lying about poker.....

[jgcblack]

Good interviewing technique beats lying all ends up.

Nice crisp ironed shirt, dark tie, shine those shoes, arive nice & early, firm handshake, make lots of good eye contact, & smile. Smiling is always a winner.

This man is just too good.

Firstly, avoid being in someones pocket like TK says and secondly turn up like a grownup to your interview and sell them the idea of the 'self run business' you've put on your CV.

Explain to them the entirety of the business first, what was involved, when, how, who you had to deal with, where it went and why you make $90k but now want a job.  Then when they say "what did you do?" tell them "I was a poker playing professional gambler".  With a smile, straight back and sell it with a wink if he/ she looks vunerable!


I have a wholly seperate issue in my job in that I have security clearances to deal with and I have to show/ prove I'm not a 'liability'... but that's a separate issue.



Any thinking/ sensible business man will see that you were successful and why, and will want to harness that success for themselves.

They're lucky you're asking for a job with them. Fact.

[tikay]

They will be intrigued if you say you were in poker, it fascinates outsiders, they'll think you are something special. Then they'll ask about poker, & off you go, you've got them beat all ends up now, because YOU are now in charge of the interview.

Better to raise than call, eh?

[Woodsey]

As a poker player I probably wouldn't employ another poker player, I know what they get up to 

[jgcblack]

They will be intrigued if you say you were in poker, it fascinates outsiders, they'll think you are something special. Then they'll ask about poker, & off you go, you've got them beat all ends up now, because YOU are now in charge of the interview.

Better to raise than call, eh?

DONT TELL THEM ANY BAD BEAT NORIES!

[MANTIS01]

So I guess if you've just come out of prison you should just be open about it in interviews? They will be all cool because you've been honest and will probably be very interested in your experiences right? Nah, wrong, in the real world they will just think gtfo. Telling a potential employer you spent the last 2 years gambling at cards is kinda noble and that but you deffo wont get the job. Honesty in job applications is a romantic notion because every cv on the employers desk wont be real. I would say I went travelling or worked for a friend's business before I said I was some busto card player.

[Claw75]

So I guess if you've just come out of prison you should just be open about it in interviews?

um yes - 100%

[outragous76]

So I guess if you've just come out of prison you should just be open about it in interviews? They will be all cool because you've been honest and will probably be very interested in your experiences right? Nah, wrong, in the real world they will just think gtfo. Telling a potential employer you spent the last 2 years gambling at cards is kinda noble and that but you deffo wont get the job. Honesty in job applications is a romantic notion because every cv on the employers desk wont be real. I would say I went travelling or worked for a friend's business before I said I was some busto card player.

"Oh great Mr Mantis, Ive travelled extensively too  - where did you go to? "

[WPIL]

I think there are laws that cover people coming out of prision

As for a Poker player depends on what type of job you are going for - say for a Social Work type of role I would imagine people would see it as a problem but for a job in the private sector it would not be, if I am interviewing a poker player I would be looking up their Hendon Mob etc to see if their story does match up

And also people put so much crap on CVs nowadays that most people don't pay attention (ie you are getting this interview on the back of a friend?)

Like "going to the Cinema and meeting friends" - really - use it too set you apart (and don't be LATE, SMELLY, NEGATIVE, SHAVE, FIRM HANDSHAKE, EYE CONTACT AND HAVE SOME INTRESTING QUESTIONS)

gl

[MANTIS01]

So I guess if you've just come out of prison you should just be open about it in interviews?

um yes - 100%

Friend of mine came out of prison few years ago, I don't usually have such uncultured friends btw. But point is he was honest in job interviews for 6 months and got rejected every time. Then he made up some outlandish shit about working for the European Commission for Small Businesses somewhere in eastern europe and got snap employed first interview. Still happy working there today.

[Lucky]

Good interviewing technique beats lying all ends up.

