EPTi have a feeling employers just glance over the interest bullet point in the resume, but do you think that recruiters for large companies would most likely be turned off by my avid interest in a ten-year old computer game
Starcraft on a resume
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Myxomatosis
United States2392 Posts
i have a feeling employers just glance over the interest bullet point in the resume, but do you think that recruiters for large companies would most likely be turned off by my avid interest in a ten-year old computer game | ||
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Comeh
United States18918 Posts
Imagine you are an employer, and you read the phrase "Loves to watch professional Curling" How does that sound to you? Its not that its not interesting or you should hide it...But for a resume? (of course, this depends on the field you are in. If you are in video game develop...might be different) | ||
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Spenguin
Australia3316 Posts
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Cambium
United States16368 Posts
e: actually, I put down SC as an interest for EA; they asked a lot of questions about SC. | ||
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BookTwo
1985 Posts
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DeathSpank
United States1029 Posts
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CommanderFluffy
Taiwan1059 Posts
"oh its this video game.." before you even finish that sentence they'll be put off. Video games are legitimate interests, but society has yet to embrace them as one you can flaunt, especially in a professional hiring environment. edit: I forgot to add: of course all resumes depend on what job your looking for. For game development i feel its still a bit of a stretch.. | ||
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Manbear
Canada306 Posts
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Schnake
Germany2819 Posts
On December 29 2009 19:35 CommanderFluffy wrote: do not do this. Having a professional resume that has "Starcraft" somewhere in it will destroy all credibility and your chances of getting the job. What are you to do if they ask you about it? "oh its this video game.." before you even finish that sentence they'll be put off. Video games are legitimate interests, but society has yet to embrace them as one you can flaunt, especially in a professional hiring environment. edit: I forgot to add: of course all resumes depend on what job your looking for. For game development i feel its still a bit of a stretch.. I disagree. If they ask questions about your interests, which I highly doubt if they are not relevant to your position or not used as an ice breaker, then you can answer them truthfully and explain your interest in esports and why starcraft is your passion. Maybe you could write it more general, rather professional esports than starcraft but I don't see a reason why you should exclude this. Honestly, I don't see why this should destroy your credibility as everybody knows what a Wii is, have heard of/played the xbox and games such as GTA4 make more money than hollywood movies (which is a point you could mention btw). | ||
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Energies
Australia3225 Posts
"Event organisation - Worlds largest electronic games exhibition" - Samsung Electronics lol =). | ||
Waxangel
United States33150 Posts
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DM20
Canada544 Posts
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Badjas
Netherlands2038 Posts
On December 29 2009 19:59 Waxangel wrote: throwing in another "no" in case your opinion will be swayed by numbers if not thoughtful reasoning adding one 'no' to that number | ||
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Intr3pid
Switzerland336 Posts
Situation A: If you put it in your resume it will be completely ignored at best. Situation B: If you don't put it in your resume you have per default the best outcome of A. Hmm, I guess you can figure this one out by yourself. | ||
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lazz
Australia3119 Posts
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MountainDewJunkie
United States10340 Posts
On December 29 2009 20:58 lazz wrote: no | ||
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Etherone
United States1898 Posts
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Day[9]
United States7366 Posts
I mean honestly, how many of you have put starcraft on your resume, and then had the guy go "we'd really like to hire you, but the fact that you have starcraft here makes us hesitate." I was honestly admitted to a billion universities and graduate programs because people were genuinely impressed and curious about my experiences with starcraft. | ||
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Day[9]
United States7366 Posts
I cannot tell you the countless people who rolled their eyes and cracked some joke about starcraft, but when I persisted in explaining, they actually became genuinely curious and learned of the pro-gaming scene, how the game works, how I could have played for 11 years, and why it's such an achievement to be a member of the community. People will get it if you know how to phrase your interests | ||
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Intr3pid
Switzerland336 Posts
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Schnake
Germany2819 Posts
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Ftrunkz
Australia2474 Posts
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Jyvblamo
Canada13788 Posts
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Badjas
Netherlands2038 Posts
