Sorority recruitment and job interviewing have a ton of similarities. It's one of the many things a sorority teaches you about life. Today, Erica is going to show you how much recruitment can help you get a dream job when you graduate!
Sorority
recruitment — while considerably more fun — is similar to applying for a job.
Of course there are a variety of differences between being a sorority recruit and
a job applicant, but, aside from a college internship, few experiences prepare
a job candidate for an interview like sorority recruitment.
The
reason that is the case is because sorority recruits are put through a battery
of interviews and activities and are put in a number of real-world scenarios.
Without these, it is almost impossible for sorority sisters (or hiring
managers) to find out which recruits are best suited for their chapter (or
company).
1)
Extracurricular Activities: Sorority recruiters typically want to
know what positive things a recruit did in high school, aside from study.
Particular types of extracurricular activities are not as important as the fact
that a recruit had interests outside academics. Not that academics are not
important — it’s just that most sororities want well-rounded sisters in the
house.
Extracurricular
activities are proof of social aptitude and a worldly view. In many cases,
extracurricular activities are just as important to sororities as a recruit's GPA.
Most
real-world jobs require extensive interviews. Those interviews will invariably
include questions well outside the purview of the job description.
Extracurricular activities — sorority membership, for example — are a huge plus
when trying to land a job. While academic performance is very important, so are
outside interests.
2)
Community Service: While extracurricular activities are a
huge plus, few endeavors impress a sorority recruiting panel as much as
community service does. Whether it is helping out at a nursing home, providing
help for students who need assistance with their homework or doing community
cleanup, community service can be the difference that separates good recruit
from a great one.
Interviewers
for post-grad jobs feel the same about community service as those conducting
interviews for sororities. A job applicant that has shown to have an interest
in helping others can be trusted to keep morale up at work, go the extra mile
when required and do what's best for the company.
3)
Teamwork: Two settings where teamwork is essential are in a sorority
and in your dream job. Almost all sororities require members to work with their
fellow sisters, and very few jobs permit a person to work alone on an island.
While there are jobs in which a person works in a vacuum, the overwhelming
majority require a person be able to work within a team.
Sorority
recruitment requires potential members work together in a variety of
capacities. Doing well during the recruitment process shows potential employers
that an applicant understands how to be a team player.
4)
Long-Term Goals: All sororities have one thing in common: they want their
members to be successful long term. A large part of long-term success is having
goals and working toward them. Sorority recruiters will undoubtedly ask
recruits what their long-term goals are.
Being
able to answer questions about long-term goals during sorority recruitment will
help a graduate answer questions during the interview for her dream job.
Without question, any successful company or organization wants to know what the
long-term goals of potential employees are.
Not
only does an interviewee’s explanation of her long-term goals help interviewers
understand her in a broader light, it helps interviewers project how she might
fit into their company over the long run.
5)
"Why Us?" Questions: One of the most common questions for
both sorority recruits and job candidates is, "Why do you want to join/work
with us?" It is always a difficult question to answer, and for those who
are not prepared, the question can be a major stumbling block.
However,
by learning to answer the question while rushing for a sorority, a college
graduate can use the same answer to land her dream job.
Big
Picture
While
there are any number of situations and activities in sorority life that will
help you land the big job, the recruitment process is probably more helpful than
any other!
Erica Wolfe
is a proud Delta Phi Epsilon member and a Marketing Associate at Greek Streak – an online Greek apparel
retailer providing fraternity and sorority clothing for the Greek community.
