Job Recruiters Told Not to Hire WoW Players?

[Keane Ng]

Job Recruiters Told Not to Hire WoW Players?

Might want to scratch "raid leader" off the resume: It seems that some job recruiters are instructed specifically to avoid hiring World of Warcraft [http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/splash-wrathlaunch2.htm] players.

Despite F13 boards [http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.04/learn.html] learned this lesson the hard way. In a recent meeting with a recruiter for an online media company, he mentioned that he'd "spent way too much time in the early 2000s playing online games" like EverQuest, Star Wars Galaxies, and early WoW. What he got was the cold shoulder.

"[The job recruiter] replied that employers specifically instruct him not to send them World of Warcraft players," Tale wrote. Contary to the opinion that playing WoW teaches teamwork and leadership, these companies allegedly have a firm belief that "WoW players cannot give 100% because their focus is elsewhere, their sleeping patterns are often not great, etc."

Sounds like some folks were surfing Wowhead all day at work and showing up late because of raids the night before. I can understand that the "WoW player" stigma might affect the way people perceive you in the work place, but for these people to instruct recruiters specifically not to hire WoW players has to be the result of a specific experience with a certain group of people. Or is the problem more widespread, and is it general knowledge among businesses to avoid hiring gamers?

Hawkbit, a poster replying to Tale's thread, felt that it was a bigger problem with PC gaming in general. "I usually chat with people irl about consoles and their games, but there has always been a stigma about PC gamers that sticks wtih people," Hawkbit wrote. "It's like telling them you're into BDSM or something... once they know they'll always look at you differently."

[Via Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/5111403/job-recruiters-instructed-to-avoid-wow-players]]


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[Brokkr]

I think that it is going a little far to not even look at potential employees based on them playing a video game.

 

[Aardvark]

I knew a guy who went for a Defence interview and cited his experience captaining a starship in a Star Trek mush as leadership experience.

Consequently, he is now ineligible for any defence jobs ever.

Moral of the story: Don't mention your gaming habits in resumes/interviews.

 

[uppitycracker]

yeah that is pretty stupid not taking any personal traits into consideration. Sure, a lot of WoW players sacrifice their own wellbeing for the sake of playing the damn game. But at the same time, a lot of drinkers sacrifice that same wellbeing to stay drunk 24/7. Just seems poor practice. And with the number of people in this world that actually do play the game, it certainly does disqualify a large number.

 

[Joos]

One more reason not to play mummorpegers.

 

[Virgil]

Well, if you play the game enough to think that it's worth mentioning on your resume, then you certainly run the risk of having employers screen you for it. It's a good reminder for anyone applying for a job - don't put things on your resume unless you're pretty sure what the reaction to them is going to be.

Resumes are read by people. Those people have their own likes and dislikes. If you list their dislikes as something you love to do, you're going to the bottom of the pile or into the circular file.

You could get binned for using colored paper or bad grammar in your cover letters too.

 

[mattaui]

I hate to say it, but mentioning video game addiction in an interview could be nearly as bad as admitting that you had a serious drinking problem several years ago, but now you're over it. Video games are very mainstream, and a lot of people have played them now, even if they're not hardcore gamers, and they know how much time you can waste on them.

I play WoW, and I play it a lot. I wouldn't bring it up in an interview, ever.

 

[dalek sec]

One more reason not to play mummorpegers.

Indeed my friend.

 

[Keane Ng]

If any of the companies have vested interest in an end product that might interest the relatively large demographic that "WoW Player", or the even broader "MMO Player", encompasses, they'd better not let it get out that they have such a policy. I doubt a major boycott would surface, but surely the theoretical benefits do not outweigh the risk of alienating potential customers.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I hate to say it, but mentioning video game addiction in an interview could be nearly as bad as admitting that you had a serious drinking problem several years ago, but now you're over it.

I dunno, sort of helped with mine.

