Can MMORPGs Buff Your Career Resume?

I actually wrote up a new C.V./Resume a few weeks ago and added in my leadership roles from playing MKO...it actually got me a few interviews, which I am still going through right now! Well written article! +10

And if they ask you WHERE you did all of these things?

Of course they will ask about them, so I'm not so sure about this. I mean, it should be perfectly reasonable to put them in your resume, I have read studies about how these in-game responsabilities and skills translate to genuine real life skills, and I have also seen it on myself, but I am not sure the world is ready for it and I suspect most of the employers would draw all sorts of wrong conclusions and you would end up doing yourself more harm than good (at least in the european job market).

Interesting read

Ahaha, now if only my parents would believe me when I say these things!

If only such things were recognized. I'm laughing so hard now

if only.

I take things literally and this idea of buffing up resumes with a computer game sounds like it will have bad consequences. I can imagine in the interview the hiring team asking questions about what bad experience you had with these "administrative duties" on the job and you'll have to either be vague or say things like, "Well, my manager accused me of miscounting shards one year and I had to dig up guild records to prove I didn't." I don't know. I wouldn't do it. Or if I did, I'd be more honest and say this "recreational group" was actually a text-based game. They might appreciate it actually.

This is definitely comedy, but you really can learn a lot about human interaction from these games. No doubt about it.

When they ask, you mention that it's an online recreational group, and you ran  groups within this group. 

would be nice if this would actually work. but as someone already said, theres just way too many opportunities for something to go very wrong during an interview.

heh heh, this was good

I think this would work until someone asked you for details, especially if you put down "Financial Manager."

... Is actually quite relevant. To sound more credible though, I would probably only integrate these positions on IRE into my resume if I was either a) a guide, b) a mortal builder or c) a celani. It would also be great if you can get the IRE producer to be your reference!

funny

I will SO be using some of those.

In my line of work, it's not unusual to be asked to share an experience where my ability to delegate, mediate, or otherwise troubleshoot a situation is called into action.   I have shared stories about "two co-workers who were suffering some personal tensions which were then causing the rest of the team to go off track, losing sight of group goals.  After private discussions and coaching, a plan of action was created which allowed the team to not only meet the goal but exceed campaign standards by 15%".  

The human resources guy doesn't need to know that I did this all in private tells after two bitches said they refused to work with one another over some lame-assed "she didn't give me credit for thinking up this design competition" scandal.  

People looking to hire you want to hear you can recognize a problem, adress it, and get things back on track without having it escalate to upper management, or have it cause a problem for the client.   

They do really help with typing speed, which is always a bonus in todays Computer-centric world.

Though i doubt "prolific killer" is going to get you many jobs so, we'll ignore that one.

Might be worth a try on all of this.  I could definitely defend it in an interview.

hrm, perhaps this is finally a motivation to stay active long enough to actually take a role in some leadership

There are some good points in this article, however, some of the 'translations' verge on an attempt to mislead the potential employer and if this is something that we get from IRE games it's not a positive sign.

I did successfully use my online game skills to get a job and did not need to go about it in a 'sneaky' way.

I wrote something to the effect that I did display leadership, strategic and diplomatic skills in a virtual context of XYZ (Not IRE) game, by leading a group of about 250 players to virtual victory.  During the interview I was able to convince the interviewer that virtual skills reflect my real life abilities and we had a very interesting conversation about it, about virtual realities and about values of online games in general. I'm certain that putting in my resume my 'virtual' skills got me an interview in the first place, giving me an opportunity to impress them in person.

I believe this would be a more straightforward and honest approach.

what and interesting read. 

I couldn't keep a straight face making those comments.

LOL.. this article made me laugh but it is still pretty smart.

Never thought about applying what I've learned in Achaea to benefit me IRL.

My resume is going to now list HoN right next to my degree in education, yo.

The idea is interesting but its mostly akin to just making things up on your resume. You have no actual job experience in what you are saying and no way to prove it.

works until they ask which groups.. then you tell them a MUD and they'll kick you out

For higher

haha thats so true

really see this happening in reality. <_<

This is an extremely helpful article, thank you! As a side note, I do a lot of my job hunting shortly after I log out of Aetolia. I've found that, after working with the responsibilities I've assumed in-game, it's easier for me to focus on the ones I have outside it. I'm a bit curious: Is this the case for anyone else?  

I should test that !

Best article so far!

:)

Hire me!

I'm not sure about this but interesting none the less.

I have run stuff in a virtual game, make me manager please.

"Why sir, please tell me which projects you worked on, specifically?"

"I uh, brokered gold between parties. And corpses. I was in the corpse and gold business. But not the mafia kind, I swear."

this reminds me of a golden girls episode

The funny thing about this article is that it's actually true in my case. For the past 3 years I have been jobless and then out of the blue I get a job as amazingly enough a PM. Having developed very good organizational skills through IRE games has really helped in my current job.

I laughed at this article because it's so true... and I've used the experiences in playing Iron realms in my jobs...

I have been trying to do something like this, but I can see I clearly needed to rework my angle, good read!

Put me in with the group who is a bit skeptical about this. I would be hard put to come up with an explanation about where exactly this took place. If you lie, you could be fired if they ever decide to check.

Good stuff thanks!!

...Okay.

This comes in handy!

lol, wtf.

I would never try this. I think the employer would frown upon you taking video games so seriously and think of it as a bad sign.

Obviously not to be taken literally. Highly amusing!

I think it helped me get a job offer.

Does this work?  Sounds great!

Kee in mind that employers are just as interested in hearing your bad traits as they are your good ones... as long as you can give valid reasons on how you work around your own shortcomings and/or what you do to overcome them.

I've taken some skills from IRE and applied them in real life, though I wouldn't give IRE the credit for my successes in organising events. One thing it did set me up for was to expect the worst outcome but still hope for the best.

So, if you really want to use IRE on a resume, then either do it straightforward as Tyeher said, or forget about it and go develop some skills in real life that you can put on a resume. Like volunteer work and helping organise events at your university or some other place. Less time spent playing the game, more time interacting with your fellow human beings.

Wording clever is.

I read a resume this morning that included WoW. Made me think of this article.

I'd love to be paid for gaming

tm the donald, all rights used in spite...

I -do- think some things learnt IG transfer to real life situations, so it's fair enough that you can mention them on your resume. :)

I do believe this article helped me get a raise. Yay!

:)

I never would of thought about it in this way xD

I got a job because of the combat system i wrote for Achaea :) My current employer found it quite impressive.

Well, being able to say that you're an expert in social networking, tcp communications, object-orientated database-connectivity and socio-political economics because you play a mud is also a stretch... but it does look good on a CV.

I'll have to try to be this creative in my own resum.  I need a job too.

Great ideas, def stealing

Achaea has taught me a damn lot.

Another credit

"Your resume says you have worked 40 years as a volunteer in a library?" "Yes." "But you're not older than 25!" "Crap."

Just one of the hilarious situations careless euphemising could lead to.

I really have to keep this in mind when I create a resume later.

I did this with my last resume as well as a few other exaggerations! worked well :)

I don't include my leadership experience, but I do describe my game coding experience and the languages I've learned just to MUD better. Interviewers do generally like to hear about these sorts of online social interactions, though.

I know there's precedent with big MMOs like WoW where success can translate into the real world, but I think you really have to have the right workplace and the MMo itself has to have some level of respectability, or at least notoriety.

Gauge your audience, some interviewers you're better off presenting it as 'a volunteer job' kind of thing, while others will get totally excited when you actually give them the truth. Just remember later on when you are hired which version you gave :P