The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

Hola Amigos,

About 2 years ago I started one of those "should I go pro" threads... in my defense, it was before one was popping up on the boards every week. Eventually I took the plunge, and I've spent the last 15 months as a pro. I had some pretty awesome times, and it was pretty much everything I hoped it could be... with the exception that I planned on stocking away a wheelbarrow full of money. I didn't make quite the hourly rate I was hoping for, and I never managed to average over 24 hours/week of play.

I've decided it's time to get back to the real world. While one reason is that the games seem to have gotten a bit tougher in the last year, the main reason is I just don't enjoy playing any more, and I need a break. There's also the business of the internet gambling ban bill picking up steam. So now I've decided to post the compliment of that original "going pro" thread, the "stopping pro" post, if you will. I never know where to put these things, it's almost like we need a "career decisions" forum.

The one big question that people always raise when discussing whether to go pro is "well what happens if you want to go back to the real world? What do you do about the resume gap?" I've listed poker on my resume just as if it were a real job. The section usually looks something like this:

"Professional Poker Player
February 2005-current
Analyzed in depth the fundamental probability, game theory, and psychology of a variety of poker games
Responsible for statistically grounded capital management, accounting, scheduling
Published (and compensated) author of poker theory essays"

When I end up with extra space on a particular resume submission, I've sometimes added the line, "Television appearance on the 2005 Partypoker.com World Open (European Union)" which did sort of impress one guy I've spoken to.

I also always mention it in the lower sections of my cover letters, something akin to the following:

"I'd like to address a non-standard career choice: for the past 15 months, I have been a professional poker player. During that time I devoted my full efforts to study and practice of the game, as well as impeccable accounting, statistically-grounded capital management, and full disclosure of income to the IRS as a small business. The endeavor has been fully legitimate; I did not participate in any activities, illegal or otherwise, that I believe would compromise my ability to pass a background investigation. I now seek to resume my previous career path in Network Security with a position that will provide a greater variety of daily challenges than poker can offer."

The field I'm mostly looking in, network security, is one where poker is likely more of a problem than in most fields, especially since I'm looking in the DC area. A lot of the jobs are government related, and either require a clearance or require getting one. While I don't believe I've compromised my ability to qualify for a clearance, I think the clearance-oriented culture in particular would see that in a negative light, and even those that don't involve the government may be a bit squeamish in trusting their confidential networks to a former pro gambler. Despite that, I still decided to throw my resume (with 1.5 years full-time experience, a bunch of internships, and a BS in comp sci) to the 4 corners of the internet, talk to every networking contact I've got, and put on open resume on Monster.

So how has it worked out for me? Well I don't have a job yet, but things are going very well. After deciding to quit poker as a profession exactly one week ago, I've got 2 interviews today and a recruiter currently lining up a third... and not one of them has been from a networking contact! 1 is from a job I specifically applied to, 2 have been cold contacts based on my monster.com posting. (Beyond that, I've had a smattering of un-targeted financial planner stuff, etc.) Every one of them has asked about poker during the initial phone call, and none of them have had a problem with it after I've explained that I had a great run but "I'm now ready to resume a position with a greater variety of daily challenges." Now, to be fair, one of the positions is a coding contract which involves the gambling industry (I've been asked keep details private), and I consider those guys finding me on monster.com to be a rather freak occurance. That odd stroke of fortune notwithstanding, I've still got two other possibilites in the security field, one that would require a background investigation and one that would eventually lead to a secret clearance. I've got two interviews today, and both companies seem very interested in my services.

So the moral of the story, for those that have thought of taking the plunge, is that you CAN go back. Well, at least if you have marketable skills and know how to market yourself. Obviously I'd be looking for positions with higher pay and more responsibility if my resume had 3 years at my former employer rather than 1.5 there and 1.5 at poker, but all things considered, I'm really happy with the way it's gone.

2nd

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

For the tl:dr crowd: this is a good post that is at least worth a skim.

Interesting stuff dude. Thanks for sharing. I thought this:

[ QUOTE ]
"Professional Poker Player
February 2005-current
Analyzed in depth the fundamental probability, game theory, and psychology of a variety of poker games
Responsible for statistically grounded capital management, accounting, scheduling
Published (and compensated) author of poker theory essays"

[/ QUOTE ]
Was especially clever.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

You do know that playing online is illegal right?

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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You do know that playing online is illegal right?