 

[LaxLuster]

People tend to avoid hiring alcoholics as well. While I think it's a rather unusual thing to base employment on, it's not all-too surprising given the bad press that WoW gamers have been getting lately. I'd like to say it's the vocal minority that's giving everybody a bad rap, but pretty much everybody these days knows "that guy" who's given up a lot of opportunities in his life to dedicate more time to gaming.

And yeah, I would never recommend trying to use video game experiences on a resume or in an interview.

 

[mattaui]

I hate to say it, but mentioning video game addiction in an interview could be nearly as bad as admitting that you had a serious drinking problem several years ago, but now you're over it.

I dunno, sort of helped with mine.

Okay, okay, don't bring it up unless you're interviewing for a position in a related industry...

 

[ChocoCake]

This does make sense. Taking it from the business-owner's perspective has made me realize I probably am not going to hire any WoW players either, and I never have. It is sort of stereotyping the whole population of WoW, in a way. If you put it in your resume, however, you are obviously just not a casual WoW player, and the stereotypes probably apply to you.
If you want to get hired, don't mention videogames, unless, of course, you want a job in the video game industry. Although the same rules do apply at all jobs: punctuality, attentiveness, and focus are all necessary. Becoming addicted to a videogame does not help with any of these at all. Even if you don't mention videogames, it will show in your work routine nevertheless.

 

[ironfist86]

Why would anyone even bring that up in an interview? Was this their first one? Don't they understand that you need to present yourself in the best light possible (i.e. lie whenever possible and hope that you don't get caught)? You don't hear of applicants for day care penciling in "i keep fresh babies in the basement" under extra curriculars do you? Jeez, people are dumb.

 

[Susan Arendt]

You could get binned for using colored paper or bad grammar in your cover letters too.

And will, if you send that application to me. Typo and/or poor grammar in a cover letter or email = instant binnage.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

You could get binned for using colored paper or bad grammar in your cover letters too.

And will, if you send that application to me. Typo and/or poor grammar in a cover letter or email = instant binnage.

All I can say to that is thank the lord for spellcheckers.

 

[raichuman]

*delights in the fact that he's going into the games industry which smiles upon your gaming time*

On the one hand, putting WoW down as experience does seem a bit excessive. What you put on your resume should be very selective. If you consider WoW time to be right up there among your life's greatest career achievements, I can understand that hiring managers would be wary of you.

That said, a blanket ban on WoW players is pretty silly. To continue our alcohol parallel, it'd be similar to not hiring people who drink; it's far too broad. Some drink once a year, some once a week, some drink to party, some drink because they're sad... it's just too wide a label to make a useful hiring filter. Same with WoW; there's as many degrees of WoW-playing as there are players, which I think is somewhere past 8 million at this point.

 

[Brokkr]

I don't understand how this would be brought up in an interview at all. I can't see that it would improve your chances at a job if you were to tell them you are a guild leader in WoW. I just don't see that impressing most interviewers.

 

[ckeymel]

This sounds like Abercrombie and Fitch not hiring that one girl because she was 'overweight.' It's not fair to discriminate or make broad accusations, even though I would agree what ChocoCake says about people mentioning their love of gaming in an interview, WITH the exception of answering a question about hobbies. Whether you play games or make boats, hobbies should not be held as a reflection on how well or poorly you can do a job - unless that job has to do with playing games or making boats. Right.

EDIT:

You could get binned for using colored paper or bad grammar in your cover letters too.

And will, if you send that application to me. Typo and/or poor grammar in a cover letter or email = instant binnage.

And colored paper... OHHH how I hate colored paper. Unless it's pink. With ponies on it.

 

[Slycne]

I don't understand how this would be brought up in an interview at all. I can't see that it would improve your chances at a job if you were to tell them you are a guild leader in WoW. I just don't see that impressing most interviewers.

From the quote, it sounds like he might have had a period of time where he wasn't working and the recruiter asked what he was doing then or it was simply brought up in conversation. I don't think he actually listed it on the resume.

he mentioned that he'd "spent way too much time in the early 2000s playing online games" like EverQuest, Star Wars Galaxies, and early WoW. What he got was the cold shoulder.