Career Resources for Race & Ethnicity Community

How do I share my participation in cultural events on my resume?

You may wonder whether to include awards, scholarships, advocacy work, or involvement in student organizations that pertain to your identities. Whether or not to use this information on a resume or cover letter depends on your own comfort level and interest in sharing who you are with others. It is a very personal decision, and as such, there is no right or wrong answer.

However, there are questions to ask yourself to gauge how safe you feel about your experiences.

Ask yourself: is it important for your colleagues to know who you are at work? Be sure to research your work environment. Is it likely the organization you’re applying to is inclusive? If you’re concerned they are not, you may choose to highlight the skills you developed but not the organizations you worked with. Is a particular activity, award or experience relevant to the job you are applying for? If the experience does not demonstrate relevant skills you may choose to leave it off at this point.

Sample Resume

Leadership Experience

Student Government Association     Houston, TX

President                                      May 2015-Present

  • Recruit, hire, and train 50 SGA members in collaboration with two co-advisors

How do I know if a company is a good fit?

There are many ways to determine if a company is a good fit for you. To be a good fit, you should match what the company is looking for and the company should match what you are looking for. While you can’t always know 100% what a company looks for in a candidate, you can take steps to research the company and find out as much as you can about it to determine whether you could see yourself joining their team.

References

Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2003). Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination. The American Economic Review . doi:10.3386/w9873

Kang, S. K., Decelles, K. A., Tilcsik, A., & Jun, S. (2016). Whitened Résumés. Administrative

Science Quarterly,v61(3), 469-502. doi:10.1177/0001839216639577

 

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