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you are a moron sir.

very nice post OP, a good read.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

Interesting post. I think though it's still very debateable to say the least as to whether you should include poker on your resume. I just left a gap and got several interviews and accepted a position offered within less than a week. My gap however was more easily explained since I relocated and had to wait for immigration. Either way it's not really a myth. Clearly either a gap or poker will not help getting back to work compared to steady work experience relative to your field. Much of it depends on other factors as well. For me I'm in an area with a great economy and labor shortage right now so it didn't really matter. If I tried getting back in my field in the area I lived previously I believe the gap would have been an issue and it would have been much more difficult.

I'm not really sure why you're surprised that the security clearance doesn't seem to be an issue after playing poker.

Good luck.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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So the moral of the story, for those that have thought of taking the plunge, is that you CAN go back.

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No offense, but you're not BACK yet. Getting interviews is not the same as getting a job offer. I think anything would be better than putting "poker player" on the resume. Better to fill the gap with a lie.

The fact is, most people put gamblers in the same category as prostitutes and drug dealers. Even if you find a sympathetic or understanding manager in one of your interviews, the cya syndrome would prevent him from hiring you. In the event you don't work out, he gets the flack for hiring someone with an "obvious flaw" when the case is reviewed. All managers think about this when they make their hiring decisions and they will go with the "safe" candidate, even if he might not be the best candidate.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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No offense, but you're not BACK yet. Getting interviews is not the same as getting a job offer. I think anything would be better than putting "poker player" on the resume. Better to fill the gap with a lie.

The fact is, most people put gamblers in the same category as prostitutes and drug dealers. Even if you find a sympathetic or understanding manager in one of your interviews, the cya syndrome would prevent him from hiring you. In the event you don't work out, he gets the flack for hiring someone with an "obvious flaw" when the case is reviewed. All managers think about this when they make their hiring decisions and they will go with the "safe" candidate, even if he might not be the best candidate.

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I've already spoken on the phone to the hiring managers from all 3 leads, and I'm very confident that I will have an offer from at least one of them. As for the rest of your statement... I guess you're entitled to your opinion.

And yes, guys, I know the resume gap isn't actually a "myth." But it hasn't been a problem so far.

2nd

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

OK, Good luck. Give us an update when you get a job offer.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

I think his point is valid. I know at my last position I was responsible for hiring new personel for most positions in the facility. I'm not saying I wouldn't hire someone with a similar experience on the resume. But if two candidates were pretty close in qualifications I certainly would have chosen the other for that exact reason. And honestly I'd rather have the gap in the resume that goes in the file and let them just explain the poker to me in the interview when I asked about the gap.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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So the moral of the story, for those that have thought of taking the plunge, is that you CAN go back.

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No offense, but you're not BACK yet. Getting interviews is not the same as getting a job offer. I think anything would be better than putting "poker player" on the resume. Better to fill the gap with a lie.

The fact is, most people put gamblers in the same category as prostitutes and drug dealers. Even if you find a sympathetic or understanding manager in one of your interviews, the cya syndrome would prevent him from hiring you. In the event you don't work out, he gets the flack for hiring someone with an "obvious flaw" when the case is reviewed. All managers think about this when they make their hiring decisions and they will go with the "safe" candidate, even if he might not be the best candidate.

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This is just blatently untrue, especially in this job market.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

Don't leave us hanging! Tell us about your experience getting a job with "poker player" on your resume.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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So the moral of the story, for those that have thought of taking the plunge, is that you CAN go back.

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No offense, but you're not BACK yet. Getting interviews is not the same as getting a job offer. I think anything would be better than putting "poker player" on the resume. Better to fill the gap with a lie.

The fact is, most people put gamblers in the same category as prostitutes and drug dealers. Even if you find a sympathetic or understanding manager in one of your interviews, the cya syndrome would prevent him from hiring you. In the event you don't work out, he gets the flack for hiring someone with an "obvious flaw" when the case is reviewed. All managers think about this when they make their hiring decisions and they will go with the "safe" candidate, even if he might not be the best candidate.

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This is extreme/alarmist, and flawed. Of course, it's worth thinking about the future impact on a more corporate career path when you go pro, but to suggest that you're completely screwed if you do go pro takes it too far.

There are a lot of false statements in this post, but one thing all you pros returning to the corporate world should definitely avoid is putting a lie on your resume to fill your gap. Realize that ethical considerations aside, routine background checks are getting easier and cheaper to do for any level of employee, and if it comes to light that you lied on your resume, it may not make any difference how well you're doing on your job.

