protocol for qualifications...

[ving]

sorry i couldnt think of a better titile....

anyhow, i have a situation here at work where an employee feels it necesary to put the initials of every qualificationand club after his name
eg: Larry Loungelizard PhD BaSC STOOPID DipED... etc
aparently it goes for something like 4 lines. Management want him to cut it down a bit...

is there any protocol of rules for doing this?

thanks in advance for replies :)

[wavelandscott]

This is an interesting question to me as well...and unfortunately, I can not give you the complete answer but it has come up at my workplace too.

The balance between informing someone of qualifications and having a folding business card (think folded travel map) is difficult.

At my work there is no written policy but there is a rule of thumb...PhD is standard to add but nothing less than this (so no Bachelor or Master degree BS/BA and MS/MA respectively)...Generally no other credential is listed...Just name and position...

I have often thought of "buying" additional credentials via the interenet from some of the "sham like" universities and/or title from a European estate...I've always thought a fancy title like "Lord Mitchell of Roast Beef" would be cool to have...unfortunately I did not marry into a title and am unlikely to do something special enough to be knighted (or equivalent) so buying it on the internet is about the only option open to me...

[ving]

i know acedemic qualificationa are to be placed in order from lowest to highest, but club/organisational memberships? thanks for the reply sir.
hopefully someone else can help out too :)

[Volans]

G'day Ving,

Although I don't know of any hard and fast protocols for something like this, I'd say commonsence should prevail (although all to often it does not!).

Only put those letters after your name that pertain to the job you do on a daily basis. If you are the president of a 4WD club but you are an accountant by trade then Joe Bloggs CPA Pres. 4WD Aust. would not be valid.

Just my thoughts...

PSO Comm. Peter F. Assoc. Dip. App. Sci. Hort., Cert. III HIT, LIOLT, Esq.
aka...Peter.

[avandonk]

Wasn't there a Monty Python sketch along those lines where the guys letters went from the nameplate on his desk then around the room?

Are the qualifications and memberships relevant to his position? Usually only the relevant formal qualifications or memberships of societies relevant to those qualifications are quoted in things like official staff lists or personal cards.

Anything more is considered impolite. I could use a word starting with w but I won't.

Bert BSc MIIS AP AA MCN etc

[ving]

"work"

unfortunately this person doesnt possess comonsense peter :P

[ving]

oh and i mean it, this persons initials take up 4 (four) lines!!!
:rolleyes:

[MiG]

Could you please show us? You can leave his name out. It would be great entertainment.

[ving]

MoO?

[mattrob]

I've had a bit of a Google regarding postnominals and found a couple of references which seem to be consistent with each other.

From the University of Sydney style guide:

I think the key here is that fellowships and memberships must be "professional institutions and learned bodies, by election or for scholarship". I don't believe that president of a 4WD club (someone else's example) counts as a professional institution or learned body.

The wikipedia article is much more detailed but is consistent with the quoted text above.

I know some people include things like MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer) in their postnominals which I don't believe is strictly correct but if it is relevant to the job has advantages.

The impression I get is that the more (genuine) postnominals a person has the less likely they are to use them, except where appropriate (CVs etc). For the purposes of a business card I think you can dump those postnominals that aren't related to the job in question and I think you can also dump qualifications that are implicit in a higher qualification. For example, if someone has a PhD it is safe to assume they have a Bachelors degree and possibly a Masters degree.

HTH,

Matt


References:

http://www.usyd.edu.au/publications/style_guide/degree.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_post-nominal_letters

[Volans]

MoO = Master of Omphaloskepsis

Quick definitions (omphaloskepsis)
noun: contemplation of one's navel

[ving]

and here i was thinking it was a cow sound.... :rolleyes: