SCA on a resume

[Avice]

I am writing my first real resume in preparation for graduation from
college and I am wondering if people generally include their SCA
experience in theirs. I have been active since 1997 and received my
AOA last fall and I done a lot of volunteering and being in the SCA
has given me a lot of opportunity to take on responsibility I never
would have otherwise. I really want to include this realm of
experience in my resume. Do people generally put SCA on their resumes
and if they do, what do they include as pertinent facts about their
activities?

YIS,
Lady Avice

[Dorothy J Heydt]

Post by Avice
I am writing my first real resume in preparation for graduation from
college and I am wondering if people generally include their SCA
experience in theirs. I have been active since 1997 and received my
AOA last fall and I done a lot of volunteering and being in the SCA
has given me a lot of opportunity to take on responsibility I never
would have otherwise. I really want to include this realm of
experience in my resume. Do people generally put SCA on their resumes
and if they do, what do they include as pertinent facts about their
activities?

I've put some on mine, clearly labeled as volunteer work. I was
Privy Clerk to the Laurel Queen-of-Arms for several years, for
instance, and I not only typed letters, I drafted them for her
signature, and reorganized the filing system, and stuff like
that. That was all fine on the resume, and appropriate because I
was applying for office jobs. If you've been a branch officer,
you can call that directing volunteer efforts. That kind of
thing. Don't tell any lies, but translate what you did into
mundane workforce language.

Dorothea of Caer-Myrddin Dorothy J. Heydt
Mists/Mists/West Albany, California
PRO DEO ET REGE ***@kithrup.com

[yaz pistachio]

and, speaking from the other side of the desk, if you *do* decide to use
your SCA activities on your resume (listed as volunteer work), and you are
asked about the organization in an interview, don't feel it necessary to
into great depth about SCA "stuff" -- i was part of an interview team & one
of the candidates had SCA experience -- in the discussions afterward, the
other interviewers had the impression that the person would not be flexible
in their schedule & would, most likely, be out the door like a shot at
quitting time every day.

i mean, on one hand, that's reality -- who *doesn't* want to be out that
door, especially when they have something of interest calling them? on the
other hand, most employers labor under the fond impression that what they
are offering really *is* more important and entertaining than anything else
in their employees' lives.

that said, catchphrases like "volunteer hours", "giving back to the
community", "educational demos", and "living history" would probably give
the most information without finding yourself mired in a detailed
explanation of SCA wars and why you needed to bake cookies to take to one.


as ever,
Liran

[Greg Lindahl]

Post by Avice
I am writing my first real resume in preparation for graduation from
college and I am wondering if people generally include their SCA
experience in theirs.

I ran across a resume once from a kingdom deputy waterbearer, labeled
as volunteer organizing experience. I felt it was a plus for the
resume, and I knew her Kingdom superior, so that personal reference
was a big plus.

I agree that you don't want to go down the rathole of describing the
SCA in an interview, so it would be a good idea to have something like:

1999-2002: Organized volunteers for a regional historical re-creation
group (SCA, deputy kingdom waterbearer.)

-- greg

[Harold Groot]

Post by Avice
I am writing my first real resume in preparation for graduation from
college and I am wondering if people generally include their SCA
experience in theirs. I have been active since 1997 and received my
AOA last fall and I done a lot of volunteering and being in the SCA
has given me a lot of opportunity to take on responsibility I never
would have otherwise. I really want to include this realm of
experience in my resume. Do people generally put SCA on their resumes
and if they do, what do they include as pertinent facts about their
activities?

I believe someone once posted that he had put down something like
"Regional Service Award for a volunteer non-profit educational
organization."

[Bronwynmgn]

Post by Avice
Do people generally put SCA on their resumes
and if they do, what do they include as pertinent facts about their
activities?

It's in mine, and in my portfolio, in the "Other activities" section. That's
not on this computer, so I can't quote it to you, but basically just mentions
my involvement in a medieval re-creation organization similar to Civil War
re-enacting (to make it easier for people to understand) and that I have held
certain offices relevant to the position (for instance, my term as "chapter
president" might be applicable if applying for a managerial job).

Brangwayna Morgan

[Chris Zakes]

Post by Avice
I am writing my first real resume in preparation for graduation from
college and I am wondering if people generally include their SCA
experience in theirs. I have been active since 1997 and received my
AOA last fall and I done a lot of volunteering and being in the SCA
has given me a lot of opportunity to take on responsibility I never
would have otherwise. I really want to include this realm of
experience in my resume. Do people generally put SCA on their resumes
and if they do, what do they include as pertinent facts about their
activities?
YIS,
Lady Avice

I've listed it in "generic" terms, but haven't usually described the
SCA beyond the one-sentence "it's a historical re-creation group, sort
of like the Civil War reenactors, but set in the middle ages and
renaissance.