Relevant experience for the position you're seeking is better than either a gap or having poker on your resume. I like OP's approach to including it, if you're going to put it on there -- show some relevant and transferable skills. If you put it on your resume, it won't be the end of the world. In some (albeit I'm guessing a pretty small minority) of cases, it may even help you, because it will stand you out from other candidates.

I won't advise either way whether to include it, but something to consider is that if you get an offer from a company that knows full well about your poker background, you may be more likely to enjoy that corporate culture/manager than somewhere your pro background is negatively viewed.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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Don't leave us hanging! Tell us about your experience getting a job with "poker player" on your resume.

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I just think you're wrong that "most people," especially professional managers, put poker players in the same category as prostitutes and drug dealers. If OP had "Professional Drug Dealer" or "Professional Prostitute" on his resume, I could virtually assure you he would not have this much job activity. Furthermore, I think you're totally off base about the state of the job market right now, and the availability of strong candidates for most fields. Hiring managers, at least in any field that doesn't suck, do not have a "choice" of ten strong candidates such they can rule someone out for overly vain reasons. The OP addressed this issue upfront, marketed himself appropriately and has been nothing about honest from the get go about what he's been doing. That will commend respect from most employers, especially if his prior experience/personality make him seem like a strong candidate.

I just think crappy advice like yours only encourages people to lie, be dishonest and jeopardize their future careers by trying to start a series of misinformed fibs about their work history. Experiences such as OPs (and he's not the only one on the boards) has not reflected judgments like yours at all.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

Very nice OP, the resume sections in particular are awesome. Good luck with everything.

And why is it that the career posts that are of high quality always get so much negativity? The fact is, poker can be very impressive if presented the right way. Furthermore, its obvious that 2nd Goat is having an easy time in the job market, 3 solid leads in the first week? That is excellent. I remember when Death Valley posted his first 10 months as a pro, and half the posts were people flaming him for not making more money. 2nd Goat's post will be very helpful for any Poker pro who wants to go back a to a real job, so I fail to understand why it is meant with so much doubt and negativity.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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I just think you're wrong that "most people," especially professional managers, put poker players in the same category as prostitutes and drug dealers.

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You live in a universe of poker players, which is much smaller than it appears. Perhaps it doesn't have quite the same stigma as drug dealer or prostitute, so imagine putting "pool hustler" on your resume. The majority of people (outside the poker universe) would equate these similarly and yes, there is a significant number that do rank gamblers with drug dealers and prostitutes.

If you think lying is bad advice, then leave it blank, like one of the posters here (who actually HAS been in the drivers seat), has suggested.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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I just think you're wrong that "most people," especially professional managers, put poker players in the same category as prostitutes and drug dealers.

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You live in a universe of poker players, which is much smaller than it appears. Perhaps it doesn't have quite the same stigma as drug dealer or prostitute, so imagine putting "pool hustler" on your resume. The majority of people (outside the poker universe) would equate these similarly and yes, there is a significant number that do rank gamblers with drug dealers and prostitutes.

If you think lying is bad advice, then leave it blank, like one of the posters here (who actually HAS been in the drivers seat), has suggested.

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Leaving it blank IS lying. They will ask you about it on an interview. If they do a background check (and use a service like Kroll that really digs into things like credit history, etc.) you may get found out anyway, especially if you make something up that looks inconsistent with other stuff a service like that digs up. It's a bad idea.

EDIT: Services such as this can dig up information like media exposure, so if he published articles about poker, they can dig them up. You greatly underestimate the stuff background check companies can and will come up with.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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I just think you're wrong that "most people," especially professional managers, put poker players in the same category as prostitutes and drug dealers.

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You live in a universe of poker players, which is much smaller than it appears. Perhaps it doesn't have quite the same stigma as drug dealer or prostitute, so imagine putting "pool hustler" on your resume. The majority of people (outside the poker universe) would equate these similarly and yes, there is a significant number that do rank gamblers with drug dealers and prostitutes.

If you think lying is bad advice, then leave it blank, like one of the posters here (who actually HAS been in the drivers seat), has suggested.

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Statements like this are ridiculous. I don't know why you guys think that saying you're a poker player is such a bad thing. We are not pool hustlers, that is just silly. You should actually listen to people like 2nd Goat, Bisonbison, and Death Valley, all of whom have had solid job opportunities after playing professionally. Poker was not a detractor for any of them.

I have personally been told by several people on Wall Street in the investment banking and trading industries that it is very impressive that I am making six figures playing cards, and that they're happy to hear I'm doing well without having to work for Bill Lumbergh.

