<p>As an independent consultant I am open to opportunities of any sort, including working full time for a (worthy) organization.  I therefore maintain different resumes according to the type of position: consulting, academic, and industrial.  The academic and industrial ones mention SE, but it is just one short entry out of many under "professional activities."  It is there as a strategic element, intended to provide an opening for further discussion in an interview.  Given such a chance, I would make a case similar to Glen B's, but I would not emphasize this in any application materials.</p>

<p>Others, elsewhere, have pointed to a significant problem with CV (and SE in general): a high reputation is not necessarily associated with knowledge, quality of exposition, or even a tendency to be correct.  Moreover, a very high rate of participation could be a negative in some employers' views ("why would she spend so much time at that and would that activity distract from her job?"), so you should be prepared to provide a good explanation if you are in that category.</p>

<hr>

<p>That has begged the question of what I might say during that hypothetical interview.  Some points I think would be worth making about CV in particular are:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Active participation--even if it is primarily reading, editing, and commenting--exposes us to far more statistical consulting problems than anyone ever has seen in their lifetime before.  It can thereby serve as excellent preparation for consulting and to demonstrate one's fitness to serve as a statistician in almost any environment or organization.</p></li>
<li><p>Actively answering, especially with the care described by Glen B, will teach anyone who is sufficiently thoughtful and humble to improve their communications skills as well as their statistical expertise.</p></li>
<li><p>The site is useful as a "sandbox" in which to test ideas that might be turned into more formal resources such as a blog, a textbook, or (in a few cases) published papers.</p></li>
<li><p>Involvement in as many topics as possible exposes one to a wider range of solutions and thereby, over time, can considerably augment one's skills and tools.</p></li>
</ul>
