Mensa on CV
Recently got advice from a friend to put Mensa on my CV. I'm an active member and quite involved with the regional community but have always felt it's rather weird/red flag on a resume. At the same time I also know that recruiters at certain firms want to see cognitive/quantitative aptitude and recommend adding GMAT & other test scores etc.
So question to those who screen CVs - would you be more or less inclined to interview someone if they include Mensa on their resume? If possible could you also mention your industry (so I know if hedge funds view this differently than, say, VCs)
And to any fellow Mensans - how do you approach this? Has this ever been brought up in an interview or improved/hurt your chances for a role?
Thanks!
Super weird - someone had something similar on theirs once (can't remember exactly) and got roasted into oblivion. We brought them in for an interview, since the rest of the resume looked okay. We expected a gigantic weirdo and we were not disappointed at all.
In my opinion, more downside than upside.
Lots of downside, described perfectly by your post (especially the part about expecting a giant weirdo and getting one . . I LOL'd).
Fact that someone expects any upside would be another negative itself. People will read the resume and think "did this person expect us to be impressed by Mensa?". At least 2/3 of IB analysts could pass that test.
Big vibes.
Corporate development / strategy so probably not what you are looking for.
That’s insanely weird to put on your resume. Just don’t do it.
What's your IQ?
Here’s a really long article basically explaining that Mensa is a club for dorks with neurotic tendencies. If you want to demonstrate how smart you are maybe just include your SAT score ….
Curious what you do with the local Mensa Community. I was admitted a long time ago but didn’t join cause I had to pay. I would never take someone who has it on their resume seriously. Auto ding, unless the rest of their package is outstanding
i got into mensa but i would see it as a red flag if i ever saw mensa on anyone's cv. IQ is raw potential (if even that), your CV should show your accomplishments. plenty of people with high IQs who never got anywhere
I volunteer for the Triple Nine Society and put it down under volunteering as a subtle way of saying I'm a member whilst still not looking completely odd. Keep in mind I'm a student, so I'm still at the point where anything that can go on my CV IS going on it.
My dad (who is a member of Mensa) always said not to:
1) A lot of members have a strange reputation (as the posters above alluded to)
2) There is a strong chance an interviewer (or those who know) will view it as a hostility to their ego
3) There is a stigma (in such societies) around going into finance - the idea is if you are naturally gifted, you should try and reach your potentially in an industry where you contribute as much as possible to society (i.e. academia)
#3 is 100% true. One of my childhood friends is a member and is now a physicist and now jokes about why he briefly considered finance. More downside than upside for sure
4) It's a huge red flag that someone thinks their raw potential matters at a time when we want accomplishments. Like it's fine for an NFL rookie to boast about his 40 time, because track record is limited (college game only translates so much). But it would be weird AF for an NFL free agent, years into the game, to boast about his 40 time. IB hopefuls more like free agents, we want to see what you actually did with your big brain (grades etc).
Curious about how it would be perceived in Europe/UK
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