In today’s competitive job market, you need every advantage possible. Making sure you have an effective and ATS-optimized resume is a great place to start. But how can you make your resume pop and stand out from the crowd?
One good way to do this is by adding an affiliation section to your resume. The proper use of affiliations on a resume can increase the value of a candidate by showing additional competitive experience, leadership qualities, technical skills, and (depending on the affiliation) social responsibility.
However, before you go and list your captainship of the 5th Street Bowling team in your affiliation section, there are some guidelines you should know and follow to use this tool effectively.
In this article, you’ll discover:
What are affiliations?
Who should use affiliations?
Why is the affiliation section important?
Where do you list affiliations?
Bonus sections:
Guidelines for adding affiliations
How to list affiliation dates
What are affiliations?
Affiliations on a resume are organized groups, clubs, or associations where you are a current or past member. You include affiliations on your resume that are most closely related to your career field, your industry, and/or the job description to help promote you as the most qualified candidate.
There are different types of affiliations, such as:
Professional
Membership in certification and licensing bodies
Board membership
Industry groups
Academic
Clubs
Government
Tutoring
Personal
Volunteer services
Religious organizations
Political parties
Who should use affiliations?
Affiliations can and should be used by any job seeker looking to incorporate additional value into their resume. This includes those new to the workforce, recent graduates, seasoned professionals, and even C-suite executives.
Why is the affiliation section on your resume important?
The use of affiliations on your resume is important because this special section will highlight your dedication to your field of work. When you join and are active in a group, an association, or a club, you show a potential employer your commitment to expanding your work experience, enhancing your skills outside the workplace, and enriching others with your industry knowledge.
Affiliations are also a great way to show your leadership skills, your ability to work in a team environment, and that you are a well-rounded person outside of work. Your affiliation section will stand out if it aligns with the company mission or any of the social responsibility programs the company is connected with.
In the Harvard Business Review (HBR) article, How to Write a Resume That Stands Out, the author quotes Kristi DePaul (CEO of Founders): “I would take a hard look at what you’ve done, whether it’s internships, volunteer work. There are a lot of ways that you can position yourself as somebody who has more experience than you really think.”
Where do you list affiliations on your resume?
No matter the type of resume a job seeker uses, the resume is composed of the same essential components (listed below). As shown, additional sections such as Affiliations can be added near the bottom of the resume.
Contact Information
Resume Profile
Work History
Education
Certifications
Skills (may also come after the resume profile)
Affiliations
While there are some exceptions, a resume is typically one to two pages. Only add the affiliation section if space allows.
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Bonus sections:
Guidelines for adding affiliations on a resume
Just like there are do’s and don’ts for writing the resume, there are some simple guidelines to follow when adding affiliations to a resume.
Only include an affiliation resume section if you have three or more memberships.
If you have less than three affiliations, include them in other areas of the resume. i.e., the experience section, the education section, or the skills section.
List only those affiliations related to your field, industry, and/or job description.
Do not include affiliations that do not show value or are considered controversial. These can include:
Weekend get-togethers/leagues
Political party affiliation
Hot-button topics
Organizations in the news for the wrong reasons
How to list affiliation dates
If you are a current member, you will list the year you started to “Present.”
If you are no longer an active member, you can still add the association by including the year started and year ended, or you can simply write “Former Member.”
If it has been more than five years since you were a member, you may want to consider excluding the association from your resume.
Remember, the affiliation section on the resume should show and highlight the added value you bring to the position and the company.
Key takeaways
The proper use of affiliations on a resume can greatly increase the value of a candidate.
Affiliations are organized groups, clubs, or associations where you are a current or past member and which directly relate to your career field, your industry, and/or the job description.
Affiliations can and should be used by any job seeker who is looking to incorporate additional value to their resume.
The use of affiliations will highlight your dedication to your field of work. Affiliations show your leadership skills, your ability to work in a team environment, and that you are a well-rounded person outside of work.
Place affiliations at the end of your resume, and leave them out if they make your resume too long.
Be sure to follow the guidelines for adding affiliations and listing membership dates.