On December 29 2009 21:56 Day[9] wrote: what in the FUCK is wrong with you people. I've made it incredibly far in life by sharing my experiences with starcraft. As long as you know how to talk about it intelligently, then go for it. I mean honestly, how many of you have put starcraft on your resume, and then had the guy go "we'd really like to hire you, but the fact that you have starcraft here makes us hesitate." I was honestly admitted to a billion universities and graduate programs because people were genuinely impressed and curious about my experiences with starcraft. When you get invited for an interview, having SC on the resume is already a non-issue. It is the getting invited for an interview part, where you want your resume to look as pristine and flawless as possible, so that the bean counter HR person can only attribute positive marks to it. You don't get a chance to explain yourself to them, and 'gamer' on your resume currently still has a negative connotation. Except for very specific job markets. | ||
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nayumi
Australia6499 Posts
It's a hobby like any other hobbies. Sure it might sound a little bit awkward but hey, maybe you'll get the interview because the employer wants to find out what exactly professional Starcraft is  Then when you show him Flash vs Jaedong VOD, you will probably get the job. | ||
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cronican
Canada424 Posts
You could make reading the phone book seem like the most awesome thing you can do on a saturday night.  | ||
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QuanticHawk
United States32035 Posts
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SkylineSC
United States564 Posts
unless your applying to a videogame design company or something. you make your resume based on the job your applying for, you don't use the same resume for every job you apply for. McDonalds are not gonna care you play video games, but applying for blizzard, you might want to add that in there. day[9] has a good point but i still think its situational. if you are applying for this job because you desperately need it, then there are things i might not put on there. but if your applying for a job that you might want to work at, and you want to make sure it will accept you for who you are, then you might want to. point is, people will not hire you for MUCH more meaningless and arbitrary details, saying your a videogame playing nut will give a bad vibe to a lot of people. and yes, if you can talk about it correctly, its good. but on resume?? where you can only say one sentence about it? its not the best idea. | ||
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leftykill
United States120 Posts
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Chill
Calgary25969 Posts
To Day, I think if you put the wrong one-line on your resume it could absolutely cause the employer not to give you an interview. | ||
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Salv
Canada3083 Posts
Even with skills, some people put some down that have nothing to do with the job they are applying for. When you type a resume, it should be tailored to that job. Your information under the heading 'skills' should show skills that have to do with that specific job. If you have a random assortment of skills, it would show me that you are just using a general resume for every place you go. On December 30 2009 00:37 Chill wrote: To Day, I think if you put the wrong one-line on your resume it could absolutely cause the employer not to give you an interview. Absolutely agree. My father owns a business, and tells me about the things he looks for on a resume that would cause him to not offer the individual an interview. | ||
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YPang
United States4024 Posts
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29 fps
United States5721 Posts
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quiong
United States268 Posts
Nobody cares about experience in watching games. I watch NBA games all the time, but I'm not gonna put "professional basketball" on my resume. Interests on a resume are hobbies/activities that you already do or have the capability of doing. It's not the place for wet dreams and fantasies, even if those technically "interest" you. Either way its easier to just say no. | ||
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Thegilaboy
United States2018 Posts
On December 30 2009 01:12 quiong wrote: Are you actually a good player such that "professional starcraft" might be a legitimate pursuit rather than some pie-in-the-sky wet dream? Nobody cares about experience in watching games. I watch NBA games all the time, but I'm not gonna put "professional basketball" on my resume. Interests on a resume are hobbies/activities that you already do or have the capability of doing. It's not the place for wet dreams and fantasies, even if those technically "interest" you. Either way its easier to just say no. Exactly | ||
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Myxomatosis
United States2392 Posts
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SolaR-
United States2685 Posts
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ArmChairCritic
Sweden36 Posts
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YPang
United States4024 Posts
On December 30 2009 01:21 Myxomatosis wrote: thanks for the advice. looks like i'm not going to put it on. just to clarify it would have been under the heading "Personal" or "Additional Information" (haven't finalized which one i'm going to go with just yet) and in the bullet which went something like "Interests include blah, blah, professional starcraft, blah" put it on, if they reject you JUST BECAUSE OF IT, then you probably dont want to work for them anyways if they cant accept different people with different interests rofl. | ||
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citi.zen
2509 Posts
For college entry mentioning it could be a plus I would think, as an extra "interest". May even mention the school's team & how you'd like to get involved. For an entry level job it could also be useful if phrased correctly. As others said, the key is to pick the "job-relevant" skill you acquired/improved upon: you can make it into "event organizing" or, in Day9's case "instructional videos and E-Sports commentary" and so on. If you took a Sc trip to Korea and/or did other stuff there that could show you travel well if you present it properly - useful thing in many jobs since some people do horribly at travel. Always make it skill-relevant, else just go with chess, skiing, etc. For a mid-level or higher job it is a no-no, since by then you should have other activities to highlight your experience. Also, unless you are in the industry, your hobbies should be somewhat relevant (golf, chess, tennis, etc.). In general, don't add crap to your resume just to make it look longer. | ||
