Claiming FFXI Experience On A Federal Resume

^^; I really suggest you don't. Gaming has a negative connotation with the older generation who also tends to be the employing generation. You'd just be damaging your employment opportunity for 90% of the jobs you apply for.

imho i would put that in there. Especially if your 17+ member event was a linkshell based activity like Dynamis or something where you deal with atleast 60 (im throwing a number...i forgot the max number of people in dyna..) different personalities and in some cases you deal with the drama from those personalities mashing together. If you can lead a group of people towards a goal and do it efficiently i dont see how its not a valueable skill. Granted, it WAS inside a game world BUT if you dont have those skills already then you wouldnt be able to use them in-game. But yea, you will get those "so you sat there for 8000000000000000 hours instead of actually doing something productive" people that dont understand or are unwilling to understand because of personal biases towards extreme gaming or gaming atall.

i say try it, and if the one on one interveiw comes up and your asked...loosely fabricate

As a manager i honestly wouldnt red flag it , i'd take it in consideration but real life > Game . being able to tell people things on PC Vs IRL are different. having to deal with the physical presence is a lot different.

no, i think putting it in there would be a really bad idea, and i don't agree with the people who say that anyone who would toss out a resume with that on it are suffering from some sort of prejudice.

i've been someone with that level of dedication to the game and i know people who still have that level of devotion to the game and i'm sorry to say that we/they had a warped sense of priorities.

i remember one person i know would consistently lie to get out of work and go do dyna. i still stay up till 4-5 am on weekends and end up screwing up my sleep schedule. i put off school for a semester to play xi. when i DID start school, i honestly considered not taking a class because it conflicted with my sky LSes schedule(i did take the class and dropped the ls, and this served as one of my wake up calls). luckily i've since snapped out of it a bit.

there's a popular conception out there of mmorpgers as people who are addicted to the game like it's heroin(see everquest widows support group for an example) and i'm sorry to say it's not a blatantly inaccurate stereotype

this would be the kiss of death on a resume

when you apply for a nursing position you should put down that you are familiar with white mage

I would suggest not bs'ing, and not being too creative with your resume if it is a govenment position. This is based on the fact that, eventhough BS is usually blatently obvious, people still do it.

A popular thing is to run the resume through an OCR or have a digital version to search for keywords. Then after that filter, a human might decide to read your resume. Since this is usually someone that is busy, you want to have information in your resume that shows why you should be hired, and you want that information to be straight forward and easy to read.

To me, the more blatent the BS that is lathered onto a resume, the more I'll be disgusted by it.

That being said, I would not totally disregard video games from your resume.

If you managed a linkshell, I'd say something like "Organized X number of people (from various countries)Y times a week via (voice) chat in an online game for Z months." This type of thing should be used to show leadership, organizational skills, and communication skills, which are needed in all jobs, but are not substitutes for work experience.

If you did not manage a linkshell but organized small runs, then those would be things that you would metion in a verbal interview.

Sometimes people interviewing you will give you a situation and then ask how you would react or how you have reacted in the past. Without going into too much detail, you could reply to one such question by describing how the group you were with had a plan to do something, but it wasn't working, so you quickly identified the deficiency, rearranged your resources (people) based on their abilities and limitations to complete the task within a time constraint.

I was just thinking while writing this that another important skill to have is the ability to simplify and explain complex things in a manner that your audience will be able to understand. Most of us have had to do that with people that are ESL.

As you have said, this should not be the focus point of your resume, though.

Also, with government positions, they mostly want to know your history of work and residences so that they know what you were doing. Disappearing for say.. 6 months and refusing to say where you went raises flags like.. "Did this guy go meet up with some terrorists?"

They purpose of the background check for jobs and housing will just lower the chance that you're some kinda spy or are related with some radical group of people.

They'll probably do a credit check to see if you have a bad track record of paying things on time. It speaks to your responsibilites and the chances that you'll likely be bribed to sell secrets.

All these checks can be simple, if your application is for a simple government job... or they can be thorough.. like.. 10 year history... if you need a special clearance... at least in the USA it's that way.

Debt and less than perfect credit won't completely disqualify you, though.

Any assertions that you make on your resume... literally read them out loud.. if you catch yourself smiling or would have a hard time keeping a straight face while reading it out loud to another person, you probably need to fix that stuff.

