Breakfast Topic: Would you list WoW leadership on your real-life resume?
by Aiden James Kosciesza 
May 7th 2011 at 8:00AM
I've been to a few resumé workshops in my time, and as a professional writing tutor, I've sometimes been the one helping people with their resumés or CVs. Beyond the listings of education and job history, the section that seems most relevant to employers is that of job skills. Most of us have a number of special skills and talents gleaned from experiences outside of our day jobs, whether in church, volunteer work, coaching a local sports team -- or in my case, in Azeroth.
I run a guild in World of Warcraft, and like every leader in every type of community, be it virtual or actual, I've realized that it takes a lot of skill, attention, and balance to do it right. I have to coordinate events, scout and recruit new members, evaluate the performance of current members both individually and as a team, keep the lines of communication open, and treat everyone diplomatically and with respect. These skills, honed in the virtual world, are extremely relevant to many real-world jobs. The question is, how do I list them on my resume? Should I? Would potential employers be scared away by the knowledge that a job candidate plays World of Warcraft?
I decided to list my experience not on my resumé but in my cover letter, mentioning that I had experience managing a group of people, organizing events, and facilitating group communications. Sure enough, I was asked about that experience in an interview, and I had to come clean. I explained that I had taken on a leadership role among my peers and that I felt I'd learned a great deal about coordination and group management. The interviewer seemed to like my answer, and sure enough, I got the job. Go figure!
Would you list WoW leadership experience in your real-life resume or cover letter? How would you describe it or discuss it in an interview? Do you feel that you've leveraged your WoW experiences for real-world success?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Bobbo May 7th 2011 8:08AM
No.
matthewggrammer May 7th 2011 9:15AM
Do not put World of Warcraft, nor any video game, on a resume (whether you're in that game's 'leadership' or not).
Bill May 7th 2011 9:22AM
Only exception being if I were applying to Blizzard.
VSUReaper May 7th 2011 10:00AM
I mention that I play wow on my resume, but I never actually say world of warcraft.
I say something along the lines that I'm a member of a club (guild), we do weekly events together (raids) and that I co-lead the events (MT and one of 2 raid leaders).
I dont use that exact wording, but I follow up with some of the responsibilities that could relate to my job such as showing up on time, being prepared ahead of time, communication, and resolving disputes.
I have only had one employer actually question what my hobby was about, and she only raised her eyebrow at it and laughed a lil.
It's never been an issue, and I have even been told that it helps employers see that I do other stuff outside of work other than drink, or get stoned, or just sit and watch TV.
Its all in how you present it.
loobusk May 7th 2011 10:01AM
HELLLLLLLLLLLL!!! NO!!!
Theholyevil May 7th 2011 10:06AM
Agreed, not that I am ashamed of WOW or anything, but the video game stereotype still has a few more years to be shaken away. Even as popular as WOW is, many people do not even know what WOW is. Putting it on your resume is pointless, because the people who play the game would rather not talk about it in their work place and the people who don't know what it is only see elves and orcs.
Perhaps there is that one HR manager who plays the game and fully understands what you are trying to convey. Though, in this job market, it pays to be concise and leave WOW to recreational time.
Shre May 7th 2011 10:22AM
As Bobbo said; No.
The only way I would even mention it is if my interveiwer asks hobbies and I say gaming and and then they ask if I play WoW. Then I'd definately talk about the life skills it has taught me.
There is too much stigma that comes with playing WoW, if you're "hardcore" enough you consider it important enough for your resume then you may be "hardcore" enough to miss work in favour of gaming.
Tangled May 7th 2011 11:57AM
I would not put it on my resume or civer letter, but here is how I've used it...
I was at an interview for a programming job. The interview was not going very well - I knew i wouldn't be coming back for another interview. I had absolutely nothing to lose - so. when we were about done and he asked me what my hobbies were - I said - "I play a lot of World of Warcraft".
The interview did a 180 and we spent half an hour talking about Mmo's. I got the job. If you got nothing to lose - go for it. Thats my theory.
nevermore May 9th 2011 7:29AM
When I last applied for a job, I put WoW experience in my resume and that worked well. But I am MMO developer so I don't think that should count.
joseph schafer May 9th 2011 12:47PM
Bottom line - I feel sorry for anyone who has to hide who they are to get a paycheck.
