Would you mention poker in a job interview?

[Henke]

There has been some debate concerning the "status" of poker players on this forum recently. I'm about to graduate from university and look for jobs in the technical research/developement field. This has made me think about how to deal with my "hobby" in a job interview. Because most people don't know anything about poker, I doubt that the interviewer will see that poker is an analytical and strategic game, but might instead see it as something negative.

What would you do in this situation? Or have you perhaps been in this situation? What was the reaction? And did you get the job? [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[William]

Never, and I mean NEVER, mention Poker at your job, you will be looked at as a person with a gambling person, not at all good for your career.
Same applies to people outside your work, nobody understands, unless they themselves play poker seriously.

[BradleyT]

I agree with the first reply. You'll be thought of as some degenerate with a gambling problem.

[Jeremy'sSpoken]

I don't see how your hobby would have any relevance in your job interview.

[William]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't see how your hobby would have any relevance in your job interview.

[/ QUOTE ]

they allways ask about your hobbies. it's in fact one of the important questions, but no need to mention poker.

[Homer]

For some reason I have never been asked what my hobbies are in an interview, but if asked, I would mention poker. If they are close-minded and automatically assume that I am some kind of degenerate, that's their problem, not mine.

-- Homer

p.s. - Yes, I realize that being stubborn like this will probably stop me from ever becoming a "success", but frankly, I don't care.

[scrub]

I think it's not usually a great idea.

That being said, it probably depends on the rapport that you have with the interviewer, and how you choose to spin it. If you mention poker in passing as something you do socially, it could probably make you seem like a "guy's guy" type, and not like a degenerate gambler. If you start busting out Rounder's quotes and making it seem like something central to your life, that can't be a good thing.

That being said, I have been offered a job interview while playing at a casino. It was at a trading firm, though, and I gather that those folks have a relatively unique culture...

scrub

[mosch]

I mostly agree with Scrub here. If I was asked about my hobbies, I'd mention poker in the same sentence as golf and something else.

As an employer, I feel that it's essential for a potential employee to be give risky answers for questions like these. I haven't done tons of hiring, but the biggest problem I've found is that most candidates try to be beige. Sure, they won't lose the job by being generic, but they're not moving to the top of the list that way, either..

[CrisBrown]

Hi Henke,

Rule #1 of job interviews: The person hiring you wants to hire him/herself.

That sounds glib, but it's true, and it's especially true if the person hiring you is going to be your boss. He/she is human, and naturally thinks he/she is qualified for the job you're after. His/her ideal employee is someone who seems to have all of his/her strengths and none of his/her weaknesses.

So ... the answer to your question is: does the interviewer play poker and is he/she proud of that? If yes, then yes, you say you do too. If no, then no, you don't mention it.

How do you know this? You ask your interviewer questions also. Good interviewers expect this, and you should use it to your best advantage. Look for attitudes, interests, etc. which correspond to your own, and emphasize those in your responses.

Cris

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Henke:

Years ago when I worked for the Northrop Corporation, I was contacted by another aerospace corporation about a possible position that had something to do with the Star Wars program.

Now notice that they contacted me and not the other way around. Anyway, I had an extensive interview with them and then a long phone conversation that included someone asking me all sorts of probability questions. Since I knew more about statistical theory and probability than the questioner I was pretty sure that a job offer would be coming.

But then they contacted someone who knew me who also worked in my general area at Northrop. He of course told them that I was interested in poker and gambling, and I never heard from the Star Wars people again. To this day I'm not 100 per cent sure if the poker/gambling comments by someone else damaged my chances of getting this job offer, but I suspect it did.

Now that was many years ago, and many things have changed concerning people's outlook towards poker, and I doubt if I would have left my position at Northrop since it was quite a good job. However, based on my experience, I don't see any reason to mention it.

Best wishes,
Mason