Nice crisp ironed shirt, dark tie, shine those shoes, arive nice & early, firm handshake, make lots of good eye contact, & smile. Smiling is always a winner.

Yes, allow plenty of time for your journey, so you get to the vicinity in good time, but don't go in too early.

Have  a coffee nearby if necessary but dont arrive at their office more than 10 minutes before your interview.  

[blueace]

A defininte no no. To most people poker is gambling. Think from the interviewers point of view. They dont want to give the job to someone with any risks attached. To them, the uninitiated, you could play late at night and arrive knackered each day, play at work, have a gambling problem, etc, etc. They may think worse if they see how much time and effort you put into it. There are certain things that have to stay out of cv's, and for now ,unfortunately, poker is definately one.

Sorry - this post is utter drivel. I can't believe the number of people that would rather employ a liar, whose trust and integrity is at question from day 1 than someone who plays poker.

Sadly I think it needs to be said that the poster will get a shock if he goes into the average interview thinking the average HR person is going to think positively over this. And what he needs to remember is the competition are unlikely to have a CV with a ‘great unknown’ in it, that the employer has to juggle with.  Mantis has firmed up my belief that there are some things that stay off CV's. Its all well and good having a holier than thou 'dont lie' attitude but the reality is I know of very few people that dont spice up their cv or leave out the negatives.
The only reason we can discuss this is because the poster has managed to get an interview before the CV has been seen. If he had sent it in, this would not be being discussed.
I only posted on this thread as I have experience of reading, digesting and breaking down cvs (over 50 for 1 position is the norm).

[GreekStein]

Absolutely no shame in it, and if they think differently, you don't want to work for them.

^This

disagree, people will look badly on it but its not their fault, they just aren't educated about poker to a level where they can understand/appreciate the benefits.

i'd not mention it to be honest, unless you have lots of graphs etc and can show how profitable you were/are and how you used things (always being super relevant to the job and how it would help in different specific areas)

this

[Woodsey]

In all seriousness in my industry, if they had poker player on their CV they wouldn't even get an interview. People can give it the honestly bit all they want but that is just the truth I'm afraid.

[blueace]

Finally the poster might want to take this question to an impartial site. A business forum for instance. Its fair to say us poker players wont see it in the same light as the average HR type. Either way hopefully as a result of mine and others replies the poster will be in a position to make a more informed decision as to how he wants to tackle this dilemma

[kinboshi]

Depends on the company, who's interviewing you, what the role is, etc.

It would be nice if you could be 100% honest in the CV and interview process, but that's not always possible.  I'm sure a lot of CVs would be discarded and you wouldn't get to the interview stage if you put your last two years' experience down as 'Poker Player'.  It might be relevant to the role, it might provide evidence of must-have transferable skills directly related to the role, BUT if the person responsible for the initial vetting of CVs and interviews has to choose between someone who has played poker for the past two years and someone else who has been helping build a school in Botswana  - they might make a decision based on their lack of knowledge of the two things.

If you're applying for a job at a big blue-chip company, a lot of the time the HR department will be the ones doing the vetting.  They don't really give a shit about finding out if poker is an honourable living, they're not being employed to bring in risky candidates, they're often looking for a reason to discard CVs and applications from the thousands they receive.

Of course, you can be lucky and the interviewer at the company plays poker or has an interest - then you might elevate yourself to the top of his list.  But is that likely to be the case?  Interviews are often very poor methods for companies to find the correct candidate for a role, part of the flaw is that personal prejudices and preconceived ideas come into play.  If you play rugby and the interviewer is a rugby player too, your chances rocket.  If you play rugby and the interviewer makes jam tarts for the local fête at the village church and dislikes competition and sport then you're going to have to work a hell of a lot harder to climb to the top of the short-list.  I think a lot of interviewers won't "get" poker. If you get the chance to discuss it at the interview, you might have a chance to 'educate' them and win them over.  That's if you actually get that far.