How does 'poker' reflect on a resume?

[PokerGoblin]

Maybe this is the wrong forum but I don't care, I trust the opinions of more people here than any of the other non-strategy forums.

I'll keep this brief. I was laid off from my job six months ago. I've been gambling as my main source of income ever since.

Well, it's time to get a job again. In the interview, I have no problem explaining the gap in employment honestly. I wasn't ready to jump into another job right away so I took the summer off.

But what about the resume? The last thing I need is someone prejudging me based on their preconceived notions about gambling.

Thoughts?

[tonypaladino]

I would stay away from mentioning it. Unfortunatly, a lot of people have a pre-conceived notion that all forms of gambling are bad, and there is not much you can do to change that.

Tell them you worked from home buying books at yard sales and selling them on eBay.

[Dominic]

I say tell them the truth - if you don't get the job because of it, you wouldn't have wanted to work there in the first place.

And, it could actually help you get employment at the right place - the guy interviewing you might think it's cool, interesting, etc. Then you'll know that the place is a fairly cool place to work.

My gut instinct would be to shy away from putting something like that on a resume. You're better off leaving the gap and explaining it honestly upon being asked.

Or if you do decide to add it, make sure to throw on there the customer support phone # of the site you play at, so that the employer can confirm that you preferred playing poker over finding a new job.

Well, maybe ignore my latter statement. (I don't blame you though...I'd much rather be playing poker.)

[Go_Blue88]

there's been lotsa threads on this in the past man. prolly some helpful stuff for you.

and btw, i don't get why this quick reply saves any time.

[TheTROLL]

[ QUOTE ]
I say tell them the truth - if you don't get the job because of it, you wouldn't have wanted to work there in the first place.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is all you need to know.

One less screen to go through, unless of course you preview your reply.

[Ulysses]

PG,

What kind of job, industry, level (how senior a position), etc?

Hope I can help,
El Diablo

[TheIrishThug]

i put in on under other intrests. the one person that mentioned it said she knew a few ppl in the office that played, or at least new that there r lots of ppl that play online. i down played the money aspect and focused on the logic and problem solving skills needed. the interview was for a 6 month position in engineering, so those skills r good to have.

another interviewer (dif compnay) asked me to teach him something, something i felt comfortable going into debth on. since i did basic poker theory. this guy was only a couple yrs out of college, so he'd played before but didn't know any theory.

[craig r]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I say tell them the truth - if you don't get the job because of it, you wouldn't have wanted to work there in the first place.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is all you need to know.

[/ QUOTE ]

How many people want a job at a place, but don't really "want" the job? I know when I first moved to San Diego I wanted an office management job with a certain company, I was happy that I got it, because I would have money. But, I didn't want the job.

craig

[PokerGoblin]

[ QUOTE ]
if you don't get the job because of it, you wouldn't have wanted to work there in the first place.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is good advice, however I am ready to accept a wide variety of jobs if nothing else than to get me out of the house until something better comes along. I'd hate to have someone not hire me for that reason alone.

[Ulysses]

Mods,

It is idiotic that this thread was moved out of OOT.

Respectfully yours,
El Diablo

[PokerGoblin]

[ QUOTE ]
PG,

What kind of job, industry, level (how senior a position), etc?

Hope I can help,
El Diablo

[/ QUOTE ]

Service Manager at a GM dealership. This position has generally 8 to 25 people below them, depending on the size of the shop. Generally a position isn't available to someone with less than five years experience.

[TheTROLL]

[ QUOTE ]
Mods,

It is idiotic that this thread was moved out of OOT.

Respectfully yours,
El Diablo

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup. Utter BS. No further contribution from me until this error is corrected.

[razor]

El Diablo

The mods have made several idiotic moves like this in the past. Most notably on posts by Monty Cantsin and Matt Flynn - as if these guys don't know where the [censored] to post stuff...

Sadly,

Razor

[PokerGoblin]

[ QUOTE ]
Mods,

It is idiotic that this thread was moved out of OOT.

Respectfully yours,
El Diablo

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, but I wasn't going to argue.

Mr. Sensitivity probably would have banned me for it.

[Ulysses]

PG,

For the job you describe, I would not mention poker, instead just say you took some time off, travelled/whatever. This is because your bosses here are probably not the most creative/flexible types.

In jobs that are more creative, problem-solving jobs, you are more likely to get positive credit for your poker.

As for the thread being moved, just ridiculous.

Give me a good deal,
El Diablo

don't mention it. the cost if the interviewer thinks gambling is risky or a sin or whatever far, far outweighs the benefits even if the interviewer thinks it's cool. no one is going to hire you because you're good at poker. lots of people will refuse to hire you because you play poker.

