quiting my job for poker was a bad idea

[lorinda]

Why horrible?

Surely a pro gambler is a job like any other. You don't have to say you couldn't win enough, just say you didn't like the swings.

Lori

[BradleyT]

Perhaps in the UK it would be more acceptable (it seems like gambling in general is more acceptable there), but if he's planning on going back into corporate America that's career suicide.

It's been talked about many times about whether to put "gambler/poker player" on your resume and the consensus is always "no".

[Jezebel]

Professional poker may be becoming more "mainstream" but I would strongly advise against mentioning this in a job interview. A pro gambler is not like any other job in the minds of most corporate monkeys. You might have better luck telling them you tried your hand at drug smuggling but werent crazy about the hours.

[lorinda]

Thanks.

It wouldn't go down great here, but the honesty would at least almost make up for it.

Lori

[RollaJ]

[ QUOTE ]
Tell them that you were in jail.

[/ QUOTE ]

LoL, love it..... That would be just about as bad as saying you were a pro poker player [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Radio]

Just say you started your own buissness as an ebay trader or some other work from home online idea, But you would prefer a more stable income and thats why your going back to work.

[crockett]

I'll let you make your own decisons but I do have some thoughts.

I work for a major corporation (not in HR) and it is a well circulated fact that on initial scans of resumes one of the biggest red flags is "gaps". If the job receives a large number of resumes, any resume with a gap is immediately filed in the "not considered" pile. No call for an explanation, nothing. So if you do decide not to cover your gap, don't leave that space blank. I can't tell you what to put in that space because when I did work in HR at another company (which had the same policy) I never came across a resume that had a "gap" with an explanation. There were either no "gaps" or if there was a "gap" they were immediately filed and not considered again.

I'm sure a lot will depend on the employer, but I can say that it is 2 for 2 on the two major companies I'm personally aware of(and yes 2+2 I'm aware of the small sample size).

Of course, this shouldn't be a surpise. Absolutely no offense to you, I wish I had the guts to try it, but you have to look at it from the companies point of view. Why would they want to risk hiring someone for whatever reason was completely unemployed for an extended period of time. It's similar to playing poker. They are doing what is +EV for them. Sure, you might have a very reasonable and valid explanation (i.e. were very sick and recovery from some life threatening illness but now are perfectly hirable) or more likely you could be a person who on a whim will buy into a craze and quit his job to pursue some dream like playing poker professionally [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]. They stand to lose all the time and money they have invested in you as an employee.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll do just fine.

[Cleveland Guy]

This thread should be a must read for everyone thinking of going pro.

[The once and future king]

Lorinda you need to have more conversations with non gamblers about gambling.

Has it escaped your notice about the stigma and the general deep ignorance of the concept of gambling and winning.

[Art Vandelay]

I understand your idea, and it is an honest approach to the OP's dilemna. However, pro gambling isn't exactly viewed as a honest and noble profession by the general public. In a lot of people's eyes, you could just put down "Jan '03-present Hooker on 42nd St" and it would held in the same regard as being a pro gambler.

When I interviewed for my current job (which kicks ass FWIW) and my boss asked me about hobbies I didn't even dare mention poker. I know it's a perfectly fine way to make a living and is fine to do, but I wasn't about to give a bad impression. Since I've been working here, my boss and co workers know I play and it's a non issue, but when you're on the outside looking in I think admitting to being an online pro is a bad idea when it comes to job prospects.