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SkylineSC
United States564 Posts
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LuckyFool
United States9015 Posts
On December 30 2009 02:31 BabyRhino wrote: From my experience this is not true. Personals and interests are amazing conversation builders and things that can direct an interview in ways that keep it very comfortable for you. When going into an interview both sides can usually be very uncomfortable, by having things on there that you enjoy talking about and show that you are a different/interesting individual can be a huge plus.dude why even put "personal" on your resume... "i like dogs, i love baking cookies, i love starcraft", if its irrelevant to the job, don't put it on there. just a piece of resume writing advice. I remember one interview I had some achievement on my resume from my track running days in high school and we ended up talking for like 25 minutes on running because my interviewer used to run in NCAA competition or something. It was crazy haha. And alot of times people in the professional world will remember personal things. Everyone has "Degree X, Certification Y etc" and it's very easy to blend right in with your peers (and get lost in the shuffle) but many times professional people will remember this was the dude who ran a mile in 4:20 or this was the guy who is a scratch golfer. I've never considered putting (or talking) about Starcraft on a resume, primarly because I feel it's still viewed as not a very respectable personal interest and still more of just a "random video game" but in the future this may change. The closest thing I'd consider putting on there is something like chill said, professional gaming or something about e-sports. You could use that to draw a question in an interview and then maybe use starcraft as an example if you really want to but I personally wouldn't. | ||
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SkylineSC
United States564 Posts
people don't want to read the entire resume if its 3 pgs long. keep what you need, and if on a 1 page resume, you can't fill it up with relevant information you have to put down love for videogame, i think its time to build some more credentials. what i'm saying is, videogame should be on your 3rd page of a resume, and usually you don't want to have more than 2 pages. again, unless it is relevant to the job your applying for. AND unless your someone like artosis who has a website, tasteless who commentate for WCG, day[9] who has his own show... just "i made B+ on iccup and is a clanleader" will NOT make you a more competitive applicant. I've never considered putting (or talking) about Starcraft on a resume, primarly because I feel it's still viewed as not a very respectable personal interest and still more of just a "random video game" but in the future this may change. well i think we agree on using SC on a resume. but seriously, put yourself in the interviewer's shoes. and if someone brought up something geeky and you know nothing about. "i'm a regional champ in the pokemon trading card league", are you really gonna draw a conversation? are the odds greater than the interviewer thinking "wow weirdo... next". SC is natural to us but not to the world. | ||
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Elvin_vn
Vietnam2038 Posts
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LuckyFool
United States9015 Posts
As someone who worked with a recruiter for an IT Firm I used to see resumes and the ones that always stood out were ones that were different. Sure some of the "different" ones were different because they were shitty but the best ones were the ones that looked professional yet still stood out for some reason (sometimes due to personal/interests) those ones almost always had a better shot at landing an interview than a bunch of other cookie cutter resumes which get lost in the shuffle VERY easily. It's competitive in the professional world these days. Many people are applying for very few positions, using everything you can to gain an edge is always helpful. You just have to be smart about what you put on there. I have friends who speak multiple languages fluently and have left that stuff off a resume, I was like WHY?! And I agree a resume should never ever be more than 2 pages. | ||
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sky_slasher
United States328 Posts
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Myxomatosis
United States2392 Posts
On December 30 2009 02:31 BabyRhino wrote: dude why even put "personal" on your resume... "i like dogs, i love baking cookies, i love starcraft", if its irrelevant to the job, don't put it on there. just a piece of resume writing advice. according to my career center it is encouraged to have a section like this where you can detail stuff about yourself which wouldn't really fit in anywhere else (languages spoken, computer skills, interesting facts, travel experience etc.) | ||
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StorrZerg
United States13917 Posts
(I ended up getting the job ) | ||
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Myxomatosis
United States2392 Posts
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Xeris
Iran17695 Posts
