Employers screening WOW players?

By Oli Welsh Published 17 December, 2008

Recruiters being asked to avoid them.

According to a post on the F13 forums, employers are specifically requesting recruitment consultants not to send them World of Warcraft players.

The post, spotted by online gaming pioneer Raph Koster and posted on his blog, cites a recruiter working in the online media industry as saying that employers think WOW players are too sleep-deprived and distracted to be effective in the workplace.

"Employers specifically instruct him not to send them World of Warcraft players," said the poster. "He said there is a belief that WOW players cannot give 100 per cent because their focus is elsewhere, their sleeping patterns are often not great, et cetera."

There is a counter-theory that playing WOW - specifically, leading an active guild, which can involve some tricky management of people and time - makes for great employment experience, but the recruiter was having none of it.

"I mentioned that some people have written about MMOG leadership experience as a career positive or a way to learn project management skills, and he shook his head. He has been specifically asked to avoid WOW players," the posted said.

All things in moderation, people. But it's easy for us to say - it's our job.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (72) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Svecke #1 3 years ago

    Sounds a bit heavy-handed...

  • Collymilad #2 3 years ago

    Can you say discrimination?

  • DyingAtheist #3 3 years ago

    Surely that is inappropriate discrimination? You can't avoid an entire sub-population based on sterotypes. You may as well say 'Don't hire anyone in black clothes, they are all self-hating goths!'

  • mingster #4 3 years ago

    Sounds true to me i wouldn't employ a WOW'er

  • oreillymj #5 3 years ago

    Rings recruitment agency..

    "Hello recruitment agency"

    > "Yes"

    "Hi, I'd like to hire someone, but I don't want any goths, nerds or WOW players"

    > "All the same thing..."

  • Dizzy #6 3 years ago

    "some people have written about MMOG leadership experience as a career positive or a way to learn project management skills"

    ROFL.... I guess the real world will be a harsh mistress.

    NEVER mention WoW on your resume, that is a death sentence.
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/08 @ 11:14

  • rudedudejude #7 3 years ago

    Totally agree.

    Though you could offer them 1000 gold Chrismtas bonus to get them to work more

  • Waffleaber #8 3 years ago

    Is that really something they can check on or are people actually putting playing WoW under their interests on CV's?

  • Nasty #9 3 years ago

    I've had CV's sent to me with the candidates WoW guild leadership mentioned on them.

    Gave me a chuckle.

  • kangarootoo #10 3 years ago

    I can understand where they are coming from.

    "Can you say discrimination?"

    I suppose technically it is discrimination, in the sense that an assumption is being made about someone's fitness for work. In the same way you might decide not to hire an alcoholic, even though it was unproved at that time that their addiction affected their ability to work. If you could prove that someone turned you down for employment on the basis that you played WoW, you would have a strong legal case (getting that proof would be nigh on impossible though).

    Like much of life, this feels like an unfortunate mix of 1 part common sense and 2 parts stereotype and generalisation.

  • CapnCloudchaser #11 3 years ago

    Crap, maybe that is why I never get interviews :o

  • chrisjm #12 3 years ago

    im surprised people put that on their CV in the first place

  • MikeP #13 3 years ago

    From the interview training I've had I think you'd be on pretty thin ice if you started asking questions like that in an interview, as it has nothing at all to do with the skills required to do the job. Obviously that's unless you could show that it was a requirement of the job to be familiar with WOW.

    Or to look at it another way if you've just had a baby, you might be a bit tired, but there's no way you'd be able to get away with that as a reason for rejecting a candidate.




  • ryohazuki1983 #14 3 years ago

    Christ, people actually put WoW on their CV.

    Crazy. What's next people putting football management games on CV. "management experience"

  • kangarootoo #15 3 years ago

    If you were trying to get a job in the games industry it might be something to put down, but for any other job I am surprised anyone feels the need to be that specific.

    What is wrong with just sticking "video games" in amongst the reading and swimming. Do people also put Terry Pratchett and the butterfly stroke in their list of hobbies?

  • agparrot #16 3 years ago

    Surely this 'not hiring WoWers' could be just as easily applied to any gamer, though?

