When you are in the process of creating a resume it’s important to make sure you format it correctly and also list the right skills and leave out anything that can be a red flag.
There’s a lot of discussion about whether or not you should list interests on your resume. From the recruiters standpoint, these are virtually irrelevant. At best they are glossed over, at worst they can send your resume to the trash folder.
A lot of people think that listing their interests on their resume is a good way to stand out, but in truth it’s not important at all. Employers, hiring managers, and recruiters don’t really care about you as an individual.
As harsh as that may sound, it’s the truth. The only thing that recruiters and employers care about is your ability to do the work that they have at the lowest cost.
However, if you do include certain things on your resume, it can be a red flag to a recruiter or hiring manager.
So, before you list that you’re a poker player or like to play poker on your resume as an interest, read the following and then decide if its really a good idea.
Is It Professional To Put Interests on a Resume?
It is not professional to put interests on a resume. Let’s get that right out of the way first.
If you’ve been told that you should list interests on a resume, then the odds are that you’re talking to someone who is not experienced in the professional world of recruitment or hiring.
A lot of people who work as career counselors, job coaches, and in school career centers have never actually worked in corporate America. They get degrees in education or counseling and then get jobs immediately in schools and non-profits and city agencies that are designed to help people find work.
The problem with this is that they never worked behind the scenes in the real business world.
Schools, governments, and non-profits are not professional areas. And so if you hear from a “career coach” that you should list interests on your resume, realize that they have likely never worked in a real company and are talking about processes and methods or the real workplace.
Interests can be seen in a same view as objectives, though they’re even worse. There is really no reason to include this sort of information on your resume.
Professional hiring managers and recruiters don’t read it, and if by some chance they do they will only really be impressed by something in a bad way.
Now, let’s look specifically at the subject of poker and if that’s something you should have on your resue.
Recreational vs Professional
Before we go right into poker as an interest, let’s be a bit more specific as to the type of poker and the reason for listing it.
There are two types of poker player. Those who play recreationally and those who are professionals.
Recreational poker players should never list it on their resume. It’s never going to impress a recruiter or a hiring manager.
Professional poker players are in a bit of a tough spot. First, they have to be honest with themvels. A lot of people claim to be professional poker players when in fact they are supported by their wives, girlfriends, parents, or someone else. They are, in the eyes of the business world, gamblers who would never be hired to work somewhere. Which is the reason you see gamblers and poker players working Independent contract jobs like Uber East, Lyfy, and DoorDash.
Obviously there are exceptions, but unless you’re in the fraction of people who have legitimate results online, your career gap for poker and your experience will be a detriment to you.
Real professionals, which is extremely rare when compared to the population as a whole, don’t have to worry about listing it on their resume as they will have the connections to network themselves into a corporate gig whenever they want.
For most people, though, poker is synomous with gambling, and as such is defiantly not something you’d want to list on your resume.
What if You Worked as a Dealer?
If you worked as a poker dealer, then you absolutely can list that on your resume. However, only list it as a job. If you became a fan of playing poker off the clock, then I would advise keeping that to yourself.
Remember, in the eyes of human resources and recruiting professionals, poker is gambling and no one wants a gambler to work for them.
It’s this simple. If you list that you like to play poker, the majority of recruiters and hiring managers will simply toss your resume in the trash.
I know, the fan of poker would argue that poker is a game of skill, that it requires a knowledge of math, risk tolerance, and many other important and valuable skils.
Well, you know who doesn’t know that and who doesn’t care? Your average HR employee and your average recruiter.
It’s not worth your time to try and convince them, even if you had the chance to speak with them before they throw your resume into the trash folder and delete your application.
List that you worked as a poker dealer and leave your interests off the page.
Poker-It Can Only Work Against You—You’re Not The Exception
The problem with listing poker as an interest on your resume is that it can really only work against you.
While you might be someone who is a serious employee and plays poker for fun, and understands the skill involved, you are not necessarily going to be speaking with someone like you.
The person who reads your resume very likely has no idea as to the complexity of poker and how it involves math, risk tolerance, formulated decisions making processes, and other skills.
Very likely, unless you are interfacing with a hedge fund, no one at the firm is aware of any of that.
If you do like poker and are sharp, then you might bring it up in person during the interview if the interviewer mentions it somehow. But only if they mention anything in the realm of gambling. You never want to introduce gambling or anything controversial to an interview while you are up for a job.
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