I personally love playing for a living, and any job interviewer that has a problem with my current profession can suck it. There are far too many job opportunities out there to have to worry about impressing some idiot who automatically associates poker players with pool hustlers. Give me a break.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

Ok, the proof will be in the pudding. Having a good feeling about your leads is meaningless. Many interviewers are "feel good" type of people. In fact, I think it is a technique of professionals to put the candidates at ease so they will open up and provide more information (that may or may not help the candidate) I've left many an interview with a good feeling, never to be contacted again.

I can assure you, he has basically killed any chance he had at getting a government job, especially one with a security clearance. The cya syndrome is at its ultimate here.

A tight labor market does not mean employers don't get tons of applicants for every job. It just means that none of them have the mix of education and experience they would like. I don't think many would think "poker player" should be included in that mix

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

Honestly I'm not sure why everyone is jumping all over Fishy here. If you think that there are not a certain percentage of HR/Managers who would hesitate to hire someone with Poker on their resume you're mistaken. I guarantee you there are. I'm not saying there aren't some that would prefer to see it opposed to a gap. There very well may be.

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You should actually listen to people like 2nd Goat, Bisonbison, and Death Valley, all of whom have had solid job opportunities after playing professionally.

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Did they include it on the resume? Do I not count in that group? I didn't include it.

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Poker was not a detractor for any of them.

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Nobody said you can never get back to work in your field after playing poker as a sole means of income for a certain period. But that doesn't mean it isn't/wasn't a detractor to some extent.

I think if you do decide to include it 2nd Goat did a nice job with the details and trying to relate it to the type of position he's looking for. It was an excellent post as an example of how to do that if you so choose. But I'm not sure just leaving a gap would be worse. And no...leaving poker out of your resume is not lying or unethical (to those who feel otherwise). Lying in the interview if asked what you did for income in that period is clearly a different story. But I don't believe anyone was advocating that.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

"Responsible for statistically grounded capital management,"

I like that and will be quoting you, thanks.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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Honestly I'm not sure why everyone is jumping all over Fishy here. If you think that there are not a certain percentage of HR/Managers who would hesitate to hire someone with Poker on their resume you're mistaken. I guarantee you there are. I'm not saying there aren't some that would prefer to see it opposed to a gap. There very well may be.

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You should actually listen to people like 2nd Goat, Bisonbison, and Death Valley, all of whom have had solid job opportunities after playing professionally.

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Did they include it on the resume? Do I not count in that group? I didn't include it.

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Poker was not a detractor for any of them.

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Nobody said you can never get back to work in your field after playing poker as a sole means of income for a certain period. But that doesn't mean it isn't/wasn't a detractor to some extent.

I think if you do decide to include it 2nd Goat did a nice job with the details and trying to relate it to the type of position he's looking for. It was an excellent post as an example of how to do that if you so choose. But I'm not sure just leaving a gap would be worse. And no...leaving poker out of your resume is not lying or unethical (to those who feel otherwise). Lying in the interview if asked what you did for income in that period is clearly a different story. But I don't believe anyone was advocating that.

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So how do you explain an 18 month gap? What do you say? And if you're making mad money playing poker and a Kroll background check reveals a monster purchase? Or if you say you're "travelling" and a Kroll background check puts you on a traffic violation or something? Or if you have published an article talking about poker and it gives a tidbit about your poker habits? How are you going to explain your income (because these companies will ask you about your income during your gap and you better have good answers to back it up). All of these things are very likely to happen. And your candidacy is toast if any of these situations come up and are inconsistent with your background interview.

Yes, some people will not hire you because of poker. Yes, some opportunities you will not be able to get. Yes, some opportunities will be available to you because of poker playing that you would otherwise not have access to. Yes, you face a significant risk of being "found out" about your lies to explain your resume gap. Yes, you will get fired if people found out you lied about your resume during any point of your employment tenure. Yes, it's extremely unethical to lie about an 18 month gap on your resume (and an employer is going to be VERY curious about what you were doing for a year and a half, and if they conduct background checks, they will most definitely want to focus on that).

Some people choose to tell the truth. Some people choose to lie about it. Both have their pros and cons.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

The income part is at least very simple.
Any fish could luck out to place high in a major tournament, collect a prize never to play again.
Or win a lottery prize.
The income does not make you into a poker pro.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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The income part is at least very simple.
Any fish could luck out to place high in a major tournament, collect a prize never to play again.
Or win a lottery prize.
The income does not make you into a poker pro.