I recall one interview where the interviewer expressed
interest/curiosity about the SCA. After the "formal" interview was
over, we spent about ten more minutes talking about the SCA, and I
sent her a flyer and some contact information after I got home.

-Tivar Moondragon
Ansteorra

We put the "fun" in dysfunctional.

[Heather Jones]

Post by Avice
I am writing my first real resume in preparation for graduation from
college and I am wondering if people generally include their SCA
experience in theirs. I have been active since 1997 and received my
AOA last fall and I done a lot of volunteering and being in the SCA
has given me a lot of opportunity to take on responsibility I never
would have otherwise. I really want to include this realm of
experience in my resume. Do people generally put SCA on their resumes
and if they do, what do they include as pertinent facts about their
activities?

I would agree with others that SCA experience can certainly be
given a place on a resume (especially a "first resume") as long
as it's "translated" into terms that make sense in the regular
working world.

I'd also suggest thinking about your experience in terms of "job
skills". Has your SCA experience involved supervising/managing
others? General office skills? Teaching classes? (Focus on the
act of "teaching" rather than on the content of the classes
unless the latter is directly relevant.)

Tangwystyl

[Abrigon Gusiq]

As well as the research, and like skills.

That it is a medieval recreationist group, dedicated to researching,
recreating medieval techniques and skills, as well as sponsor public
knowledge of the past.

Morgoth

Post by Heather Jones

Post by Avice
I am writing my first real resume in preparation for graduation from
college and I am wondering if people generally include their SCA
experience in theirs. I have been active since 1997 and received my
AOA last fall and I done a lot of volunteering and being in the SCA
has given me a lot of opportunity to take on responsibility I never
would have otherwise. I really want to include this realm of
experience in my resume. Do people generally put SCA on their resumes
and if they do, what do they include as pertinent facts about their
activities?

I would agree with others that SCA experience can certainly be
given a place on a resume (especially a "first resume") as long
as it's "translated" into terms that make sense in the regular
working world.
I'd also suggest thinking about your experience in terms of "job
skills". Has your SCA experience involved supervising/managing
others? General office skills? Teaching classes? (Focus on the
act of "teaching" rather than on the content of the classes
unless the latter is directly relevant.)
Tangwystyl
--
*****
Heather Rose Jones
*****

[Heather Jones]

Moving the top-posted comment down to it's proper place so that
there's some hope of a logical flow ...

Post by Abrigon Gusiq

Post by Heather Jones

Post by Avice
I am writing my first real resume in preparation for graduation from
college and I am wondering if people generally include their SCA
experience in theirs. I have been active since 1997 and received my
AOA last fall and I done a lot of volunteering and being in the SCA
has given me a lot of opportunity to take on responsibility I never
would have otherwise. I really want to include this realm of
experience in my resume. Do people generally put SCA on their resumes
and if they do, what do they include as pertinent facts about their
activities?

I would agree with others that SCA experience can certainly be
given a place on a resume (especially a "first resume") as long
as it's "translated" into terms that make sense in the regular
working world.
I'd also suggest thinking about your experience in terms of "job
skills". Has your SCA experience involved supervising/managing
others? General office skills? Teaching classes? (Focus on the
act of "teaching" rather than on the content of the classes
unless the latter is directly relevant.)

As well as the research, and like skills.
That it is a medieval recreationist group, dedicated to researching,
recreating medieval techniques and skills, as well as sponsor public
knowledge of the past.

This starts getting into perilous ground. For most things you
might be applying for that want experience in doing historic
research, mentioning the SCA is likely to hurt you rather than
help you. If your SCA research has produced "real-world
credentials", such as published journal articles or conference
papers, then you can use those credentials ... but then their
origin in the SCA becomes irrelevant.

The specific nature of the SCA, in terms of content, is unlikely
to be useful on a real-world resume. And bringing it up is
likely to distract from the more general skills-framework that
_is_ useful to demonstrate. Focus on the general skills, and
leave the "medieval research and education" spiel for demos.

