Poker in the CV

hotspur

The guy is talking about trading jobs people!
Definitely put it on your CV, I've read many many advertisments for such jobs where they specifically mentioned that having an interest in poker would be an advantage and I know for a fact that it is often encouraged in young traders.

You've also learned an important lesson here about asking poker players for good advice about anything other than strictly poker - don't!

gosplan

Hobbies: Stong intrest in game theory and simulations.

gosplan

To be honest I'd say that a few years ago it may have helped. Nowadays everyone plays at some time or another so it's not going to do that much for you. Add that to the chance that they may view it negatively and it's just a bad move.

Perhaps put down something about game strategy, mention 'go' or something and then if they ask mention poker.

It's a big risk.

If two of you are neck and neck for the job I'd say there's more of a chance of them not giving it to you based on poker then the other way around.

paul8200

I've worked in IT/Financial services for 15 years. Unless you have a very good tell do not mention poker. It is still a very conservative industry.

damnyanks

Poker has no real relevane to trading. Any form of investment house will look far beyond basic risk techniques. Anything basic (single stock cash equities) will be handled by computers and so on.

I wouldn't advise putting it down unless you have some serious achievment in it. At the end of the day poker is a game so if you are really stuck for things to put on your CV go for it but if thats the case you probably won't fare so well with the bigger players.

sikes

damnyanks wrote:

Poker has no real relevane to trading. Any form of investment house will look far beyond basic risk techniques. Anything basic (single stock cash equities) will be handled by computers and so on.

I wouldn't advise putting it down unless you have some serious achievment in it. At the end of the day poker is a game so if you are really stuck for things to put on your CV go for it but if thats the case you probably won't fare so well with the bigger players.

Just to be clear, I dont think that because i play poker i will walk straight onto the floor and be a hotshot! but i do think that poker should take precedence in my cv ahead of, say, sound engineering or something like that, solely because the skills used are of more relevance to trading.

A trading firm uses a poker tournament to hire staff
http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/newstex/KRTB-0160-11557568

and again
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/business/15832586.htm

Poker and trading have a lot of similarities, such as making good decisions under pressure," Yass said. "It teaches you to deal with losing even when you make the right decision.

CodeMonkey

Actually poker is quite relevant to investment banking from the little that I know. I am guessing they like the skills of evaluating risk vs return, how you handle pressure etc. A mate of mine's brother worked for an investment bank in the states for a year and was thought how to play poker. The banks actually hired professional poker players to train up their new investment banking recruits. He was a winning player on the $20/40 nl tables until he quit cause it was taking too much of his time. Put it on the CV anyway as your hobby along with other interests. If they ask you about it, great.

RoundTower

If you're a world class player who's won $x million in the last few years and is looking for a change of pace/thinks he could do even better in trading, then yes by all means mention this. For everyone else, don't bother.

Linford

sikes wrote:

Just to be clear, I dont think that because i play poker i will walk straight onto the floor and be a hotshot! but i do think that poker should take precedence in my cv ahead of, say, sound engineering or something like that, solely because the skills used are of more relevance to trading.

A trading firm uses a poker tournament to hire staff
http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/newstex/KRTB-0160-11557568

and again
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/business/15832586.htm

I work in that area and even though I play poker and know that all poker players are not gamblers, I would not look upon it favourably if I saw it in a CV. If on the other hand you were asked in an interview how you handled a situation previously you may be able to use a poker situation.

In any event you would need to scope out the people interviewing you and determine whether or not it is appropriate to bring up any poker analogies.

It is also worth noting that most degenerate gamblers look down upon other gamblers (same goes for alcoholics and drug takers) as they are in denial. So even if you find out that the person interviewing you is a poker player, or you have seen them accross the table before, it still might be best not to mention it as you don't know how successful they have or have not been.

sikes

Linford wrote:

I work in that area and even though I play poker and know that all poker players are not gamblers, I would not look upon it favourably if I saw it in a CV. If on the other hand you were asked in an interview how you handled a situation previously you may be able to use a poker situation.