Also, if when you read it out loud, you have to repeat a sentence or you have to pause to figure out what you've written... fix that crap, too.

Forum postings and ramblings like this one, though, shouldn't be held to as high standards and you must forgive the length of this.

Also, everyone's looking for something different in resumes, so there's a chance that someone could also say that you should follow the opposite of my advice, and it, too would be valid. But they're probably poopy faced trolls!

but thats an addiction...bieng a dedicated gamer is something totally different.

I always felt that the term 'dedicated' was a more acceptable way to say addicted.

i wonder if they make a power-nursing bot

BRILLIANCE!!!! However if the questioning get s to personal from the interviewer, and you have to review that this is all game related, you certianly will get raised eyebrows and then it could accidently backfire.

As far as the creativity on the resume, OP, you defintatley got a good one here.

good luck explaining the difference to the interviewer and explaining to him how you are "dedicated" but not "addicted"

it'll come off about as convincing as the guy who drinks a 24-pack a day because he likes the taste so much

but they are two totally different things...

i guess its a glass half full thing.

I just read the OP to my girlfriend, who is a human resource mgr, and she thinks it is pretty creative.

again, thats addiction, and this time with an excuse for the addiction.

If your dedicated you wont make excuses as to why you do it because you love to do it.

now, if i where the close minded interviewer that your talking about,sure. But i see potential in things that develope leadership skills and force you to use them to be productive.

@OP

<insert tommy lee jones.jpg>

Unless you are applying as a programmer for a video game company, I can't suggest putting on a resume.

Again, this is why I would definitely feel it out in an interview. We are getting to a point where some people are more receptive to "unorthodox" experience, and, it could give you that edge you need.

OP obviously indicates he has the real experience to back up his ability to disconnect himself from a game world. So we can take most of the inferred negative out, regarding addiction and "no life". What's left, is someone who can communicate well, express ideas, and coordinate effort through virtual space. Which doesn't just include the game, but can touch onto things like company network, wireless communication and telepresence.

As the marketing manager for both marketing departments of our company, and as a FF fan myself, I would suggest you put some serious and realistic thought into the decision.

I don't care just how great of a communicator you are when I am hiring. Everybody has an opinion and an outlook and everyone prides themselves on their ability to voice their ideas. However, that is not a rare skill, so it doesn't even stand out. What I look for is how well do you listen.

Quite honestly I wouldn't give a rats *** about your "online experiences" since it doesn't even have to do with a marketable product. I might like you and your personality, but I would be highly likely to save your application as a last resort or throw it out altogether.

Unless you are applying to be a "Game Master (GM)", I recommend you keep your foot out of your mouth and talk about real-world experiences.

Can you actually explain why it has a negative impact on someone's applicaton/resume/interview?

Honestly, you just state opinions, and my opinion is, you're ripe for a huge lawsuit for discrimination. How marketable would that be?


Talk about a diamond in the rough though. You're always beneath someone.


Well, I totally respect where you're coming from, when they are specifically suggesting Hobbies, I just really don't see why a line has to be drawn between, say, a rock climber and an online gamer.

I could as easily argue the rock climber is too much of a liability, because of his adrenaline addiction, meaning he/she'll make rash decisions and take unnecessary risks, putting the welfare of him/herself and his/her colleagues and the business in danger, financial or otherwise.

Firstly, he asked for advice and that is what he's getting.

Secondly, discrimination has to do with age, rage, gender, religion, sexual orientation and things of that nature. It has absolutely nothing to do with claimed previous experience on a resume.

I think you completely misunderstood my post and just want a debate. It's not much of a debate. As a hiring manager, I would love to give you the opportunity to interview with me and "feel it out" in person. However, with a big stack of applications, I'm looking for mature, professional, serious people, which seem to be in short demand at times.

If instead we change our entire company and way of doing business top to bottom, I will start hiring everyone in the local arcade. I'm just saying that you by just fine without it, and it is highly likely you would be digging yourself a hole including it on an application.

How many people have you hired lately, anyways?

Phew, that means Nidhogg doesn't have anything to worry about.