Tangwystyl

[yaz pistachio]

Post by Heather Jones
This starts getting into perilous ground. For most things you
might be applying for that want experience in doing historic
research, mentioning the SCA is likely to hurt you rather than
help you. If your SCA research has produced "real-world
credentials", such as published journal articles or conference
papers, then you can use those credentials ... but then their
origin in the SCA becomes irrelevant.

oh, yeah.

i'm transferring into the history program at UC Davis & learned, during my
first meeting with my advisor, that mentioning past experience in the SCA or
RenFaire did not work. i already knew that it wouldn't qualify as any sort
of academic experience, but i wasn't prepared for the cold, faintly hostile
reaction.


Liran
not mentioning *that* again...

[David Friedman]

Post by yaz pistachio
i'm transferring into the history program at UC Davis & learned, during my
first meeting with my advisor, that mentioning past experience in the SCA or
RenFaire did not work. i already knew that it wouldn't qualify as any sort
of academic experience, but i wasn't prepared for the cold, faintly hostile
reaction.

Think of it as the aftereffect of your advisor's contacts with students
who thought that being in the SCA made them experts on medieval history,
and demonstrated that it didn't.

[yaz pistachio]

"David Friedman" <***@daviddfriedman.com> wrote in message news:ddfr-***@sea-> Think of it as the aftereffect of your
advisor's contacts with students

Post by David Friedman
who thought that being in the SCA made them experts on medieval history,
and demonstrated that it didn't.

that's what i figure happened to her, especially since her thesis was on
Elizabeth I, & i'm sure she's run across some of the NoCal crop of
Elizabethan fanatics -- the ones who think that reading "All The Queen's
Men" and knowing enough to *not* like the Cate Blanchette "Elizabeth" is
enough to make them Experts On The Subject.


as ever,
Liran
working on making her mind a tabula rasa

[Jay and Diane Rudin]

Post by Heather Jones
The specific nature of the SCA, in terms of content, is unlikely
to be useful on a real-world resume. And bringing it up is
likely to distract from the more general skills-framework that
_is_ useful to demonstrate. Focus on the general skills, and
leave the "medieval research and education" spiel for demos.

Oh, so I can leave "regional sports safety officer" on my resume, but I
should take off "hitting people with sticks".

No wonder I'm still out of work.

Robin of Gilwell / Jay Rudin

[Dean Eubanks]

Post by Jay and Diane Rudin
Oh, so I can leave "regional sports safety officer" on my resume, but I
should take off "hitting people with sticks".
No wonder I'm still out of work.
Robin of Gilwell / Jay Rudin

Unless you're applying for a supervisory post at some of the places I've
worked. Hitting people with sticks might be a bonus qualification.

Daene

[Slaine]

I mentioned some SCA experience in a job interview. Being Royal scribe
translated into "meeting weekly deadlines" and I had some examples of
the local newsletter from when I was chronicler. They ended up
choosing someone with a lot more experience than me but it was still a
good interview.

I had to go to one of those one day Skillpath Seminars on dealing with
difficult people and communicating better. I was floored at how much
my SCA experiences translated in real world commuications skills.

Good luck with the job hunt! Don't forget you can always tweek your
resume depending on what you're applying for.

Cheers,
Slaine

[p***@hotmail.com]

Post by Avice
I am writing my first real resume in preparation for graduation from
college and I am wondering if people generally include their SCA
experience in theirs.

To quote from the online bio on his California gubernatorial campaign
site, Michael Jackson (no, not *that* one) writes:

"I have been a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a
non-profit educational association, for 15 years. Recently, I
completed a four year term as the co-chair of the local South Bay
Chapter."

In other words, he recently stepped down as Baron of Lyondemere.

Keep it generic and keep it relevant, and you should be fine. As with
someone with military experience, you should avoid jargon. You're a
chapter president, not a seneschal, etc.

Also remember to write your resume in terms of what potential
employers are looking for. For instance, if you worked for a pizza
delivery company, don't describe your duties as "made pizzas;
delivered pizzas". Pretty boring, doesn't tell me anything about you.
As a potential employer, I would be much more interested in someone
who had excellent customer service skills, was reliable and got along
with co-workers, someone who took phone and walk-in orders accurately,
handled money honestly, operated commercial cooking equipment and
vehicles safely, maybe trained other employees, filled in for manager,
etc. Don't undersell yourself, but don't overinflate your experience
either.

Good luck on your job search!

-- Signy

[Barbara Nostrand]

This post might be inappropriate. Click to display it.