On December 29 2009 21:56 Day[9] wrote: what in the FUCK is wrong with you people. I've made it incredibly far in life by sharing my experiences with starcraft. As long as you know how to talk about it intelligently, then go for it. I mean honestly, how many of you have put starcraft on your resume, and then had the guy go "we'd really like to hire you, but the fact that you have starcraft here makes us hesitate." I was honestly admitted to a billion universities and graduate programs because people were genuinely impressed and curious about my experiences with starcraft. I disagree... I think you're an exception rather than the rule. The difference is that you've traveled around the world by playing SC, have made thousands of $$$ playing this game... so you have much more credibility talking about SC on a resume. a random guy saying "i <3" doesn't have the same appeal. | ||
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d3_crescentia
United States4054 Posts
On December 30 2009 10:41 Xeris wrote: I disagree... I think you're an exception rather than the rule. The difference is that you've traveled around the world by playing SC, have made thousands of $$$ playing this game... so you have much more credibility talking about SC on a resume. a random guy saying "i <3" doesn't have the same appeal. Says xeris, manager of team pandemic - that's a pretty impressive position, especially with the right sell. I remember reading some korean interview about SC and esports, and how now that all of the masses of korean gamers who played during SC's release then are turning into salaried businessmen now. While they obviously didn't think about SC every day anymore, it still brought up a couple of waves of nostalgia for them, and they definitely had some company lunch stories to talk about whenever they got together. Bet it also made for good interview fodder, whenever it came up. If you can manage to portray your love of esports as an endearing quirk as opposed to an awkward character flaw, then by all means go for it. People may think you're crazy for your enthusiasm for a silly 10-year old video game, but it's not like they'll hate you or try to kill you for it. | ||
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starfries
Canada3508 Posts
But quiong has a good point, no one puts watching NBA or NFL on their resume. Watching Starcraft might be a legitimate interest in line with those, but they all make it sound like you sit on the couch a lot if you're reaching that far for stuff to put. My recommendation is to have a very short list of interests. You want one or two broad things that the employer might have a common interest in, preferably some sort of outdoor activity or sport, and any musical instruments you play. This is usually why things like golf always go over well =/ edit: if your resume is too short, add more experience, elaborate on your duties, add more relevant coursework. The personal interests section should be a line or two at the end. It's the section that says to the employer "you know you want to interview me, here's something non-work related to talk about" | ||
CaucasianAsian
Korea (South)11570 Posts
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Cambium
United States16368 Posts
On December 30 2009 14:18 CaucasianAsian wrote: I put it down on my resume because I was a news writer and manager (paid position) for Revoltados eSports, and I talked about how it's team oriented and how I had to get stuff done quickly and efficiently. See, this is definitely okay because it makes your resume stronger. But listing "starcraft" under interest adds absolutely nothing. "Basketball" is better, because people understand it's a teamsport, and teamwork is important in some jobs. More likely than not, the person screening your resume will not know what SC is (another story if he happens to be an SC addict like us =\), and this offers nothing. It's even worse if he's heard of it, or have a vague idea about it conjured based on WoW or GTA; and this will make your resume weak. Say what you will, most mid-aged North American men have a strong prejudice against video games and gamers; especially those "hardcore" enough to put it as a strong point on their resume. In Xeris's case -- team manger of Pandemic, the emphasis is clearly on "team", not Starcraft; because "team"-oriented qualities may be useful to the company, not "startcraft". On December 30 2009 01:58 YPang wrote: put it on, if they reject you JUST BECAUSE OF IT, then you probably dont want to work for them anyways if they cant accept different people with different interests rofl. This is not true. The person screening your resume in no way represents the company. Most likely some 20-y.o H.R. is doing the initial screening, and he's sticking to the criteria given to him as tightly as possible so he doesn't get his own ass fired. | ||
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TheosEx
United States894 Posts
Generally, you don't even want to put anything "personal" on your resume, unless the job ad, recruiter, what-have-you asks for it. If you are applying for a job that even requires a college degree or major certification of some sort (i.e. CPA), you definitely don't want to put anything "personal." While what Day[9] said was somewhat true, you always want to stick to the better side of caution. Not everyone will understand your passion. Also, if you are truly worth anything at all to the company, you will require as much as space as necessary to show you are qualified for the job. As in, you should have so many accomplishments, titles, degrees, etc. that you had to spend some time cutting your resume down. To be honest, I love StarCraft myself, but if I was a partner, manager, or recruiter of an even half-way decent firm, and I picked up a resume half of which was composed Education, and a third of Personal Activities which included StarCraft, I would immediately think "Trying to impress me with his education, no real-life experience or accomplishments, and fluffing the rest with personal activities - Trash pile." | ||
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Jonoman92
United States9102 Posts
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Jonoman92
United States9102 Posts
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t_co
United States702 Posts
I also had it on the resume with KKR and Carlyle and a few other traditional PE shops, but they didn't really pay attention to it (except for that Bisu fan from Carlyle Asia lol) | ||
