I'm in my late-30s and needing employment. Was self-employed but this economy and a recent breach of contract has hit the home finances very hard. I was offered a top-level job while still in college and took it, so I never finished my degree. To compensate I was wondering if mentioning my high IQ OR having it on the resume might be a boost to me.
Any employers out there to give an idea on this. Too much pretense? Arrogance? Your thoughts.
Ask someone from whom you get a letter of recommendation to include it. Seems less pretentious that way but still gets the msg across you're bright. JMO
def
and if you think the guy interviewing you is not smart enough, tell him about your IQ. If he doesn't get it, tell him he is an idiot...
No, it comes off badly. If you are active in Mensa, you can mention it in passing (in the same way you might mention being active in a church or community activity), but resist the temptation to dwell on it. Anybody who would give a hoot about your IQ will infer from the Mensa membership where you stand, but most people won't care.
I would love to help, but I'm not smart enough.
xlev2 wrote:
Ask someone from whom you get a letter of recommendation to include it. Seems less pretentious that way but still gets the msg across you're bright. JMO
Brilliant suggestion. No way it goes on one's own resume.
nope
No way. You're in a tough spot because of course you want these guys to know how smart you are. But I don't see any way you can pull it off in a positive light. Keep in mind, there isn't a very strong correlation between IQ and job performance. More importantly, it will be hard to mention it without sounding like you're bragging and putting off the interviewer. It is better to have them come to that conclusion on their own. Good luck.
maybe show up for job interviews like wrestling's Lanny Boffo aka "The Genius" with graduation cap
http://www.in-sect.com/scr/the_genius.jpg
they could infer whatever they wanted and you would not have to say a thing
Thanks for the replies. I see that most of the junior high posters are in class so I got some good, quick responses.
BTW my resume is written by a thrid party and refers to me by name and says "_____ is blessed with a genius IQ" and takes some of the pretense away, or so I think.
"_____ is blessed with a genius IQ" seems ridiculous to put on a resume
Boy Wonder wrote:
No way. You're in a tough spot because of course you want these guys to know how smart you are. But I don't see any way you can pull it off in a positive light. Keep in mind, there isn't a very strong correlation between IQ and job performance. More importantly, it will be hard to mention it without sounding like you're bragging and putting off the interviewer. It is better to have them come to that conclusion on their own. Good luck.
While I certainly agree with the above poster that you should in no way shape or form attempt to communicate your above average IQ on your resume, the bolded statement is patently false. General congnitive ability, as measured by IQ, is the single best predictor of job performance. The correlation between job performance and IQ is approximately 0.54 (with 1 begin a perfect positive correlation, -1 being a perfect negative correlation). To put that number in perspective the correlation between a persons height and the average height of their parents is 0.47. When discussing natural/social systems these correlations are about as strong as you will ever find. Of course correlation =/= causation, and the correlation is far from perfect, but ignoring such information because its implications are challenging from a moral perspective has had a major negative impact on the design and implementation of public policy over the last ~20 years.
Mensa is a security blanket for people who have no common sense.
Mensa guy wrote:
Thanks for the replies. I see that most of the junior high posters are in class so I got some good, quick responses.
BTW my resume is written by a thrid party and refers to me by name and says "_____ is blessed with a genius IQ" and takes some of the pretense away, or so I think.
Look I might not be correct in what I'm about to say but:
That sounds terrible. I think that having someone write your resume and referring to you by your name sounds extremely strange and I cannot imagine that it will go over well with potential employers. Unfortunately your IQ will not get you a job, what you have done with your IQ will. It is similar to me posting my SAT scores or GMAT or GRE scores on my resume, it doesn't really add to my accomplishments.
Most employers aren't too worried whether or not I have a firm grasp on theories in mathematics because I don't use them at my work.
You should tailor your resume for each job you apply to; highlighting the skills and using key words that you think that particular company is looking for. Focus on what you have done and what you bring to the table, and if you want just put MENSA as an extra on your app, but don't talk about genius IQ.
Good luck on your job search, I know it is a difficult time out there and hopefully things work out for you.
99% of jobs probably only require average intelligence. The rest require physical genius or you MAY be better suited to science and research where a genius IQ might make a difference.
I know of many very successful people who "know the routine" to do a high level job but are essentially as dumb as shit.
Mensa guy wrote:
Thanks for the replies. I see that most of the junior high posters are in class so I got some good, quick responses.
BTW my resume is written by a thrid party and refers to me by name and says "_____ is blessed with a genius IQ" and takes some of the pretense away, or so I think.
Enjoy this while you can because when the junior high kids get out of lunch they will call you out for being a troll.
Mensa guy wrote:
I'm in my late-30s and needing employment. Was self-employed but this economy and a recent breach of contract has hit the home finances very hard. I was offered a top-level job while still in college and took it, so I never finished my degree. To compensate I was wondering if mentioning my high IQ OR having it on the resume might be a boost to me.
Any employers out there to give an idea on this. Too much pretense? Arrogance? Your thoughts.
No way in HELL should you mention your IQ. I can't emphasize that enough.
1) Not easily verifiable.
2) A good percentage of bosses don't want to hire people smarter than they are (those are the bad bosses, but that's still a good percentage).
3) If I saw a high IQ mentioned on a resume from a guy who didn't graduate from college I would think one of two things: A) that you were so arrogant you felt you didn't need the degree, or B) that you are a quitter. I don't necessarily think that about you after giving your reason for it, but as a hiring manager looking through several resumes to find the perfect fit I probably would.
4) Not everyone knows what a high IQ is. Most don't even know what their own IQ is, so if you say yours is 156, then how do they know if that's good or not? An IQ of 90-109 is considered average. So, if yours is just 125 you are in the "very superior intelligence" range, but most people don't think of 125 as a decent IQ score (because they don't know what's good and what isn't, or they rely on some internet IQ score that regularly spits out super high IQs when it's not warranted).
5) Focus on what you've DONE in your working life and the value you can bring to the company.
In your situation at this period in time, if I were you I'd deliver pizzas at night and go back and finish that college degree during the day.
Mensa guy wrote:
I'm in my late-30s
...
Any employers out there to give an idea on this. Too much pretense? Arrogance? Your thoughts.
Do not include your IQ on your resume.
By your late 30's you're expected to have actual accomplishments that reflect your unique combination of intelligence and drive. You either have significant accomplishments or you don't. If you have significant accomplishments, your IQ is irrelevant (IQ is not an accomplishment). If you include your genius IQ but don't have significant accomplishments, I'm going to assume you've got some serious issues I don't want to deal with.
I would even recommend that your references not include it. It's OK for a reference to say something like "one of the smartest people I've ever worked with", but why would a reference other than a college advisor know your IQ, SAT scores, or even GPA unless you go around bragging about it?
Former Analyst wrote:
General congnitive ability, as measured by IQ, is the single best predictor of job performance. .
Categorically false.
Yes, it should be on your resume. And you should mention it at every turn:
boss: "welcome, sit down. I'm Mr. soandso"
[shake hands]
you: "hi, I'm John Doe. I'm in Mensa."
boss;"really? hmm. Well your resume looks impressive, but I'd like to get some more information on some things."
you:"Sure thing. I'm a genius, IQ 145 you know, this should be easy.'
boss:"oooooo kay. So why didn't you graduate college?"
you:"well, I am so smart that I was offered a top-level job before even completing my degree. Since I was already a member of Mensa (that's the high IQ society), I was recognized as having the adequate brain power to perform the duties of this very difficult job. My 145 IQ got me hired, basically, and the opportunity was one that my higher intellect just could not turn down."
something like that should suffice.