    I have had Videogaming as a Hobby on my CV since... well, for a long time - approaching twenty years, all told, and although it has raised some eyebrows at some interviews, generally I've been able to make a case for it when the sceptical interviewers inevitably ask about it. It is a hobby, after all, that can be said to help with problem solving, pattern analysis, and all kinds of other finicky mental trickery.

    In this more modern age of online gaming, there is certainly a case to be made for the social and teamwork skills that gaming can now help to improve. I'm trying to look beyond the generalisations of sweary, overexcitable teenagers who, naturally, still do populate places like Xbox Live and, in fairness, there is likely to be a group of sleep-deprived WoW and other MMO playing gamers who probably do put the game before their work.

    To suggest that all players are like this, however, is a rank piece of discrimination, but not one that would prevent me including gaming as a hobby on my CV in every case, but possibly one that would make me think twice about mentioning it every time.

  • BeachGaara #17 3 years ago

    It is discrimination, no two ways about it. Of course they will just never ever say thats why they didn't hire you. They just say you didn't meet the criteria of the job or whatever.

  • 4thVariety #18 3 years ago

    "Good day Sir, I am a binge drinking, wife beating smack addict who occasionally enjoys picking up blind dates at gay bars to date-rape them. I also play WoW."

    Employer: "I see you don't smoke, so if you could sign this written statement to cancel your account, we'd like to welcome you on our team. Your cubicle will be next to Smith's, please try not to mention the words "8/10" around him.

  • gallow #19 3 years ago

    'saying that employers think WOW players are too sleep-deprived and distracted to be effective in the workplace. ' Better filter out people with babies and young children too then.

  • levitate #20 3 years ago

    This was the sadest and silliest thing I've read in a while. I play WoW and I'm pretty sure it doesn't affect my life that much.

  • Canyarion #21 3 years ago

    Hah.

    I guess I have the best situation: I quit WoW, but I did lead raids etc. So I have the experience, but not the addiction.
    By the way, I'm not putting my WoW past on my CV. I don't think I learned that much from it, and I would be half emberrassed.

  • Markusdragon #22 3 years ago

    I think potential employers would be put off more by my history of mental health problems than by my three-month WoW addiction.

  • PlugMonkey #23 3 years ago

    While I wouldn't think twice about hiring someone who played MMO's, I have to say I probably wouldn't hire someone who was sufficiently addicted/deluded that they thought it made for a good CV inclusion.

    Which is what we're talking about here. There is a difference between liking a drink and putting one of your hobbies down as 'drinking'...

  • aldo_14 #24 3 years ago

    I used to sit next to a guy at work who played WoW a lot (many lunchtimes). He was one of those people that are iinfuriatingly good at their job. So, a rather stupid recruiting policy.

  • bigbadbeasty #25 3 years ago

    "There is a difference between liking a drink and putting one of your hobbies down as 'drinking'..."

    Yeah, we all know the CV word for drinking is 'Socializing' ;)

  • kangarootoo #26 3 years ago

    @PlugMonkey and bigbadbeasty

    +1

  • GrumpyLlama #27 3 years ago

    I have no problem with what people do in their spare time, but putting WOW on your CV or job application is asking for it to be chucked in the reject pile.

  • Madafunkola #28 3 years ago

    Thank god I'm only addicted to City of Heroes... and Crack





    down

  • IneptPercy #29 3 years ago

    No geeks in the office please...

  • lutas #30 3 years ago

    Did you 'borrow' all of your articles from kotaku today Eurogamer?

  • penhalion #31 3 years ago

    Not even slightly suprised, given the amount of WOW muppets who thought it was more important to get and play the latest expansion than to go to work and earn the money needed to play in the first place.

    You really don't want people like that working for you. they are quite simply unreliable.

  • Setaro #32 3 years ago

    "While I wouldn't think twice about hiring someone who played MMO's, I have to say I probably wouldn't hire someone who was sufficiently addicted/deluded that they thought it made for a good CV inclusion. "

    Efuckingxactly. Tards ain't gonna be coming out their basements for no job interviews anyway.

