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When filling out your next job application, it might be wise to leave your level 80 Shaman off of your list of accomplishments, as some job recruiters are being told to avoid WoW players.
Forum poster Tale over on the f13 forums relates an experience with a recruiter in the online media industry, who reacted negatively to his conversational admission that he had spent too much time playing MMORPG games.
He replied that employers specifically instruct him not to send them World of Warcraft players. He said there is a belief that WoW players cannot give 100% because their focus is elsewhere, their sleeping patterns are often not great, etc. I mentioned that some people have written about MMOG leadership experience as a career positive or a way to learn project management skills, and he shook his head. He has been specifically asked to avoid WoW players.
Having been a major MMO player for the better part of the past 8 years, I can't help but agree with the prospective employers' concerns. I myself had a job I was frequently late for due to me spending all night playing the original Everquest, eventually quitting the job rather than show up late for the umpteenth time in a row.
Of course there are folks who can play MMORPG games in moderation, so we can't lump them all into a general category. Still, it's probably best if you left your MMO experience out of the job interview. Sure, it's a major thing in your life, but it shouldn't have bearing on your work performance...unless of course your work leaves you alone for long periods of time with a networked gaming PC. *whistles innocently*
http://kotaku.com/5111403/job-recru...oid-wow-players
Hmmm..
Good to know.
I suppose I'll leave MxO off of my resume as well, wouldn't want the employers to lump all MMO's together and end in me not getting that job because of it. I'll just leave the Internet Radio DJ part at that.
The question is why would you put that you have a 80 shaman or whatever on your job application? It's not going to help you get the job, neither is telling them that you play mmo's. Unless your applying for a job working for Blizzard or something.
Mona wrote:
Don't you list your activities somewhere on a resume? I listed a few things on mine, just not MxO or WoW.
This is why we need an MxO seekrit handshake.
Employer: So, have you ever played one of those MMOs?Candidate: ...Employer: ...Candidate: No. *MxO seekrit handshake*Employer: Welcome aboard, you're exactly the type of person we've been looking for.
Assuming the employer is an MxO fan, of course. (or Rarebit >_>, <_<, >_>).
This could easily become a new form of discrimination. Someone call the ACLU.
There's a myth that MMO players have gotten in the habit of telling themselves, that guild/faction leadership on resumes will help you get a job. So will experience playing the Auction House.
Sorry, but as a professional, I too would be less likely to hire Sweaty McNeckbeard when he starts going on about his experience with his 200 man raiding guild that spends eight hours a day coordinating how to bring down a videogame boss.
Is this for real? Not hiring someone because they play a VIDEO GAME??
People need to get real. This is the biggest croc of crap I've ever heard.
In terms of an efficient resume, activities shouldn't be listed. An ideal resume is short, to the point and reflective of the credentials that make you qualified for the job only.
In regards to WoW...I work with someone who plays WoW. They are horribly lazy, has an astoundingly poor attendance record and smells like starbucks mints and cigarettes all the time. I can empathize with the recruiters.
Yeah, but still...it's kind of stereotyping. I mean...I play WoW and if I play for 3 hours a week...that's stretching it.
What you do in your private time, so long as it isn't affecting work performance (and there's no guarantee that it will in the case of a video game) or unless you're in the public spotlight (teacher, minister, etc.) isn't any of a company's business. The line needs to be drawn somewhere. You might as well say anyone who drinks an alcoholic beverage, no matter the quantity, shouldn't be hired by anyone because they're likely to be an alcoholic.
Archangel wrote:
Yeah, but still...it's kind of stereotyping. I mean...I play WoW and if I play for 3 hours a week...that's stretching it.What you do in your private time, so long as it isn't affecting work performance (and there's no guarantee that it will in the case of a video game) or unless you're in the public spotlight (teacher, minister, etc.) isn't any of a company's business. The line needs to be drawn somewhere. You might as well say anyone who drinks an alcoholic beverage, no matter the quantity, shouldn't be hired by anyone because they're likely to be an alcoholic.
It is harsh avoiding all WoW players but they do have a point about the ones that basically live on it.
It does effect peoples work, if they are addicted to it. It's the same as any addiction really. Alcoholics spend all day thinking about when they are going to get their next drink, Drug addicts spend all day thinking about when they will get their next hit, WoW addicts spend all day thinking about when they are going to get to kill Alliance.
I'd hate to think that any of those were working on a dangerous job. In fact i'd hate to have anyone like that at my work on the forklift trucks, cause if you aren't concentrating 100% on your job and your minds somewhere else thats when accidents are caused.
Archangel wrote:Yeah, but still...it's kind of stereotyping. I mean...I play WoW and if I play for 3 hours a week...that's stretching it.What you do in your private time, so long as it isn't affecting work performance (and there's no guarantee that it will in the case of a video game) or unless you're in the public spotlight (teacher, minister, etc.) isn't any of a company's business. The line needs to be drawn somewhere. You might as well say anyone who drinks an alcoholic beverage, no matter the quantity, shouldn't be hired by anyone because they're likely to be an alcoholic.It is harsh avoiding all WoW players but they do have a point about the ones that basically live on it.It does effect peoples work, if they are addicted to it. It's the same as any addiction really. Alcoholics spend all day thinking about when they are going to get their next drink, Drug addicts spend all day thinking about when they will get their next hit, WoW addicts spend all day thinking about when they are going to get to kill Alliance.I'd hate to think that any of those were working on a dangerous job. In fact i'd hate to have anyone like that at my work on the forklift trucks, cause if you aren't concentrating 100% on your job and your minds somewhere else thats when accidents are caused.
Well, the point I'm really trying to make is that not all WoW players are addicted, just like not all alcohol consumers are alcoholics. It is, as you said, a bit overboard considering how wide WoW's playerbase is. I can honestly see this becoming a serious issue in the future if more companies start jumping on board.
Drugs on the other hand, well, if you're doing something illegal to begin with, then a company has a right to do whatever it wants.
The company I work for tried to make everyone sign a paper a few months back saying we couldn't have a facebook or a myspace site. I ripped it up and said they had no right to go into my private life if it wasn't affecting the company. Didn't even get in trouble. I think they knew they didn't have a leg to stand on.
If you don't put "Has a lvl80 Paladin" or whatever on your application, I think you're fine. I mean if I saw that on someone's application and were trying to work for me, I don't think I'd hire them over someone who puts "Plays PC Games time to time".
I don't think it's so much about not hiring WoW players period, as it is about not hiring people who put WoW on their resume because they feel guild leadership is good work experience.
Your average gamer would not think to put videogaming on a JOB RESUME. Someone who is hoping to use guild leadership to help pad their resume, is more than likely not qualified for the job in question.