[Ashland Henderson]

Post by Avice
I am writing my first real resume in preparation for graduation from
college and I am wondering if people generally include their SCA
experience in theirs. I have been active since 1997 and received my
AOA last fall and I done a lot of volunteering and being in the SCA
has given me a lot of opportunity to take on responsibility I never
would have otherwise. I really want to include this realm of
experience in my resume. Do people generally put SCA on their resumes
and if they do, what do they include as pertinent facts about their
activities?

I don't know about resumes but I mentioned the SCA back in 1967 when
I went into the military and they still gave me a top secret clearance.
That was even coming from San Francisco. Although I guess it would have
to be since the SCA wasn't much of anywhere else yet.

[Lis]

I was recruited at my former place of work for an interview for a position
at a nearby Montessori school, along with several others. I happened to be
organizing children's activities for Pennsic, and brought along my schedule
in case they asked. I had about 12 years of SCA experience with children, in
addition to other skills, and listed these on my resume, along with Girl
Scouts, etc... in the organizations/affiliations section, calling my SCA
positions as past-president of a local chapter, children's activities
coordinator for three states, former newsletter editor, received the SCA's
highest award for arts in 2000, etc....

As a matter of fact, they did "bite" and asked, I showed them my plans for
Children's Point at Pennsic. I DID get the job---the SCA proved to be the
Slam-dunk, but on my resume it only took up one or two lines. I waited for
them to ask me, and I kept it brief, telling them we expected to serve about
500 children with a variety of classes, and I had recruited teachers to do
that, then showed them the print-out of the schedule. I kept it at the level
they asked about---"how does this relate to the job for which you're
interviewing."

I now happily demo all sorts of SCA-type activities for my classes at
school. Of course, my students are ages 3-6, so I am unlikely to see any
real recruits for some time......

I know another person who listed her exchequer experience, which proved to
be the key to a job that required command of technical details and
accounting. It's all in how you sell it. Remember to write your resume
directly for the area you're interviewing. Don't make the mistake of writing
one resume that is to cover all positions you apply for. Customize it to
delete the stuff that isn't relevant and to bring to the fore the stuff that
is.

Cheers

Aoife

Post by Avice
I am writing my first real resume in preparation for graduation from
college and I am wondering if people generally include their SCA
experience in theirs. I have been active since 1997 and received my
AOA last fall and I done a lot of volunteering and being in the SCA
has given me a lot of opportunity to take on responsibility I never
would have otherwise. I really want to include this realm of
experience in my resume. Do people generally put SCA on their resumes
and if they do, what do they include as pertinent facts about their
activities?
YIS,
Lady Avice

[Jerod Husvar]

I also list my experiance with the SCA on my resume. Holding an office
in a non-profit organization seems to be something that people find
attractive. And even though I was only an officer for two years, it
shows that I was involved.

Bottem line, go for it. Just do as Aoife said, try to put the best spin
on your experiance that you can. Remember, with resume you're building
a sales flyer for yourself, so pump yourself up as God's own gift to the
profession you're working in. :)

All the best,

Lord Morcant

Post by Lis
I was recruited at my former place of work for an interview for a position
at a nearby Montessori school, along with several others. I happened to be
organizing children's activities for Pennsic, and brought along my schedule
in case they asked. I had about 12 years of SCA experience with children, in
addition to other skills, and listed these on my resume, along with Girl
Scouts, etc... in the organizations/affiliations section, calling my SCA
positions as past-president of a local chapter, children's activities
coordinator for three states, former newsletter editor, received the SCA's
highest award for arts in 2000, etc....
As a matter of fact, they did "bite" and asked, I showed them my plans for
Children's Point at Pennsic. I DID get the job---the SCA proved to be the
Slam-dunk, but on my resume it only took up one or two lines. I waited for
them to ask me, and I kept it brief, telling them we expected to serve about
500 children with a variety of classes, and I had recruited teachers to do
that, then showed them the print-out of the schedule. I kept it at the level
they asked about---"how does this relate to the job for which you're
interviewing."
I now happily demo all sorts of SCA-type activities for my classes at
school. Of course, my students are ages 3-6, so I am unlikely to see any
real recruits for some time......
I know another person who listed her exchequer experience, which proved to
be the key to a job that required command of technical details and
accounting. It's all in how you sell it. Remember to write your resume
directly for the area you're interviewing. Don't make the mistake of writing
one resume that is to cover all positions you apply for. Customize it to
delete the stuff that isn't relevant and to bring to the fore the stuff that
is.
Cheers
Aoife