    Yes, I play WoW.
    No, I ain't putting it on my fucking CV.

    Not because it's seen as 'nerdy' or whatever, just because it has no value whatsoever and including it makes you look like a dumb shit who can't write an apt C.V.

  • MaxiSleep #33 3 years ago

    Does inscription give a bonus on cv's?

  • teabagger #34 3 years ago

    Anyone struggling to fill their CV to the point of putting down WOW is probably not going to be a great candidate anyway.

    (edit)

    ...as everyone has already pointed out.
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/08 @ 13:14

  • kangarootoo #35 3 years ago

    @BuckoA51

    Did you put that on your cv? ;)

  • jim1975 #36 3 years ago

    thats why i never got that job then.maybe i shouldnt of put my smack and wanking addiction on my CV either

  • oreillymj #37 3 years ago

    Hobbies: Got to 10th Prestige in Call Of Duty 4 using just the knife and sniper rifle.

    Welcome to McDonalds.
    Your hired \0/

  • TelexStar #38 3 years ago

    Good. Get this trash out of our offices and onto the dole where they belong!!

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #39 3 years ago

    It's 50/50 for me: yes it's a hobby but what they expecting the employer to say? 'OMG he's done Naxx! Lets hire him!'

    Guild membership 'CV's != RL CVs

  • zootle #40 3 years ago

    Yeah, I'm going to tell the recruitment agency not to send me any CVs from football fans because they're all a bunch of fucking violent racist wankers. See, it's pretty much a comparable sweeping generalisation. No one would accept that.

    I've always been somewhat mystified that convention states that you should put hobbies and outside interests on your CV. As long as people turn up on time, put the hours in and do their job, what they do in the off hours isn't my business.

  • CaLeDee #41 3 years ago

    Only a very specific group of employers will even know what WoW is. It's hardly a widespread problem, so.. no big deal.

  • T4RG4 #42 3 years ago

    I've asked recruiters if people play specific (often WoW) games before. Having said that if we were making a MMO I'd probably ask for people with relevent experience ;) Swings and roundabouts.

    If someone needs to make a big deal out of WoW and their accomplishments within said game on their CV... well, I dont think the interview would go all that well. Its obvious to most people.

    I've also seen a lot of stuff on CVs which is, IMO, a waste of time (like bloody first aid courses). When you have enough experience to fill out your CV, start cutting the weak stuff you used to pad it out in the first place. Not enough people update their CV.

  • urban #43 3 years ago

    quite right.

  • orakio #44 3 years ago

    It all depends for which job you need the Guy/Gal, and how well you can and may monitor their daily activities. Playing MMO's and leading guilds can improve your competence, but you have to focus on the job when you're there, simple as that. I find that any employee -working- 6 out of 8 hours has done a good job. If 3 of those 6 are wasted on forum browsing and planning guild activities however... well, you get the point.

  • kangarootoo #45 3 years ago

    "Yeah, I'm going to tell the recruitment agency not to send me any CVs from football fans because they're all a bunch of fucking violent racist wankers. See, it's pretty much a comparable sweeping generalisation. No one would accept that."

    I'd accept it.

    JOKE. Joke.


    "I've always been somewhat mystified that convention states that you should put hobbies and outside interests on your CV. As long as people turn up on time, put the hours in and do their job, what they do in the off hours isn't my business."

    I think it is two pronged. Sometimes its just so people have stuff to fill out 2 sparse sides of A4 with :)

    More importantly though, a list of hobbies can be an insight into someone's personal motivation and general intellect. If you can see that they get out of bed, get out there and actually DO shit that takes a bit of effort... well that can inform you as to whether they are the sort of person to use their initiative and go the extra mile and all sorts of cliches like that.

    If of course you are happy to have a workforce filled with people who do nothing more that turn up on time, put the hours in and piss off home... its probably not so much of interest ;)

  • gaselite #46 3 years ago

    That is fantastic, good on them.

  • kangarootoo #47 3 years ago

    "I've also seen a lot of stuff on CVs which is, IMO, a waste of time (like bloody first aid courses)."

    Haha. I can only guess, but I am thinking you have never managed a building or large team. Buildings over a certain size have to have a first aider by law (sometimes per floor).

