Claiming FFXI Experience On A Federal Resume

I searched the threads and didn't see this topic addressed... forgive me if a great thread on it already exists somewhere.

Has anyone ever claimed FFXI experience for a federal or high profile job resume? This game requires/required a lot of teamwork (much more so pre-aby), focus/attention span, communication, patience, social networking, coordinating, reciprocating favors/help and more to complete a lot of the goals/missions/kill NMs and more. These are valuable career skills!

I’ve played this game for 8,000 some hours with most of the play time starting around 1 year before aby and spent a lot of time in an endgame event shell and camped/killed KV many times. Among many other things I also coordinated a shout for a couple T3 aby VNMs and got myself and everyone else atma of the beyond and atma of the siren shadow (I just wanted the ocelot trousers)… not the MOST impressive thing ever but juggling tells with 18 random strangers, quickly forming an alliance, communicating the plan and having it all go smoothly demonstrates some desirable job skills.

So, I was thinking of writing something like…

Online teamwork: July 2009 to March 2011
Belonged to an online organization that regularly met to achieve various complicated goals
-Gathered and coordinated a group of 17 strangers to quickly and smoothly meet an objective on multiple occasions.
-Demonstrated teamwork, communication, patience, and focus.

Any other ideas or suggestions?

Oh, and just to be clear I’m not ONLY citing FFXI skills for the resume, I’m just brainstorming how to cite the skills I developed to further support a resume for something like “Volunteer coordinator.”

I honestly don't know... personally I'd be super nervous about talking about an online game. But the way you word it sounds pretty legit :S Dunnno dude.

I think this hinges on knowing who exactly is your audience. In other words, who is going to read your resume/application, and more specifically, how old is that person (or persons)?

If that person is 30 years old or younger, it might make a positive impression. If the person is older than that, it's highly likely that person will frown upon this "experience" being listed on a professional resume.

Ultimately, I would advise against this, in general. You do have a clever way of spinning the words to make your FFXI "experience" seem more "professional". However, it's my experience that in this century, employers are less concerned about the content of a resume, and MUCH more concerned about whether or not the information on your resume is VERIFIABLE. So, unless you're prepared to offer up "references" from among your FFXI mates, listing this experience is most likely a mistake.

About a year ago there was an article in one of swedens biggest newspaper there a guy was saying his leadership in his guild (or whatever it called in lolwow) had some big influense on his job posision as some sort of manager.

I don't know if I were to hire someone I'd take guy A cause he claims having some online experience of "leadership" over someone who got work experience at a similar posion etc.

I'd have to agree with Elana's post above about not recomend it in a resume.

Unless someone at the places where you are applying play the game they won't understand. It will more or less come across as "I dedicate hours of my life every day to achieve pixels." Although that does tell them you will bust your *** for little to nothing :P(sarcasm) more or less they won't understand it and will laugh.

In concept, it makes sense.
When it comes down to it, they'll probably just play the "it's a video game |:" card and disregard it.

Just in the same sort of line, it's logically reasonable to be able to cite MMORPG accomplishments as a sign of dedication through Skinner-Box method, much like may jobs offer. Do your job, get a reward. I know personally I would consider it on a resume', assuming some real-world experience is available to reference as well.


But for the most part, they'll just laugh at you.

Is this a joke? If I saw this on an application, I'd trash it immediately. It suggests that you are not taking this matter seriously, and it wreaks of immaturity.

Unless of course you're applying to a videogame developer, perhaps that may be a skill that is useful.

Do you have a well thought-out response as to why it's a joke, or are you just being prejudice?

Why is he being prejudiced? While I don't disagree that putting together an alliance, with 18 different personalities and accomplishing a specific task is very challenging, I sure as hell wouldn't list that on a professional resume.

There are PLENTY of charitable organizations you could volunteer your time for and utilize/develop your coordination skills that would look a millions times better on a resume than videogame experience.

If I was an employer reading his resume all I would be thinking is, "He's got 8000 hours of experience sitting on his butt playing a video game but he couldn't find anytime to use his coordinating experience for something that is actually worthwhile?" Even unpaid real world experience is better than that.

Well, consider that this person is part of an applicant pool. This person would probably be the only one who thinks playing videogames = real life work skills, then that would be "red-flagged" and be grounds to eliminate this person from the applicant pool. You have to give a sense of professionalism and seriousness. I'd turf this application, and go on to consider candidates who have bona-fide work experience that is applicable to the job.

Sorry, but it is a prejudice to say that that leading people in one situation, is not the same as leading in another, based solely on how it's presented.

I kind of get what you're trying to say, and yeah, you should have real experience too, so, unless it's suggesting a disconnection from reality, leading a team of individuals towards a project goal, is the same, regardless of where it happens.

Also, I'd like to point out, that the ability to effectively communicate a thought through a limited means, such as a game-email, is actually a very marketable skill, given how prevalent decentralization is starting to become.