[astroglide]

Moderator: Mat Sklansky, [censored], Commodus, Dynasty, astroglide - that's a number of candidates for 'mr sensitive'

once a thread is moved, little can be done about it. mat and got are the only people that can do something with it now since they're the nvg mods. also, threads can be moved with or without a 'link' in the original spot as well. obviously it was decided that it should be moved, but still deemed worthy of remaining 'present' in oot. it could have been thrown into nvg without any notice.

dealing with situations like this is annoying to say the least. if somebody gets called out specifically, they have 2 crappy choices: remain silent and receive undeserved criticism, or speak up and single a fellow mod out. i'll remain vague on the action taken in this thread. please understand what a [censored] situation it is.

there are no mods in oot that would ban you for disputing an action like this. don't you think calling somebody 'mr sensitive' is more likely to invoke someone's wrath if they're that type of person, though?

[SackUp]

I think it should have been moved to the Zoo.

The Zoo needs more loving nowadays

[JonPKibble]

Don't list it as employment, simply list it under 'hobbies and interests'. Emphasize that you play within your bankroll, and it should be cool.

[gamblore99]

I think their is a problem with mentioning the poker.
If he beliees you failed at poker, he will think you are a degenerate gambler/idiot.
If he believes you are a winning player, he will think you get bored easily and won't last long.

I have no real career experience, this is just the way I kinda see it.

[J.A.Sucker]

Hi Goblin,

Don't tell them anything about it. They'll understand that times were tough to find a new job. If pressed, tell them you needed a little time to clear your head and now you're rejuvenated and excited for a new challenge.

not good.

[TiK]

My buddy recently applied for jobs in the financial sector. He happened to make a final table at an WSOP event this year and so put that on his resume, and apparently, everybody loved it. He now works at a major i-Banking firm.

[DcifrThs]

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe this is the wrong forum but I don't care, I trust the opinions of more people here than any of the other non-strategy forums.

I'll keep this brief. I was laid off from my job six months ago. I've been gambling as my main source of income ever since.

Well, it's time to get a job again. In the interview, I have no problem explaining the gap in employment honestly. I wasn't ready to jump into another job right away so I took the summer off.

But what about the resume? The last thing I need is someone prejudging me based on their preconceived notions about gambling.

Thoughts?

[/ QUOTE ]


this totally depends on the job to which you are applying as wella s the company and the job description (job function)

Barron

[DarthIgnurnt]

I do a fair amount of hiring in the IT consulting space. Since I make a fair side income playing poker and recognize it as a legitimate profession, I would probably be ok with it (although not in all cases).

The average employer, however, will probably view this negatively ... especially for a management position, or a customer-facing one ... and yours sounds like both. Reality is that a lot of "professional gamblers" do fit the stereotypes and have qualities that an employer would not value. And even when you explain your clear understanding of EV, I doubt this would change their mind.

You only have a 6 month gap in your resume. I've seen gaps of a year, and in some cases several years on a resume.

It's certainly reasonable that you decided to take this time to spend with your family, work on your house, and look around for the next opportunity that best fit your long-term needs. You don't need to address your source of income over this time at all.

As to the notion of "if they react negatively about poker then you wouldn't want to work there anyway" ... I think that's a bit cavalier and short-sighted.

So ... IMO ... there's no reason to mention it at all. Address the gap in your resume generically (some suggestions above) and you'll avoid some of the unfair biases that exist.

[BoogerFace]

[ QUOTE ]

So ... IMO ... there's no reason to mention it at all.

[/ QUOTE ]

6 months is no biggie and lots/most people think a professional gambler = scumbag.

[PokerGoblin]

[ QUOTE ]
Moderator: Mat Sklansky, [censored], Commodus, Dynasty, astroglide - that's a number of candidates for 'mr sensitive'

once a thread is moved, little can be done about it. mat and got are the only people that can do something with it now since they're the nvg mods. also, threads can be moved with or without a 'link' in the original spot as well. obviously it was decided that it should be moved, but still deemed worthy of remaining 'present' in oot. it could have been thrown into nvg without any notice.

dealing with situations like this is annoying to say the least. if somebody gets called out specifically, they have 2 crappy choices: remain silent and receive undeserved criticism, or speak up and single a fellow mod out. i'll remain vague on the action taken in this thread. please understand what a [censored] situation it is.

there are no mods in oot that would ban you for disputing an action like this. don't you think calling somebody 'mr sensitive' is more likely to invoke someone's wrath if they're that type of person, though?

[/ QUOTE ]

Astro,

I don't know you, so I will not comment on your moderating decisions.