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Oh, I'm not saying you couldn't make up more stuff to get around the background check, and that you'll definitely get caught, or anything like that. However, my point is mainly to illustrate the risk in making stuff up on your resume, and the tools that are available to employers to rat out candidates who lie about their work history (and lots do).

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

What are you talking about? I never said it's OK to lie about playing. I just said it may be better if it's not included on the resume. Clearly there is a big difference. For one it's not actually on file for all to see that you played poker for a living...which some people responsible for hiring would feel better about. For another you explain the situation in the 2nd part of the job search process...the interview. The point of the resume is to get the interview.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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I'm not sure why everyone is jumping all over Fishy here.

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I think it was in the way he (initially) explained OP's chances. To me, it read like he thought there was no chance to get a job offer if he let on he was a pro, and then went over the top saying people generally equate poker pros to drug dealers and prostitutes.

Definitely merit to some of the ideas that Fishy was trying to get across about possible implications and perceptions, but the style he presented them in was exaggerated and maybe a little incendiary. He also gave one piece of advice that was really bad when he suggested it would be better to lie than to disclose a poker career on your resume.

Chief, I think you expressed a pretty good look at the plusses and minuses. The insight from the inside that you gave is pretty valuable for pros/potential pros to consider.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

After programming for a few years right after college, I took over a year off and did nothing but get high.

The gap was never a big deal in any interviews, I just said I travelled.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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What are you talking about? I never said it's OK to lie about playing. I just said it may be better if it's not included on the resume. Clearly there is a big difference. For one it's not actually on file for all to see that you played poker for a living...which some people responsible for hiring would feel better about. For another you explain the situation in the 2nd part of the job search process...the interview. The point of the resume is to get the interview.

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That's fair. My apologies for jumping on you specifically. However, in my own defense, there have been numerous "mention poker on an interview?" threads where several posters have advocated lying, and it's important for people to know about the resources employers have for dealing with this kind of thing.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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I think it was in the way he (initially) explained OP's chances. To me, it read like he thought there was no chance to get a job offer if he let on he was a pro, and then went over the top saying people generally equate poker pros to drug dealers and prostitutes.

Definitely merit to some of the ideas that Fishy was trying to get across about possible implications and perceptions, but the style he presented them in was exaggerated and maybe a little incendiary. He also gave one piece of advice that was really bad when he suggested it would be better to lie than to disclose a poker career on your resume.


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Fair enough. And I agree.

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Chief, I think you expressed a pretty good look at the plusses and minuses. The insight from the inside that you gave is pretty valuable for pros/potential pros to consider.

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Thanks. And FWIW I did actually discuss the poker in my interview for the position I start very soon. I also told them when asked what I do outside of work that I like to go out for a beer or two and watch a game. Most people don't mind because they've played a few home games with friends, watched poker on TV, and like to go out for a drink and catch a game themselves. But they were in no way surprised or upset that poker wasn't included on my resume.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

I will give some estimates here:

400 million Americans

approx 150 - 200 million in the labor market

generous off the cuff estimate: 1 million who play poker

You would probably be surprised to know what that other 99 to 99.5% on non-poker players think about us. Some skeptical, most negatively, some very negatively. Very few favorably. We are, after all, gamblers, no matter what we think of ourselves. You won't have time in an interview to convince even someone with an open mind that poker is not really "gambling", let alone someone with pre-conceived notions. It is a very steep uphill battle. Even someone with an open mind may still be deterred by the CYA syndrome.

I wouldn't advise anyone who has scruples to lie on a resume. But for those who don't have scruples, your chances of getting a job is much better if you lie and make them find out you're lying than it is if you put something negative right out there.

Finding a job is a numbers game. There will be a certain % who will check you out and won't hire you because you lied and a certain % who won't bother with a rigorous investigation.

If you have something negative on the resume, it makes it easy for them to screen you out and you will have fewer opportunities.

That's just reality.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

Understood and agreed. My personal feeling is that if you find yourself uncomfortable or thinking of being in any way dishonest during an interview it's probably not a good position for you anyway. I certainly wouldn't want to work with people who I feel would have a problem or condescending attitude with who I am outside of work.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

While I think that referencing your poker activities in a resume is generally a risky idea, the approach and presentation of the OP is an outstnading model for the right way to do it.

Nice work. Thanks for the very useful contribution.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

During my 30 years or so of working for the man I have been involved in hiring hundreds of new employees, many of them young and only a year or two out of school. I was the final decision maker on many of these hires. With that background, I have a few comments:

1) If you have a significant gap on your resume, you will almost certainly be asked about it. It is a strategic decision whether you put poker on the resume or leave the gap, and are prepared to discuss it in an interview.

