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Resume/CV Professional Membership

Disciplines > Job-finding > Resume / CV > Resume/CV Professional Membership

Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

List the memberships that you have of relevant professional bodies.

Write out the full name of the association, including what level of membership you hold, followed by the letters that you may put after your name to indicate this.

Professional memberships may be a separate section near the end of the resume/CV or may be included within the Education section (particularly if membership is gained through examination) or the Personal section.

Example

Associate of the Scientific Institute (ASI)
Member of the Chartered Management Association (ACMA)
Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)

Discussion

Memberships of associations and societies can be gained by various means, typically by examination or election. The examination model is common for professional institutes where a number of years of study and formal examination, typically equivalent in difficulty to a Master's degree, is used. Higher levels (such as fellowship) may require significant experience or contribution to the discipline. Some august bodies only allow people of note to join, by invitation only. Other associations only require payment of an annual membership fee.

The value to a recruiter of professional membership may hence vary significantly and they may well seek particular associations.

Recruiters may also not recognize all memberships and may be impressed by simple ones. If you have obscure memberships, be ready to explain their worth at interview.

Do not put membership of social clubs (such as a golf club or Rotary group) here. These may still be mentioned if they indicate noteworthy personal qualities in the Personal section.

See also