I was referring to Mr. Censored when I said 'Mr Sensitive.' It was a poke at his (most of the time necessary) quick banning trigger finger. If he (or any other mod doesn't like it), oh well. Erase it if you don't want it there.

As far as invoking someone's wrath... look at my history of posts and see if I make a worthy contribution to all of 2+2. If you don't think I do, I'll leave if asked to do so.

One last thing, I am not offended that this thread was moved, I stuck it in OOT to reach a specific audience. If that's unacceptable in the future, fine. I'll be sure to pay closer attention to where my threads belong, but when I have an inquiry about masturbation technique, or dope smoking or vomiting or which hot chick I'd like to bang most out of a bunch of equally hot chicks that I'll never see in person let alone ever have a chance to bang all the while 37 different people get off on different tangents and incoherently juvenile discussions about why one is a 7 and one is a 9 and why the 9 is not really a 9 and she is a 4 but the OP hasn't been laid in so long she seems like a 9...

I'll know EXACTLY where it belongs.

Cheers,

PG

[PokerGoblin]

Thanks for the advice. I have no problem telling an interviewer that I made money playing poker while I was out of work, but it appears that being on a resume is inappropriate in this instance.

Later

PG

[bobhalford]

I'm going to look for a job soon, after about 6 months or so out of work. I just quit my job and didn't feel like working again right away. Problem is that I have several gaps on my resume starting when I graduated from college in '99. I've considered telling interviewers about the poker in order to hide the fact that I have other sources of income that allow me to not work, but decided against it. The way poker players perceive poker is much different from you average person. Most people would not see a difference between playing poker for a living and betting on sports or playing blackjack. They just don't know the difference.

Also, I don't think the interviewer will ask you how you supported yourself over the past 6 months. He/she will ask you what you've been doing. Saying that you were playing poker is not +EV in my opinion. You will have to tell them something else. You can maybe say that a distant relative died recently and left you some money because he didn't have any children, and so you took some time to reevaluate your career goals, etc. I'm thinking of saying this myself but I'm not sure how well it would go over. Fact of the matter is that I don't really feel like doing the 9-5 thing right now, and that doesn't cut it in the business world. Interviewers want to see motivated, high energy people who want to climb the ladder, learn new skills, etc. My job field (marketing research) is cool, but I'm not particularly motivated to be the best market researcher. I just want a job to pay me a salary and insurance. There are many other things in life that interest me more than marketing research and building a career. But that's the way I need to be perceived so I'm trying to figure out some kind of excuse for my employment gaps...don't seem to be any good ones.

[Filip]

Great now i got some angst..... since i got a 2+ year gap.

I am a software engineer and my main reason for a wanting a job is that i miss the creative and social aspects that a work provides opposite to sitting in the appartment grinding PLO.

Maybe the best way is to list it as any other job and that it was time for a change, wanting a job change after 2 years sound reasonable right? The risk i see is of course that i will be seen as degenerate gamblor gone broke and that now need cash.

Poker is booming big in sweden, lots of comercials on the tv for sites and this years christmasgift is a pokerset. Not sure if the pokerboom is good or bad for my situation.

Any thoughts/advice?

/F

[celiboy]

You guys must be insane to even consider listing this. If you have to explain a gap make up some BS such as travelling or saying that you attempted to start your own business (somewhat true) but it did not go as planned. No need to say what kind of business that was. When people see poker on your resume it would be immediately tossed in the trash.

Also, on your resume, don't list months and years...just list years. In this way they can't tell gaps easily unless you have been out of work for a year plus.

[burningyen]

[ QUOTE ]
If you have to explain a gap make up some BS such as travelling or saying that you attempted to start your own business (somewhat true) but it did not go as planned. No need to say what kind of business that was.

[/ QUOTE ]
I would put the chances of not getting the obvious follow-up question at about 10%, depending on the job.

[tek]

[ QUOTE ]
I think their is a problem with mentioning the poker.
If he believes you failed at poker, he will think you are a degenerate gambler/idiot.
If he believes you are a winning player, he will think you get bored easily and won't last long.

[/ QUOTE ]

A few more reasons not to mention poker on a resume (unless you have a major final table finish) are:

A male interviewer may be jealous that you attempted what he cannot attempt...

A female interviewer may have a husband, son, boyfriend, whatever that lost a bundle on poker...

It may be feared that you will steal from the company to finance your poker playing...

[sternroolz]

With the type of job you described...service manager....DO NOT LIST POKER!

Don't list hobbies!

List work experience.

List relevent experience. For service manager, this would probably be anything related to customer service. If you organized some comminuty or church project or something similiar, list that. It shows an ability to get along with and motivate people.

But don't list poker!