{"id":1831,"date":"2024-09-11T06:46:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T06:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sittingapps.com\/?p=1831"},"modified":"2024-09-16T01:12:59","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T01:12:59","slug":"the-identity-transparency-conundrum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sittingapps.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/11\/the-identity-transparency-conundrum\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018Identity Transparency\u2019 Conundrum"},"content":{"rendered":"
As I was applying for summer internships this past spring, I had a lot of difficulty determining what to include on my resume. My first thought? Everything! But on second thought, I wondered if including everything I\u2019m involved with might have cost me an opportunity. I call this \u2018Identity Transparency\u2019.<\/p>\n
As a woman heavily involved in many social justice issues on my campus, advocacy, awareness raising and diversity groups, I\u2019m pretty clearly marked, dare I say, with a \u2018Feminist\u2019, ideology. I theorized that such activities would exude a passionate drive to make the world a better place to potential employers. I\u2019m the type of college student who cares about her community, right? Well, maybe.<\/p>\n
After absent calls from several business and journalistic entities I\u2019d applied to, I realized listing, \u2018Feminist Student Union President\u2019 and \u2018The Vagina Monologues Performance\u2019 on my resume may not have been such great idea. Of course, the progressive non-profit publication I work for currently saw those activities as an asset to their team, but apparently not everyone had the same reaction.<\/p>\n
Depending on the company, it may be better to appear a bit \u2018apolitical\u2019 or \u2018uninformed\u2019 (sad right?). According to advice I\u2019ve been given by a PR professional, only list activities and leadership positions that are directly relevant to the position in which you are applying to, and be ready to discuss how so in an interview.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not suggesting that you leave your identity or political interests at the door- but do be mindful of what you are including on a resume, and how it may appear to potential employers. In the end (if you got an interview), if they like you and you\u2019re good at your job what you do in your free time shouldn\u2019t matter. However, in industries like journalism, it\u2019s ideal to appear as \u2018objective\u2019 as possible. For some people hiding your identity would be merely impossible in an Internet age. Personally, my feminist identity is one that I can\u2019t hide, and if someone doesn\u2019t want to hire me because of that, I probably wouldn\u2019t want to work there anyway.<\/p>\n