In any event you would need to scope out the people interviewing you and determine whether or not it is appropriate to bring up any poker analogies.

It is also worth noting that most degenerate gamblers look down upon other gamblers (same goes for alcoholics and drug takers) as they are in denial. So even if you find out that the person interviewing you is a poker player, or you have seen them accross the table before, it still might be best not to mention it as you don't know how successful they have or have not been.

cheers for the post. I should have started a poll!! Anyway, I am leaning towards leaving it out of the CV and will guage the situation in a interview.

Thanks for all the replies.

ollyk1

sikes wrote:

cheers for the post. I should have started a poll!! Anyway, I am leaning towards leaving it out of the CV and will guage the situation in a interview.

Thanks for all the replies.

FFS stick it in on one or two in a small way and see if it makes any difference! Hard enough to get the sort of jobs you are looking for anyway so take a chance that it might get you an interview.

By the way what is it with students being organised and looking for jobs at the start of their final year. Does nobody cram for finals, realise their stoney broke and go in desperate search of a job anymore??? Nobody????

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

imeatingchips

what a coincidence! I'm a senior programmer and was just at an interview yesterday. I had "music, reading, playing guitar, poker, jogging" down as the hobbies.

I would have thought that a technical chap like the one that was interviewing me would have appreciated the maths and intelligence required for the game but no...

I got a big frown and "poker??" as if I'd just admitted to being an alcoholic. I game him a quick example of +EV and he kind of got it (I think) but said to me "I wouldn't put that down. To me, and probably most people who wouldn't know much about it, it just brings to mind late nights and gambling. you know."

Don't think it was necesarily a deal-breaker but it's taken off the cv now anyway.

I suppose another thing to remember is, your cv might have to get through a HR before it gets to anyone technical. There's a lot of women in HR and not a lot of women in poker so they mightn't appreciate it.

LuckyLloyd

This post has been deleted.

HiCloy

sikes wrote:

cheers for the post. I should have started a poll!! Anyway, I am leaning towards leaving it out of the CV and will guage the situation in a interview.

Thanks for all the replies.

On this, last year I did an interview for a London Investment bank as a fixed income trader, and mentioned Poker somewhere on the large, sprawling application form (these places don't just take CVs).

I had 4 interviews the first day, one with HR, 1 with a Sales person and 2 with traders. No one mentioned it except one trader, who said he played himself and enquired would I be on for a heads up match. Unfortunately neither of us had cards! I don't think it impacted negatively, as I had included so much else on the form.

In the end I got to a second interview, where I lost a huge pile of money on a trading simulator :rolleyes: and that was the end of that.

sikes

i am going to throw it in a few and not in others and see what happens! Cheers for the replies.

If you're a world class player who's won $x million in the last few years and is looking for a change of pace/thinks he could do even better in trading, then yes by all means mention this. For everyone else, don't bother.

I wasnt trying to draw comparisons to strassa!

Bandana boy

If explain it as a weekly home game to keep in touch with your mates I think fine
If it comes across as a alternative source of income i think it will generate a negative response from the majority of interviewers.
At no point try to explain +ev and risk as this sounds like an addict explaining why he is not addicted to those not in the know

kincsem

I haven't had to put out a CV for years. But I am retiring in a few weeks, and may need to take on some menial tasks to eke out my pension. I quite fancy pushing supermarket trolleys.

Even worse than putting poker on a CV is being a successful punter / or having a few wins. In 2002/2003 I had a number of wins totalling €10,600 on soccer and horses. This got back to my boss. Previously he had commented that his father had lost money gambling. The company view is that you are playing poker all night, every night, then coming into work too tired to work.

Strangely people like to hear about losses. Wins irk them.

I was interviewing people for a temporary job (filling in for a woman on maternity leave). The guy who was interviewing with me wanted to employ a girl because she had listed boxing as a hobby (she was a boxer). I had to push hard to get the best candidate.

