It’s All Greek to Me: Recruiters’ Perceptions of Résumé Items

Resumes are often used as a screening device for employment purposes, yet there have been very few recent empirical examinations of how recruiters perceive resume content items, particularly extracurricular college activities such as involvement in Greek social organizations. This study examined 152 recruiters' perceptions of applicant involvement in three type of extracurricular activities: Greek organizations (social, professional, and honors), non-Greek organizations (social, professional, and honors), and other applied experiences (internships, mentoring programs, and study abroad). Results indicated that recruiters perceive applied experiences more favorably than non-Greek organization involvement in terms of technical skills, interpersonal skills, overall employability, and personal impression. Recruiters perceived non-Greek organization involvement more favorably than Greek organization involvement with respect to technical skills, overall employability, and personal impression. There was no significant overall effect for perceptions among the three types of Greek organizations (social, professional, and honors), suggesting recruiters viewed the three types of Greek organizations similarly.