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Smorrie
Netherlands2921 Posts
Companies don't want the #1 arrogant cocky guy, they're looking for the 2nd best, not cocky etc.. remember you'll be the person they'll have to work with. *depending on what you're applying for, if it's an office type of job where wearing a suit is the general dress code it'll probably not be appreciated too much.. however I'd say for anything else it's cool. | ||
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ironchef
Canada1350 Posts
If it comes up in the interview if you can show passion, initiative and thoughtfulness even in a hobby that's a positive imo. Ofcourse it can also crash and burn and you sound like a doofus Bit of a risk! | ||
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keepITup
251 Posts
I got the job, probably not because of that but yeah. That was from counter-strike btw. It's really a shame that most people won't understand though. I mean, if you are in charge of a top raid guild in WoW you have infinitely more leadership experience than any other person applying for that job. Unfortunately, the person who was "captain of my high school soccer team" will get picked over a WoW guild leader. If you're confident and you think it really made you a better person, put it on there and be prepared to explain it. | ||
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TheosEx
United States894 Posts
On December 30 2009 03:25 LuckyFool wrote: I never said every single lifetime achievement. I said having a few key personal bullets somewhere near the end of a resume is a huge thing that many people overlook or think is unnecessary. When people are interviewing and hiring you they are interested in the "person" they are hiring. If it's a full time job they want to know who you are and how you will conduct yourself in the work place and the best way to gauge some of these things are to go into the applicants personal/interest information. As someone who worked with a recruiter for an IT Firm I used to see resumes and the ones that always stood out were ones that were different. Sure some of the "different" ones were different because they were shitty but the best ones were the ones that looked professional yet still stood out for some reason (sometimes due to personal/interests) those ones almost always had a better shot at landing an interview than a bunch of other cookie cutter resumes which get lost in the shuffle VERY easily. It's competitive in the professional world these days. Many people are applying for very few positions, using everything you can to gain an edge is always helpful. You just have to be smart about what you put on there. I have friends who speak multiple languages fluently and have left that stuff off a resume, I was like WHY?! And I agree a resume should never ever be more than 2 pages. Your resume shouldn't even be more than 1 page unless you have a Master's AND/OR have years and years of experience. Your resume should basically look like a highlight reel of your BEST qualities. It should scream that you are more than qualified for the job, make it apparent that you tried hard condensing, and make the interviewer/manager/recruiter think there's way more you haven't disclosed. They should be asking you questions about what's related, but not on your resume. If you can fit everything you are on a resume, what's the interview for? i.e. Allowing the interviewer to ask questions and find out that you were president of ______ fraternity, member _____ honor club, on the dean's list, etc. while in college makes him think you were so qualified you didn't even have room to put stuff on your resume that most people would take great pride in. Don't get me wrong, if something is absolutely relevant and pertinent to the job you are seeking, put it down. But you really don't want to put stuff down just to fill up space. This really does telegraph "unqualified and desperate." Your resume is not WHO you are, on paper. It's simply an introduction and part of a cohesive package that you must bring to the interview. | ||
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MC9876
Netherlands82 Posts
On December 30 2009 03:25 LuckyFool wrote: I never said every single lifetime achievement. I said having a few key personal bullets somewhere near the end of a resume is a huge thing that many people overlook or think is unnecessary. When people are interviewing and hiring you they are interested in the "person" they are hiring. If it's a full time job they want to know who you are and how you will conduct yourself in the work place and the best way to gauge some of these things are to go into the applicants personal/interest information. As someone who worked with a recruiter for an IT Firm I used to see resumes and the ones that always stood out were ones that were different. Sure some of the "different" ones were different because they were shitty but the best ones were the ones that looked professional yet still stood out for some reason (sometimes due to personal/interests) those ones almost always had a better shot at landing an interview than a bunch of other cookie cutter resumes which get lost in the shuffle VERY easily. It's competitive in the professional world these days. Many people are applying for very few positions, using everything you can to gain an edge is always helpful. You just have to be smart about what you put on there. I have friends who speak multiple languages fluently and have left that stuff off a resume, I was like WHY?! And I agree a resume should never ever be more than 2 pages. I agree with above. I worked as an HR manager and I chose my candidates on qualification + hobbies / interests. I find it very important that a candidate is passionate about something, this implies that he/she can also show passion in his work. So if you are and can demonstrate that SC has learned you something relevant (ie writer on TL or you're a SC-commentator) you could put it on, but it's a personal decision. | ||
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