Would all depend on the position you are applying for. If applying for a supermarket supervisory position or some such, then fine, I would accept this on a resume to support (only ever support) other experience from you're life.

For a positions such as a teacher, military officer or big company manager/supervisor then no, Cherub is right in saying it would almost certainly red-flag you as 'inappropriate'. Assuming of course that you are not applying to a game developer/distributor company, in which case go ahead and use this on you're resume lol.

Of course it would red-flag you, but that doesn't mean it's not a prejudice. It'd be like going to apply for a position as Imperial Wizard at the KKK, and being black or Jewish.

Also, the teacher thing might be a bad example. Because of how pervasive online schooling is now. Being able to interact well online is Highly desirable.

Thanks for the feedback so far... I just want to say again that I would only be including the "Online teamwork" as a small part of my resume and I wouldn't include the 8,000 hours part. I would only include...

Online teamwork: July 2009 to March 2011
Belonged to an online organization that regularly met to achieve various complicated goals
-Gathered and coordinated a group of 17 strangers to quickly and smoothly meet an objective on multiple occasions.
-Demonstrated teamwork, communication, patience, and focus.

I've seriously done a lot of other stuff (volunteered 1k+ hours, helped teach Tae-kwon-do for a few years, internships, taught at an international school for three years and more) and I took a year off (my year of shame) to play ffxi and recollect myself after working my *** off teaching overseas.... but nevermind that....

I had a recent conversation with a successful-ish seasonal park ranger who gave me some advice about resume BS-ing and bolstering my resume. As I understand it, you include EVERYTHING on federal resumes.... all your summer jobs, skills, hobbies, everything. After mentioning and explaining my online game experience it was suggested that I BS something like what I wrote above.

However, it sounds like even other FFXI players think its a bad idea... and I'm not sure how the older generation superintendents will view... probably not well ;_;

Just bare in mind, you are being compared to other applicants. Stand out from the others (in a good way). If you stand out for a bad reason, that would be fatal to your application.

Yes, it'd be best not to even mention it, unless they specifically ask for something along the lines of, "Experience with telepresent communication"

If I saw that on a resume, I'd think that you're lacking in experience and were just trying to put anything you can think of. I think it'd be better to save for an interview, just to bolster your leadership/organization/etc skills, and giving you an opportunity to feel out the interviewer.

I'm in no position to be hiring, so I can't say for certain. I think Jaerik would be someone to ask, although he may be a bit biased.

While the idea in itself would be desirable. For parents and guardians to learn that someone teaching their children is a 'undesirable shut in' or game addict, this could cause bad publicity - which is equally important to any school sadly.

My response was from my position AS a manager who has had to take part in recruitment and hiring of staff for ASDA. But you're idea is a good one, so I'd second the idea of saving it for second level questioning while at an interview.

Dealing with people in a video game and RL are pritty different... It's hard to say with out knowing exactly what kind of job you are looking at + what kind of people you will be telling this too. I hate to steryotype but if it's a group of younger people then you might be able to swing it if they are open minded and you can back it up well enough. If they are an older group however they are more likly to see video games on a resume and do points down. Try to find out about your employers first. I wouldn't put it on a resume personally but if they seemed the open minded type it might be worth bringing up in an interview if they ask something along the lines of what you like to do in your spair time. Just don't dance around it, if you decide to bring it up be upfrount that this experience is from a video game, just saying online orginzation could lead them to beleave you run somekind of buisness or something.

Right, everyone who's ever touched a videogame is a shut-in with no life, despite obviously fulfilling criteria to even consider a teaching career, and applying for the position in the first place.

I'll refer you to a quote from yourself.


What employers for public organisations have to deal with is public mentality. This is the mentality that is prone to believing the worst in any situation.

Yes, but given the requirement of "Equal Opportunity Employment" at government and public organizations, it's technically illegal to consider gaming lifestyle as a negative.

You think that actually matters much? If they don't like you or decide it would look bad, they will just pull the 'there was someone else better for the position' card.

Of course they would. And if it happened to, say, a Black person, they'd throw the racism card up faster than than you can say Lawsuit.

True, but the racism card is one that even Joe public knows to leave alone. No school would suffer negative public opinion (sensibly speaking) for employing a teacher from a different ethnic group to the area, but its perfectly plausible that a school could suffer negative opinion for employing someone who admits to spending great amounts of time on a video game. Being 'irresponsible with time' or 'undesirable' are just two criticisms I can think of off the top of my head.

Entertainment is a basic human necessity for wellness. I spend a third of the day asleep, does that mean I'm irresponsible and undesirable? Undesirable is a blanket term. I could call someone who volunteers as a Santa on the holidays undesirable, because he spends so much time with kids on his lap, he's gotta be a pedophile.

And people have been accused of just that.

My point us, unlike Santa volunteers, video game addicts have a decidedly bad reputation and low public standing, in England at least (where I live), and are thus more easily picked at.