"I did a TON of work leading an ERG!

Becca Carnahan

June 5,2023 at 8:37PM UTC

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"I did a TON of work leading an ERG! But I have no idea how to put it on my resume, or if it even belongs there..."

Oooo, my friend! Your ERG leadership role absolutely, 100%, should be on your resume if you are seeking out a new leadership/management role.

Now that THAT is out of the way, let's talk about HOW to include that role on your resume.

1️⃣ List it out as its own role.

Just because your ERG leadership position wasn't your Full-Time job, does not mean it hasn't earned its own place on your resume!

You can include your ERG leadership role as a separate role with overlapping timeframes (totally fine) so that you can give it the real estate it has earned for accomplishment-driven bullet points.

2️⃣ Include your ERG role within a leadership subhead of your current role/company.

If you've been in a role for a long time OR if you are looking to switch into a new function or industry, I like to break up bullet points into a few subheads.

Think about the key skills and experiences you are utilizing in your current role that are RELEVANT to your next target role. If leadership or project/program management are on your list, you can include your ERG leadership role and key accomplishments under one of those subheads.

3️⃣ Focus on quantifiable accomplishments.

Metrics, please! People, money, scale, scope. Numbers help tell your story.

Start here: Did you grow your ERG membership? Did you secure funding to host events or programs? Did your ERG touch an increasing number of folks within your businesses through your activities? That's gold!

4️⃣ Double down on those accomplishments.

If you're getting stuck on your accomplishments as an ERG leader, list out the responsibilities of the role. But don't stop there!

Take that list of responsibilities and then ask yourself - because I did THIS responsibility well, what was the positive outcome?

OR if I didn't do this responsibility well, what would have been the negative result?

Either question can help you turn responsibilities into accomplishments.

5️⃣ Include ERG Leadership as an area of expertise.

I love a good Skills or Areas of Expertise section on a resume, and I especially love a really TARGETED Skills/Areas of Expertise section.

ERG Leadership itself can be listed as an area of expertise but you can also break this down further. What skills/experiences did you build in this ERG role that would be highly valuable to your target companies?

To make sure you're including the right stuff here, review job postings, LinkedIn company profiles, and company websites.

✍ Ready to get writing? ✍

Off you go!

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Jeannette SeiblyJune 6,2023 at 4:14PM UTC
Get your brag on! Do the exercises in the book, "The Secret to Selling Yourself Anytime, Anywhere: Start Bragging!" https://SeibCo.com/books/
These exercises will help you fine-tune what to include on the resume. Remember, a resume is a marketing piece to get your foot in the door. Keep it short and simple with brag statements.
AnonymousJune 11,2023 at 2:04PM UTC
All of this advice above is spot on! List it under its own role under the company before or after your ‘day job’ for the company.
Volunteer ERG/Diversity committee leads and members have accelerated the culture of many companies and were often not paid or even recognized for their incredible work. Companies have benefited from retention and engagement because of passionate folks who just took it upon themselves to effect change beyond the scope of their actually job they were hired to do. Happened to me as well. Led efforts for about 5 years from soup to nuts: I brought in amazing speakers through favors that now charge upwards of $75k for speaking fees, diversified recruiting pathways, created an allyship model, community impact, focused on talent attraction and so much more. Not only was I never properly awarded for this but it also went unrecognized and unacknowledged. In fact, I was blatantly disrespected and excluded from some key moments.
I was taken advantage of but I also let myself be taken advantage of. But I was younger then, and I lived and learned. Most importantly and encouragingly, I was eventually rewarded for my work, just not at that company. A much higher-caliber and innovative (global household name) company found value in all that I did and extended an amazing offer for me to do DEI work as my primary role. So sometimes even when you think the chips are down and you question yourself it’s best to stick to your convictions and continue. The payoff most likely will come but maybe not they way you expect it to. And the reward will be all the sweeter.
By specifically highlighting your leadership in the space you take control of your own narrative.
Annetta MosesJune 12,2023 at 10:29PM UTC
My comments are from the perspective of a higher manager and a person who has led ERG teams. Before you put your ERG experience on your resume define the role of that experience to make you attractive to companies you apply to.
Also evaluate if the metrics for your ERG work are more or less impactful than your full time job.
For example, on my full time job I develop and implement a new process that saves the company $1 million annually. For the ERG, I worked with other ERG groups to offer professional training value at $100,000. I want potential employers to notice the $1 million savings.
At a meeting minimum, the ERG work shows willingness to do extra work to support company sponsored initiatives.