That's fair, and honestly, if you read the thread, you'd know the majority, myself included, have suggested he not put it on his application. The advice stage is long over. And you're right in assuming I'm just debating for, pretty much it's own sake. There is no malice in it. Debate is healthy, and if more people actually engaged in an amicable debate, we'd have more growth as a species.
But still, nobody has actually provided a valid argument as to why it has to be seen innately as a negative, if say, the employer wants to know what your hobbies include.


Do prostitutes count?

To my mind, gaming is a hobby. So it is practical and relevant (at times) to put hobbies and personal activities on a resume, because they demonstrate some level of skill and/or social development, teamwork ability, etc.

However, as numerous people mention, it all depends on the industry (or federal/government job sector) in question. Being an equestrian or a SCUBA diver or field-hockey enthusiast as a life-long hobby implies certain skills and abilities, but ones which may not at all be relevant to the position.

So "MMORPG-fan" or "guild-leader" implies certain social skills which one could elaborate on or demonstrate in an interview, but I sure as heck (personally) wouldn't put it down in the "work experience" portion of the resume. :p

Offhand I'd say it depends greatly on what job you're applying for. However, I do have a success story of someone I know who did put down his experience in playing MMORPGSs down on his interview paper.

A RL friend of mine played this card for a part time job interview at the Gamestation in town. He got the job so I'd say putting down his "MMORPG experiences" as a reason for employing him didn't hurt, on a negative twist however he hated the job and left due to being asked to work more hours a week than he could handle, plus it wasn't clocked in as overtime.
Also worth saying a LS mate did a similiar thing, the difference being he liked his job and it was for GAME. He still works there as far as I know too!

Without sounding harsh about anything but what kind of position in gamestation was it? Because the typical behind the counter job at gamestation surely doesn't require the greatest CV.

Actually, Gamestop, Gamestation and Game Crazy actually request any gaming background/knowledge.

Though if you have *** and say "Halo" twice in the interview, you automatically get hired.

Well maybe they'd show preference towards gamers because they are more "qualified" to give advice to customers.

Obviously.

But *** move merchandise faster. A girl-who-is-a-friend got someone to buy Two Worlds (The original) CE, despite the guy obviously knowing it sucks. I could sling all the heavy words about immersion, intuitive controls, and sprawling gameworld I want, and I couldn't move that pile into a fire, it sucks so bad.

The sales pitch?

"You should get it, we could totally like, talk about it and stuff!"

well, the local gamestops here do require you to have EXPERT knowledge of ALL the games they sell...so yea i think your point is exactly it XD

but they do require you to be 18 or older...with gaming experience...and/or a belief that you know what WoW is.

i lol'd XD

but yea, *** rule the world....

Well, yes, it's a very good idea to use this kind of experience depending on the job you are applying for. That being said, your experience with FFXI is rather poor and doesn't mean much. 333 days of Playtime is litterally nothing especially presented like this. Let's say the guy reading your CV is a guy that has spent the past 7 years playing FFXI and various other online games, you'll need some serious examples. Even more serious examples if the guy is a total stranger to the thing and the few lines you give aren't accurate enough.

If you ever use your FFXI experience (or any other MMO/online game for that matter), you have to have good arguments.

Playing more than one game help a lot more, too. And by more than one game, I mean more than one kind of game especially, playing 25 MMOs mean less than playing 5 years of WoW/FFXI and then 10 years of Counter Strike, for example (especially if you ever reached anything LAN/tournament related on CS).

Doesn't hurt to try but I would personally advise to gather a bigger experience before using it as a CV material. Persons I have seen succeed with this kind of application all at least had 15 years of video gaming under the belt and at least played online games since 1999-2001 with some of them reaching the higher tiers.

you've got to separate what you see from what the person employing you is going to see

non-mmo players greatly outnumber mmo players. i can tell you from a little more than 6 years experience with both the military and civilian sides of the government that the person in charge of hiring you is a lot more likely to be what you considered "closed-minded" than someone who sees it as a positive

the "it's dedication because i don't make excuses for it" approach is essentially the "i'm not an alcoholic, i'm a drunk argument" transposed and isn't going to fly with a government interviewer

zicdeh, if you told the government you were a rock climber there's a good chance that would keep you from being hired as well. whenever you do something like that in a military or DA civilian job, you have to fill out a risk assessment and if they see it as potentially harmful permission gets denied