BigDragon

HiCloy wrote:

In the end I got to a second interview, where I lost a huge pile of money on a trading simulator :rolleyes: and that was the end of that.

Trading simulators are rigged!

GL with the job hunt Sikes. Me, I'd leave it out.

nicnicnic

On a side note if anyone is going for a job in retail and in the past had knocked out a bit of weed ect, I would advise against putting this on the CV also

ollyk1

kincsem wrote:

I haven't had to put out a CV for years. But I am retiring in a few weeks, and may need to take on some menial tasks to eke out my pension. I quite fancy pushing supermarket trolleys.
[/SIZE]

Take up poker dealing or running tournies!! Be self employed.

Ace2007

Hey lads, sorry for bringing this up - but kinda stuck for hobbies in my CV.... some ppl are telling me to stick down poker but from reading the above - would this put a potential employer off? - My CV is for an intra job(i'm doin actuarial maths)... i figure if i put down that i play poker i can also say that i read books(poker), but if i leave it out - i gotta leave out reading as well... so, a few lads i know from previous years said they didn't put it on their intra CV but a few put it on other CV's, also i was thinking of getting around it by just saying i play cards and then expanding on it in the interview if they asked....

Mellor

list it as strategy games, thinking games as this would be connected to maths,
and quickly take up chess and risk

Ace2007

i can play chess..

ditpoker

i've always decided to leave it on... i like poker... i play poker... if they dont want me cos i play poker, then i dont wanna work for them kinda attitude. that and if you're applying for a job in a poker company it makes sense!

58o

Leave it off...end of.....not even close. Its easy to forget when you frequent a site like this everyday and play poker regularly just what the perception of the average person is of the most poker players. Its a lot closer to the hysterical "gambling degenerate" image you frequently encounter on liveline etc. than anything else. For the vast majority of employers, exluding obvious niches (like poker companies!), poker is a big black tick mark against you.

On a slightly related note, i haveoften wondered if a significant flow of money in and out of your bank account/ visa, coming/going to Poker sites gets flagged in anyway by banks and credit card companies. Is it something they may use aginst you in the future re. obtaining a mortgage or other loans? (regardless of whether you win lose)

therealzuppy

Leave it off. It's simple. Based on your CV, people decide whether or not to give you an interview. The majority of people, lawyers, plasterers, bankers, frown upon poker, therefore potentially your CV and no interview. I wouldn't want to risk mentioning in the interview either. Your hobbies don't get you jobs. Your qualifications, experience and personality do.

HiCloy

Ace2007 wrote:

Hey lads, sorry for bringing this up - but kinda stuck for hobbies in my CV.... some ppl are telling me to stick down poker but from reading the above - would this put a potential employer off? - My CV is for an intra job(i'm doin actuarial maths)... i figure if i put down that i play poker i can also say that i read books(poker), but if i leave it out - i gotta leave out reading as well... so, a few lads i know from previous years said they didn't put it on their intra CV but a few put it on other CV's, also i was thinking of getting around it by just saying i play cards and then expanding on it in the interview if they asked....

Actuarial companies(Life assurance, pensions, general insurance, consultancies etc) aren't exactly gonna love a gambler, which is how they will perceive it. Leave it off, put in chess instead.

El Stuntman

if I'm interviewing you Sikes, you'll get the job...but I would say definitely don't put it directly on your cv - go with your read at the interview and if you get into discussions of investment theory/trading strategy etc, you could bring it up 'as an example' of your logical approach.

I've interviewed lots of prospective traders (across all asset classes/market segments) - usually as part of a panel - poker would generally not be looked upon favourably as a hobby/interest. Don't do it.

El Stuntman

58o wrote:

On a slightly related note, i haveoften wondered if a significant flow of money in and out of your bank account/ visa, coming/going to Poker sites gets flagged in anyway by banks and credit card companies. Is it something they may use aginst you in the future re. obtaining a mortgage or other loans? (regardless of whether you win lose)

no, this would be illegal