    Knowing that a potential recruit already has the qualification (meaning you don't need to pay for someone to get trained) is surely of more value than knowing what they got in their GCSEs?

    Now if the first aid course was shit, or it was 15 years ago and long forgotten (first aid courses expire, so sticking one on your CV when it was 15 years ago is a bit daft) then of course it is of little value. But maybe that could be a discussion point during interview (which is also where an interesting and varied list of hobbies can come in handy for both parties).

  • Sycopat #48 3 years ago

    A lot of big companies like having first aiders around, not to mentio in some industries, Emergency response teams,

    Training is always good when it's relevant to the industry or the image the particular company wants to portray. A company which wants to appear "caring" or "employee friendly" would relish such extra ability, even if it does nothing tocompliment the particular role.

    As a hobby,videogames should not be mentioned in any more detail than "videogames", only in the hobby's section and as part of a list. A list which is preferablyoffset from complete nerdiness by the inclusion of some sports, even if you only play five a side once a fortnight with a few mates. From one point of view it's good to have hobbies. No employer wants an employee who's obviously more focused on their hobbies than their job though, the sort of person whomentions wow experience on a CV as a positive is exactly this type of person.

    It is discrimination, but it's never going to go away because it makes good business sense.

  • hbunny #49 3 years ago

    Who puts WoW on their CV? How do recruiters find out you're a WoW player? Sounds like a crock of shit to me.

    I can see it being relevent if you're applying for a position in the games industry (QA, testing, ...).

    I've just read some people saying they have received CVs with WoW on it. Sad, but not too surprising. There's so much good info on how to write a CV, but very few people seem to follow it.
    Edited by 1 at 17/12/08 @ 15:35

  • Gaol #50 3 years ago

    "As a hobby,videogames should not be mentioned in any more detail than "videogames", only in the hobby's section and as part of a list."

    It's better left out altogether for most industries imo.

    In fact, 'hobbies and pastime' always provokes people to list all sorts of cliched shit, you're better dropping the section and replacing it with a 'personal summary' of what they want. Avoid specifics. If you're a father mention how you're a devoted parent, if you're a mother instead mention how dedicated to your career you are. It's all bullshit.

  • adam82 #51 3 years ago

    i work with WOW players an i wouldn't feel good having any of them working for me

  • Canyarion #52 3 years ago

    Should my CV show the time (counted in days) I put in WoW, to ensure them of my determination for something??

    ;-)

  • butler` #53 3 years ago

    rofl

    It's true though.

  • EraSerX #54 3 years ago

    I wouldn't hire any alliance players.. for the horde!

  • Doctor_What #55 3 years ago

    "If you're a father mention how you're a devoted parent,"

    Don't try getting a job with EA with that on your CV, or in the games industry generally. No-one wants to feel guilty when they're asking you to do overtime, so they wouldn't even interview you.

    I've generally had very good responses to listing favourite films, music, and games on my CV, but then I do work in the games industry! Most interviewers have been surprised that other people *didn't* put always that kind of thing on an industry CV, especially the list of favourite games.

    On topic: Isn't it odd, a person with a gym membership might go there once every few weeks and probably isn't actually very healthy overall and often has a negative self-image, but that's looked at as a positive thing on a CV. Gaming might be a social hobby (although SingStar is considered anti-social by my neighbours for some reason) that people do regularly but is considered a bad thing.

  • Merlinho #56 3 years ago

    WoW is my CV...but only because I used to work for them.

    Does this mean I now need to delete one of my only two full time professional jobs on there?

  • Discalceaterabbit #57 3 years ago

    I had video games on my CV for years, more often it being a plus point than a negative point. But then, I work in a field where an above average knowledge of how to use computers is pretty handy, and thats the angle I used during interviews.
    I was offered about 75% of the jobs I went for (Still, I also had charity work and marathon running down as well, which probably helped.)

  • paralipsis #58 3 years ago

    Firstly, this is not the kind of discrimination to get upset about. Unlike race, gender or sexual preference, playing a game is a choice, and therefore if you want a job that demands that you don't play WoW, then you simply don't play it.

