Resume and Career Value of becoming a Founder of a Fraternity Chapter?

College Life
1

<p>Hello everyone, and thanks in advance for your help with my dilemma here,</p>

<p>I have recently been extended to join others as founders of a new fraternity chapter at my university. While I understand that not all fraternity guys are the same, I have extreme qualms with being associated with "frat douch bags" that each fraternity always seems to have a few of. This has made me wary in associating myself with Greek life. I'm not much of a party animal, and my main motivation in joining (as many of my friends have stated as well) would be the potential career and leadership opportunities, not the drinking and carrying on. </p>

<p>I've spent some time considering the pro's and cons of joining, but I'm left with two deciding factors,</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Is stating that I am a founder of a chapter of a fraternity really a valuable component of a just-out-of-college resume/CV? I can imagine that simply pledging may not have as much value, but, at the same time, would being a founder be more valuable, and would employers recognize it?</p></li>
<li><p>Fraternity recruiters have mentioned to me these "mysterious" connections among their fraternity which could help in landing a job. I remain skeptical, however--I've never heard of anyone being hired just because of a fraternity they were in. In fact, I would think the opposite would be true--that an employer wouldn't respect you because either, a) You're in a fraternity (and all the negative stereotypes associated as a result) or, b) You weren't in "his" fraternity.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>So what I really want to know is, would being a founder of a chapter be a significant edge on a resume and in gaining connections? I recognize that fairly low dues (~$300/semester) and the ability to steer the chapter in a right direction with other founders (many of which are my friends) makes this an atypical fraternity experience as compared to the usual pledging, but I remain skeptical. </p>

<p>I am studying Economics/Finance, German, and International Relations, which altogether are, I would say, around the median to lower quartile range in terms of "stable" majors, ensuring that connections and a strong resume are still a must.</p>

<p>At the same time, I am already very involved in my school's Honors Program, carrying out undergraduate research, and planning on studying abroad.</p>

<p>Would being a founder of fraternity--and the related marginal costs (time commitment, dues, pressure to conform, etc.) provide enough of a marginal improvement to my resume/connections?</p>

<p>Thanks for your opinions,
James</p>

2

<p>coming from a former chapter president, if the only reason you’re really interested in founding this fraternity is the resume padding then I would say you’re probably not going to find it worth it. Fraternity leadership roles are definitely a plus on a resume but I don’t think they are enough of a plus if that’s all you’re getting out of it. </p>

<p>Being a founder (and being a good founder) is a lot of work for very little reward. Your chapter won’t have all the bells and whistles of the established ones on campus and ultimately you’re going to have to sell the intangibles your group has to offer as well as think really hard about the precedents you want to set. In terms of your own goals of career opportunities: obviously your own chapter’s alumni network is non existent because it is starting with you, so whether or not the national network is actually any good depends on what organization we’re talking about.</p>

<p>I know the founders of my own chapter and I know that their motivations for founding my chapter extended well beyond leadership training and resume building.</p>