2) Never, ever, never lie on your resume. In fact, don't even put literal truth that could be interpreted as a lie on your resume. Companies and government agencies now take this very seriously. If you are found to have lied on your resume, you will be fired immediately and the company may take action to recover things like signing bonuses. I think if you google around some, you can find instances where employees found to have lied on their resumes have been taken to court for damages.

3) These days everybody knows someone who plays poker. Poker is on cable TV several times per week. The stigma of being a professional poker player is small. If you give the impression that you think your poker background is a problem, your propective employers are more likely to think it is a problem.

4) Poker is a very analytical pursuit. The skills and disciplines learned in poker would be attractive to many employers. You should be prepared to discuss those things. As a poker pro, you were 100% responsible for your actions--you didn't have a boss checking up to see that you weren't cold calling raises. Very few young people have this sort of experience and this could be an advantage with some employers.

5) I had security clearances early in my career. Things have changed a lot since then, but I had some fairly dodgy things in my past that did not prevent me from getting fairly high clearances.

6) Most employers do a background check before making an offer to a candidate (or they make the offer contingent on the background check). Since you have had some poker success and published some articles, it is likely that this will be turned up in the background check. Getting through the interview process without mentioning poker and then having it turn up in the background check would be a huge problem. Better to let them know up front.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

I remember watching a profile of Varkonyi the WSOP ME champ, trying to get a job everywhere but couldn't because he just couldn't sell his poker skills at wall street. It was sort of sad to see him being reduced to flipping card tricks infront of wall street execs while they were giving him false hope.

That said, I appreciate this thread and I really like that presentation you put in your resume. Eratosthenes post is also very helpful imo.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

I am graduating college this year and I played poker as a living for the last 4 years. I can not wait to get a high paying "Normal" job as poker can be very stressfull, lonely and unrealiable income. I am not putting poker on my resume as I worked once a week at a retail store, but I am concerned that my name is on google for poker tournaments as majority of hirers search your name on google.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

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I will give some estimates here:

400 million Americans

approx 150 - 200 million in the labor market

generous off the cuff estimate: 1 million who play poker


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You've overestimated the number of Americans by about 100 million, and are short on the poker players (if you include those who play for money in weekly home games or the like, and I think you shuold) by an order of magnitude...even before the poker boom. Tens of millions of people play poker in some form or another, whether it's going to a casino a few times a year or playing with friends in a quarter 7-card stud game where check-raising isn't allowed.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

I manage a recruitment company, and spent 10 years working for what is now Monster.com. Here's my take on recruitment based on that: (albeit Asia PAcific Region)

Poor recruiters will ignore your resume based on Poker being a scary word
Good recruiters, or those that are poker fiends, will say - "Check out this poker guy - let's meet him tomorrow"

Poor recruiters have average clients and job openings, good ones the opposite. You will get exposure to less openings, but they will be relevant and interesting.

Everything is relative - if 50% of your resume is consumed by your Poker journey, you are looking at entry level roles anyway. If you have a great degree, 5 years with Microsoft, and play golf like Tiger, I'd interview you if you had just left jail.

You are possibly focussing too much on the detail of the Poker bit. "18 Months - Professional Poker PLayer/Author" may be better. Pad your resume with non-poker stuff, rather than the thing you are worried may be an issue.

Finally, good leaders hire based on ability and potential, not just experience. 90% of hiring managers want the same 10% of candidates. The smart, personable and innovative ones that will make them money. You simply need to get yourself in front of decision makers, and make sure your resume isn't flawed, as someone pointed out. The rest will be about your innate abilities relative to the other candidates.

Whatever you do, leave the shades and ipod at home, and don't yell "I've GOT THE STONE COLD NUTS" if you sense the interview is progressing well [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

AWFUL to mention that you were a pro-player in your resume. smart bosses will think you are a degenerate, or went broke.

extend last job, or say you had an Ebay business or something.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

[ QUOTE ]
AWFUL to mention that you were a pro-player in your resume. smart bosses will think you are a degenerate, or went broke.

extend last job, or say you had an Ebay business or something.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thus joining a firm full of stupid people who lie. WTG

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

It's quite simple, visit a random non-poker related forum and tell them you're a pro poker player. I let it slip on one of the forums I frequent often and got torn a new one.

Re: The Myth of the Resume Gap
 

What the hell would I know - don't play good poker and don't post on lots of forums. OP should ignore my advice. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]