Is Phi Beta Kappa a boost to employment? Forum

[melodically]

That's fair. Full disclosure, I'm PBK and paid the dues because it's worth a resume line IMHO. Its one of the few things you see in bios for lawyers at firms.

You can put whatever the fuck you want in your firm bio. It doesn't surprise me that goobers who paid for this scam still think it's something to be proud of. The question is does anyone else.

PBK is not a scam. It costs virtually nothing for a lifetime membership, and if you participate in your local chapter, you get to do some pretty cool things.

One example: Our local chapter (DC) arranged an after-hours Q&A with Justice Sotomayor in the Supreme Court chamber. It was a small group (~50 of us), so it was pretty intimate. It was definitely one of the more memorable things I've done in my entire life.

Now, that doesn't necessarily mean PBK is particularly worthwhile or useful for many people, but it's certainly not a scam. The networking opportunities are also pretty solid, if you're into that sort of thing.

[notalobbyist]

That's fair. Full disclosure, I'm PBK and paid the dues because it's worth a resume line IMHO. Its one of the few things you see in bios for lawyers at firms.

You can put whatever the fuck you want in your firm bio. It doesn't surprise me that goobers who paid for this scam still think it's something to be proud of. The question is does anyone else.

But if lots of people that do hiring are those same goobers, it might be helpful for getting a job.

But lots of people aren't putting it on their bio. Only a few do.

Only a few get it, that's the point. It exists as a signalling device beyond the perceived value of a degree from a given university. Nobody lists GPA, and criteria for latin honors vary by institution, so PBK sends a signal of top 10% of a given school. It really shouldn't hold any more value than latin honors for an equivalent percentage, but maybe not everyone who gets summa is in top 10% and alternatively maybe its extremely difficult to get cum laude at your school and doing so puts you in the top 10%.

Not everyone mentions whether they graduated with honors, but many people do it because it fits with the norms of the bios and it enhances credibility beyond simply listing the institution from which you graduated. You don't see the other societies as often (I've actually never seen anything other than coif or PBK listed) because they don't fit in with the norms because they don't carry any cache: the signals they send are not providing any additional relevant information.

Like it or not, many people get hard-ons about exclusivity and status. Not everyone, but enough people that its worth sending signals to those people. I paid 50 bucks or whatever once to have a graceful way to list a rough approximation class rank on my resume for the rest of my life and its come up enough times professionally to be worth it. Perhaps things will change as boomers shift out of being in positions of power.

[09042014]

ITT Butthurt PBK members. Nobody knows what it is except members.

[1948]

ITT Butthurt PBK members. Nobody knows what it is except members.

i'm sure your invite just got lost in the mail buddy

[KingFish]

ITT Butthurt PBK members. Nobody knows what it is except members.

i'm sure your invite just got lost in the mail buddy

oh burn

[052220151]

You guys shoulda joined a fun frat. These nerd frats are dumb because employers are just gonna think theyre fun frats anyways.

[melodically]

You guys shoulda joined a fun frat. These nerd frats are dumb because employers are just gonna think theyre fun frats anyways.

Legal employers are not going to think Phi Beta Kappa is a social fraternity.

[09042014]

You guys shoulda joined a fun frat. These nerd frats are dumb because employers are just gonna think theyre fun frats anyways.

Legal employers are not going to think Phi Beta Kappa is a social fraternity.

Until I read this thread, I would have.

[nabadgelyo]

.

[Theopliske8711]

Looking through the profiles of associates at major firms, you see it pop up pretty often. So it must have some modicum of meaning. I don't think that it will ever really do much for you professionally, however. Unless your potential employer is a trustee or something.

[star fox]

You guys shoulda joined a fun frat. These nerd frats are dumb because employers are just gonna think theyre fun frats anyways.

Legal employers are not going to think Phi Beta Kappa is a social fraternity.

Until I read this thread, I would have.

FWIW, PBK is a HUGE deal at top LACs. At my alma mater (HYP) it was a major badge of honor because everyone knows how relatively impressive you need to be academically to get it.

They can assume you did well in UG based on where you go to LS.

[NYC-WVU]

You guys shoulda joined a fun frat. These nerd frats are dumb because employers are just gonna think theyre fun frats anyways.

The "nerd frats" are not exclusive of the "fun frats." You can be in both. And anyone hiring people from a top law school knows what phi beta kappa is, and knows it's not a "fun frat." And even if they have a slight memory lapse, the resume can remind them by calling it the "Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society."
FWIW, my grades were not good enough to be in Phi Beta Kappa, even if I had been eligible.

[sublime]

..

[El Principe]

Legal employers are not going to think Phi Beta Kappa is a social fraternity.

Until I read this thread, I would have.

FWIW, PBK is a HUGE deal at top LACs. At my alma mater (HYP) it was a major badge of honor because everyone knows how relatively impressive you need to be academically to get it.

They can assume you did well in UG based on where you go to LS.

And we have a winner

[TigerDude]

lol at

1. people are so dumb they don't know what pbk is.

2. pbk people who don't know what the non liberal arts versions are

[09042014]

lol at

1. people are so dumb they don't know what pbk is.

2. pbk people who don't know what the non liberal arts versions are

nerd