If you think you have experience that is relevant to the job, share it. If they reject you because you're a gamer, then you, a gamer, don't want that job.
Now, If they reject you because you can't make a coherent statement linking that experience to the job, then you're not the best person for that job and you won't get it.
joshychrist May 7th 2011 8:08AM
Except you didnt exactly come clean did you?
if thats the exact wording you used you mentioned nothing about WoW.
If you did mention WoW however kudos to the employer for not be scared away.
Jason May 7th 2011 8:17AM
If I knew that the employer/interviewer played and understood WoW I might casually mention it.
Poppy May 7th 2011 8:20AM
No I wouldn't mention it on my resume because I just know how that would go down in the government department I work for. You might get someone who understands. but it's not worth the risk. But if anyone applying for a job in my team put WoW experience on their resume, I would take it seriously, especially if it involved a guild leadership role.
Stupidly inconsistent...
Naraxis May 7th 2011 8:59AM
i think it would depend on what job I am applying for. like you said i don't think i would put wow experience on the resume for a government job but if it were for say some sort of computer programming company most of the employees most likely play wow and the recruiter may as well
db_beaney May 7th 2011 8:22AM
No way, not a chance. Maybe some employers would be cool about it but that's a slim minority.
Bart May 7th 2011 8:38AM
Maybe not be so open about it, might mention leadership exercise but unless you're being interviewed in the Computer Games industry a WoW player is generally a bad thing.
Krusmira May 7th 2011 8:42AM
It always depends.
I don't have only "one" resume, I always customize my jobs and skills in the resume depending in what job position I'm applying. Lets say I was a TA in college and I'm applying for a programming position, I would exalt that I was a programming TA , working with various languages and my dominance in algorithms, group working and problem solving are excellent. OTOH if i was applying for a manager position I would exalt my leadership roles when i was a TA.
The same thing with WoW. A hobby that makes you work in teams or take a leadership role, in a constant manner, 2-4 times a week, says a lot about the person. It shows responsibility, group solving skills, team work,sociability and constancy. All of those skills look great in a resume, and the fact that you are doing it in your spare time makes you look like well rounded individual.
Of course, if the company you are applying has no idea what WoW is and it might bring awkward questions, maybe is better to leave it out. But if it is at all relevant, go for it.
NinjaClarinet May 7th 2011 8:42AM
My girlfriend got promoted to management after one of her superiors saw her at the midnight release for Cataclysm. She let it slip that she was a guild recruitment officer. :)
pinteresque May 7th 2011 8:49AM
I used to run a writing community online, a very old (by internet standards), well-populated one, and I had to ask myself whether to include it on my resume because to the uninformed it sounded like I spent my free time writing crappy poetry in front of a computer instead of doing something "real" when in reality it was a 20+ hour a week job I didn't get paid for, trying to appease an impossible editorial staff and a cadre of writers who really, really cared about the place without having any actual power to get anything done.
Nowadays if I were in that position, I would include it without thinking twice. Attitudes about the internet have changed. It's gotten an edge of seriousness to it now that it didn't have 7 or 8 years ago.
WoW is sort of the same thing, plus the added stigma of it being a GAME, and it's in the same place now that my old website was in then. So no, categorically no, I would NOT include WoW on my resume. Even if I knew the people I would end up working with gamed I would just mention it in the interview and not put it on paper.
In 10 years? MAYBE. But even then I'd have a hard time conflating the two.
Redbeard May 7th 2011 8:11PM
I think it also depends on what part of the world you're job hunting, and to what company you're applying.
There are a lot of places in the U.S. where you could mention your college sports affiliation and that would be enough to get you in the door, or you could spend your interview discussing NASCAR as a way of connecting with the interviewees. Those aren't the sort of places where you'd want to mention that you play WoW, even though they may spend a lot more time on their hobby than you do. The stigma of the 'nerdy activity' still reins supreme in a lot of locales.