Grad jobs, differentiation and volatility (1 Viewer)

[RIZAL]

Posting this for a friend.

Let's assume that someone is graduating this year and they are sitting on a Distinction average. They have decent extra curriculars and seem to be a 'well rounded' person.

Assume further that the candidate wants to secure a decent role in an investment bank. Problem is, ibanks have cut back on recruitment, leaving many of the $80k-ish grad roles very thin on the ground.

There are less opportunities going, so suddenly the Distinction average and typical extra curriculars don't cut it. Simply, the employers can be more choosey.

Now let's assume that the candidate has performed very well in a certain extra curricular activity such as Poker. The candidate has net winnings over $80k and has written a computer program that is used and endorsed by the winner of a World Series of Poker main event. Further, assume that the candidate has written an academic paper on poker/game theory that has been published in academic circles.

My question is, should the candidate mention poker in their resume and/or in their interviews?

Cons:

- HR could view gambling as a degenerate hobby and kill the application immediately.
- Interviewers could view the applicant as non risk-averse.

Pros:

- Gets application noticed and differentiates from other run of the mill applications.
- Poker skills could be viewed as transferable to certain roles, e.g. sales and trading, risk management, quant analytics.

In summary, some people at some firms would kill the the application at the mere mention of gambling. Others may find it deeply interesting.

Thing about "interesting" items on your CV is that the variance of outcomes is pushed up. In general this is good because employment opportunities are options, and as the holder of these options, we would like our option volatility to go up. However, this assume that SOME employers will find it attractive. Maybe this assumption isn't that solid? In a post subprime world, risk aversion is all the rage now...

So, poker on the resume? Yay or nay?

 

[Vagabond]

I'd say it'd depend on the culture of the company you are applying for.

I can think of a few boys-clubs that would love somebody with a resume like that on board... more on the boutique side of things though...

 

[ifsonotso_100]

i suppose it comes down to whether your mate will get in without it, if it's no then it won't hurt, however if there's a good chance he'd get in without the poker on the cv I'd play it safe and not add it as vaga pointed out depends on the org you are applying for. Are in a way playing russian roulette with hr because i'd imagine they'd be doing the initial screening.

 

[RIZAL]

I'd say it'd depend on the culture of the company you are applying for.

I can think of a few boys-clubs that would love somebody with a resume like that on board... more on the boutique side of things though...

i suppose it comes down to whether your mate will get in without it, if it's no then it won't hurt, however if there's a good chance he'd get in without the poker on the cv I'd play it safe and not add it as vaga pointed out depends on the org you are applying for. Are in a way playing russian roulette with hr because i'd imagine they'd be doing the initial screening.

good insights...maybe he should only put it on the resume when applying to boutiques. for the larger banks, he should probably only mention it if he feels that the interviewer would be receptive. cheers

 

[Azamakumar]

I wouldn't leave out the academia though, the papers written and whatnot. That'd be a huge plus, right?

 

[geetarjoe]

I'd shy away from putting poker down. Too risky, and you're taking the chance of giving the interviewer another reason to ding you.

As far as other things to focus on, sport - especially team sport - was probably the biggest thing that people picked up on during the interview process, followed by any academic research/advanced uni studies.

Listing poker as a hobby - and even having a hobby section at all - screams 'squeezer'.

 

[Rorix]

I wouldn't put poker on the resume. If your friend has a D average and decent extra cirrics/work exp, he still should be getting interviews. Recruiting isn't that bad. If he's getting interviews but not offers, he needs to work more on coming across better in interviews than on his CV.

One question I would have is why he didn't have an internship last year. (reading between the lines he didn't)

 

[miss-smexy]

Write down that he had publications in academic papers, mentioning the titles of the papers (if they didn't include the word 'poker) etc.

If he's worried that they'd reject his application because of it, maybe mention it when he gets to the interview stage...

 

[melanieeestroll]

imo nay.

 

[kunny funt]

I think leaving it out completely is inefficient given the amount of time and effort that went into poker... especially given the commendable achievements.

You don't have to even write the word "poker" in the application. if you paraphrase it and make it sound awesome then that's ur ticket.

investment banks and most firms understand the confidentiality of certain matters and usually won't press into it unless they really have to. having recognised academic publishings and a coding a marketable piece of software would certainly indicate some of the qualities they look for... and you don't even have to mention gambling

 

[Studentleader]

Phrasing will make it good.

Rather then gambling what your friend is doing is calculated risks.