Elsmar Cove reference in your CV 's ...

[somashekar]

Hii ...
How many of you have made a mention of involvement in Elsmar.com in your CV's. Have anyone of you got any milage in your placement opportunity from its inclusion.
I for one have added it in my CV suitably....

 

[Wes Bucey]

Hii ...
How many of you have made a mention of involvement in Elsmar.com in your CV's. Have anyone of you got any milage in your placement opportunity from its inclusion.
I for one have added it in my CV suitably....

And . . . ?
What happened?
How long have you had it in your C.V.?
Are you actively shopping your CV.?
Have you received any comments about its inclusion one way or the other?

 

[somashekar]

And . . . ?
What happened?
How long have you had it in your C.V.?
Are you actively shopping your CV.?
Have you received any comments about its inclusion one way or the other?

As I was recently reviewing my CV, it struck to me to make a mention about it, and then it struck to me to ask fellow covers the same here .....

 

[Jen Kirley]

Actually, with the credibility gains that online education is enjoying, sites like the Elsmar Cove may indeed be a suitable bullet point in a CV. However, I suggest two rules of thumb:

1) Try to discern if the CV's reader would appreciate it for what it is. Opinions about a source's validity do vary. Some will consider a correspondence course to be of great value because of the discipline involved in doing well, while others will scoff and say brick-and-mortar education is the only worthwhile type.

2) Keep it relevant. The Cove does not pretend to be a replacement for formal education. It should be easy to understand why the type of activity you mention is worth putting into a CV.

I have not included my activities here in my resume, but I have mentioned it in interviews as a volunteer activity. It felt a little risky, but the people whom I told didn't think it was stupid.

 

[Ajit Basrur]

I had mentioned in my CV and thus before my joining this new company, some people already knew me

 

[ScottK]

On my resume it's in the section for professional societies.
On my LinkedIn profile it's more prominent.

I haven't interviewed since joining this site so it hasn't come up in that regard - however I do discreetly mention it to customers when they visit to see if I get a glimmer of recognition. Haven't yet.

 

[Wes Bucey]

Jennifer makes an important point - if you include ANYTHING in your C.V. (Curriculum vita or resume), it should be there for a reason.

I've seen some resumes and C.V.s that go back 20 and 30 years, describing part-time jobs as newsboys and shoe shine boys when they were ten and twelve years old. That might be fine if we were writing a biography of a Horatio Alger type hero, but these were for positions as inspectors and technicians.

I realize some cultures still adhere to the original C.V. concept of cataloging one's entire life, but, if the candidates come from that culture or intend to work in such culture, they should also include an abbreviated "cheat sheet" which highlights the PERTINENT skills and experience for the position to which they are applying. This should provide a "road map" through the C.V. so the reader will not get lost in the backroads of minutiae which can obscure the real goal of the application - GET AN INTERVIEW AND GET HIRED!.

The first and foremost consideration when preparing an application which includes a resume or C.V. should be the readers, especially the ones who act as gatekeepers, and the ones who actually make the decision to call the candidate in for an interview. In that light, folks who use C.V.s which contain EVERYTHING should also include a cover letter pointing out how various items in that C.V. are pertinent to the position for which the candidate is applying, and simply remain silent on the non-pertinent ones.

To the topic of including a reference to the Cove membership and activity in your C.V.:
Let's see some examples of what folks might write about their relationship with the Cove which would pique the interest of a reader unfamiliar with the Cove.

 

[Gofar]

Some of the jobs I've been looking at recently are in the defence industry and one of the desirable traits is the ability to keep secrets.
Could participation in a forum like this be seen as a negative for such organisations?

Even if it were considered a plus point to an employer, my contribution here hasn't been huge so it would hardly be pertinent. If you include the reference its something which could easily be checked and your posts evaluated.

 

[Wes Bucey]

Some of the jobs I've been looking at recently are in the defence industry and one of the desirable traits is the ability to keep secrets.
Could participation in a forum like this be seen as a negative for such organisations?

Even if it were considered a plus point to an employer, my contribution here hasn't been huge so it would hardly be pertinent. If you include the reference its something which could easily be checked and your posts evaluated.

Absolutely true - the key part is what I have highlighted in red bold.

If the posts are merely a series of questions on minor topics or nonsense posts in the Coffee Break Forums, there's probably not a lot of value in pointing them out. If the posts are intemperate or seem to give away secrets, they can be damaging to a career. In fact, some folks have lost their jobs over items they've posted in the Cove. A lot depends on what ax the reader might want to grind.

One of my favorite references in this regard is attributed to Cardinal Richelieu when he was engaged in political and religious vendettas

“Give me six lines written by the most honorable of men, and I will find an excuse in them to hang him”
Cardinal Richelieu quotes (French Minister and Cardinal. 1585-1642)