The drawback side of this scale is far heavier, and I would not mention it. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-talk-about-political-volunteering-in-a-job-interview/784508/5 "2017-04-15T16:25:58Z")
A lot more downside than upside. It \*might \*give you a boost \*if \*they hold the exact same views as you - but that is a big gamble. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-talk-about-political-volunteering-in-a-job-interview/784508/6 "2017-04-15T16:43:57Z")
“I volunteered for several political committees and did X Y and Z as part of a team (making calls, co-ordinating voting efforts, etc.)” No need to mention who you did it for. Don’t be specific about the who. Highlight what you did. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-talk-about-political-volunteering-in-a-job-interview/784508/7 "2017-04-15T16:53:31Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Don’t be specific about the who. Highlight what you did. This. If pressed, I would suggest saying that you do not think it appropriate and that while the politics is a personal matter, your efforts as part of the team demonstrate your worth to your prospective employer. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-talk-about-political-volunteering-in-a-job-interview/784508/8 "2017-04-15T17:28:01Z")
Yes. Emphasize the tasks and how they translate to a work environment. I would talk about the political campaign work as “I worked for a large, state-wide campaign effort” or “I have worked for several state-wide (or nation-wide) campaign efforts and my duties entailed…” It gets a bit tricky if they want to know which one. You might deflect with, “it doesn’t matter, what does matter is that it demonstrates my skills in x, y, and z. You can be assured that my political beliefs will have no bearing in the workplace.” Planned Parenthood I would be very careful about mentioning, unless you sneak it into that statement about large, nationwide organizations. Unfortunately, PP is a trigger for some people. I think if you keep circling back to how the specifics of what did tie back to the job duties, or successfully illustrate your ability to work with a team, it should work. You might practice a few times, if you have someone you can do dry runs with, or use a mirror and some practice questions. Make sure you’ve got Facebook and any social media configured correctly so that your political work is not readily available for your employer to see. This is true whether you mention your volunteer work or not. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-talk-about-political-volunteering-in-a-job-interview/784508/9 "2017-04-15T17:48:02Z")
If you can’t bring up the context of your experience then it’s best not to bring it up at all. If a candidate tells me they have X experience but it’s not on their resume or they choose not otherwise disclose where they got that experience I will not count it as a point in their favor. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-talk-about-political-volunteering-in-a-job-interview/784508/10 "2017-04-15T17:59:54Z")
Well, he’s striking out now, he may as well try this. Either try the middle road, with no mention of which specific campaign, or just lay it out there completely and put it on your resume. Can’t hurt to at least try it. ETA: as a hiring manager, I would have evaluated the skills and not the political affiliation UNLESS it was the Nazi party or the KKK or something equally fringe and unpalatable. IOW, just being a member of the “other” party wouldn’t cross you off the list. As a skilled professional, I would expect the same for you. IT folks take all kinds of gigs, from conventions, to stage shows, to the Olympics, to sales conferences, to political fund-raising.