    Secondly, just because one can think of many highly functional WoW players, it doesn't mean that WoW is not an overall negative influence on work performance when measured across larger population groups. There are many high functioning alcoholics, but I don't think many people would be too keen on hiring them in the full knowledge of their problem.

    At this point everyone is relying on anecdotes to determine if playing WoW is good or bad for work performance, but that doesn't mean it's justified in repeating the error

  • xAx #59 3 years ago

    My friend used leading 25 man raids as an example of leadership when he applied to be a team leader at his job.

    It pains me to say that he got the job.

  • spammage #60 3 years ago

    I'm currently recruiting Playstation Home users, if and when they can connect they have very little to do outside of work.....

  • BlackKraken #61 3 years ago

    The only thing employers seem to give a toss about having on a CV at the moment is previous work experience.

    Ive not got a job when i came out of uni because the other guy had previous work experience.

    At McDonald's.

  • Canyarion #62 3 years ago

    @paralipsis "playing a game is a choice"

    Religion is a choice too, but I'd hate to miss a job because they didn't want me to believe in God.
    As long as it doesn't affect the quality of your work, it's discrimination in my book.

  • FortysixterUK #63 3 years ago

    Anyone who agrees that this is correct is a total pratt. ( Looking at some of the early posts on this forum article I am being very polite here )
    Having said that....
    Anyone who plays wow to such an extreme where it affects their real life is a total pratt.

    How on earth would anyone find out you play wow unless you tell them anyway?

    It's just possible I contradicted myself a few times then......

  • _LarZen_ #64 3 years ago

    The stupidity of humans never stops to amaze me...

  • Slipstream #65 3 years ago

    Funny issue, but very OTT.

  • TsunamiRR #66 3 years ago

    absurd

  • Genji #67 3 years ago

    If someone is silly enough to put "regular WOW playing" on their CV, then the employer has every right to reject them.

    It's like saying "I enjoy spending time at the casino", or "I like getting shitfaced and sleeping in the next morning". You probably don't do those things *all the time*, but even seeing them would send off alarm bells if I was an employer. Of course, WOW isn't nearly as bad as that, but it is addictive - this is quite well-known. Even if you don't play it all that much, the fact that you are putting it on your CV indicates that it is more than just a casual, passing interest.

    Of course, other games can be just as addictive. WOW, though, has the added disadvantage of being high-profile.
    Edited by 2 at 18/12/08 @ 07:11

  • Ceatlan #68 3 years ago

    Speaking as some one that has to sift through hundreds of CV's several times a year when doing recruiting, I can honestly say that during the first stage of the process where you are trying to whittle down hundreds into a more meaningful bunch of 10 or 20 that you can peruse in more detail before decide on the 5 or 6 that get interviewed, you can be extremely flippant about the reasons for discarding someones CV to the waste pile. It doesn't surprise me that some people use something like a statement indicating a WOW player as a reason to ditch the CV, initially you just have to use some fairly arbitary criteria to get the pile down to something manageable enough to actually pay much attention to.

    I'd also warn people against putting anything too discriminating on social networking sites like Facebook and My Space, since if pages on those sites can be easily linked to the details in a CV, then it is becoming more common practice to use the information contained there as well as the information in the CV to build up an overall picture of the candidate.
    Edited by 1 at 18/12/08 @ 10:14

  • kangarootoo #69 3 years ago

    @BlackKraken

    But then you were applying for a job in Burger King at the time ;)

    Only kidding, the joke was asking to be made, hope you find something soon.

  • JahB #70 3 years ago

    Playing MMO's and leading guilds can improve your competence

    of course it can. and i'm fully qualified to work as combat advisor for the army, cause i played cod 1-4.

  • Gargant #71 3 years ago

    Well, it's a little bit discriminating, but I can't say I don't understand them.
    Because I have a friend who is sleep-deprived, distracted and even neglecting his girlfriend just to play WoW.

  • ExplodingClown #72 3 years ago

    Bloody discrimination! Next you'll be telling me it's a bad thing to have 'compulsive masturbator' or 'fursuit enthusiast' on your job applications.