Staffing Do you put your rp experience on your professional resume?

[Kazetatsu 263]

I rather not mix rp/hobby life with my 'professional' life, because there's some stuff which I wouldn't want an employer to know. That said, if I have the freedom to be vague, I might consider mentioning skills, or experiences which came up because of such hobby.

[Lawman 88]

I wish I could, but where I come from creative writing generally isn't seen as a "marketable" skill, unless you have quantifiable factors - i.e. your fictional works have seen print and sold X number of copies, as a tangible indicator of success. So even I end up writing a web novel that is as popular as say, Worm - it's still not considered a marketable skill no matter how many likes/shares it gets on Facebook. (or Retweets for the Twitter folks) Sadly, in Singapore (or rather Asia as a whole really) e-fame is rarely taken seriously unless money is involved. 

[Elena 546]

3 hours ago, Lawman said:

I wish I could, but where I come from creative writing generally isn't seen as a "marketable" skill, unless you have quantifiable factors - i.e. your fictional works have seen print and sold X number of copies, as a tangible indicator of success. So even I end up writing a web novel that is as popular as say, Worm - it's still not considered a marketable skill no matter how many likes/shares it gets on Facebook. (or Retweets for the Twitter folks) Sadly, in Singapore (or rather Asia as a whole really) e-fame is rarely taken seriously unless money is involved. 

 

I don't see e-fame as a thing to put on your CV, Lawman! I see something else, from your experience as staff member:

- graphics and coding skills if you have any

- communication, management, marketing skills: working in a team, documentation and technical writing, creating and enforcing rules, managing a group of x people, public relations, mediation of conflicts among team members, members' motivation, deadline following, goal setting and meeting goals, decision making, coordinating events, multitasking, brainstorming themes for advertisements, etc.

 

I was asked for a recommendation for one of my former moderators, in order to get a job as an editor. My recommendation (sincere) sounded like this (a few details taken away) - as an example for those who don't think it possible:

 

I have known and admired D's writing for a few years, being together in the same writers' group since 2014. She made an important contribution to a group of about 15-20 writers by actively participating and, for about 2 years, being among the writing group management. Her explanations have helped me and other writers who don't have English as mother tongue. She has in depth knowledge of English grammar, a keen eye for details, enthusiasm for research. As a member of the writing group management, she showed organization skills, attention to deadlines, creativity and IT skills which improve a writer's and an editor's work.

 

I have read her novels, and I have enjoyed them, despite not being generally a fan of the genre she is writing in. The clear expression, the tight plot,  the pacing and especially the deep, multi-layered characters, have charmed me. 

 

In addition, she gave advice regarding various publishing aspects to several members interested in this, showing in depth knowledge of the publishing sector and of business etiquette.

 

With her relentless motivation and her knowledge of literature, grammar, creative writing and publishing business, D would bring a wealth of knowledge and skills to any editing/ writing/ publishing job. 

[Saskiah ECRP 5]

Personally I didn't put it on my resume but I did use my running of a site as experience to draw from in the interview, I told them about how it requires teamwork and coordination. With little work experience, taking responsibility in out of work hobbies is a good thing to draw from. They were very interested to see the things I could code too. I imagine if English is not your first language it would be a good way to get across your experience of writing in English too.

[clipsed 231]

Yeah no. I mean there are absolutely fields I would include it for if I were in them, but I teach high school. Including it would prompt too many questions and I just don't want that scrutiny in my life >.>

[jenneral_jennson 154]

6 minutes ago, clipsed said:

Yeah no. I mean there are absolutely fields I would include it for if I were in them, but I teach high school. Including it would prompt too many questions and I just don't want that scrutiny in my life >.>

 

I work at a school as an educator and they were delighted that I had this level of writing/group think experience. It only went as far as “I write collective fiction with friends online” a very basic explanation and that’s it. There was no extreme scrutiny about it.

[Sage 289]

I just want to add to this, because my current position has a lot of exposure to c-level executives of a lot of well known companies like Goldman Sachs, Adobe, Fidelity, Roto Rooter, etc., but collaborative writing of any sort actually has a lot of pull. If your writing is quality and you're willing to share it, or excerpts of it, with future employers, it's a real asset. I worked on a roundtable discussion for the magazine I'm working for right now, and the HR execs said this kind of information is extremely valuable in evaluating candidates and setting them apart. Employers today (especially if you're in tech and have any sort of writing experience) are really interested in your hobbies if you can mention them in a relevant way.

 

But I was talking with the HR c-level exec of a hiring app a few weeks ago about my work with online rp writing, and she suggested putting it into just a writing portfolio to include with my resume. Bonus points if you can actually link to the published post on the web. And she's worked with many high profile companies, and has said this would help me with anywhere I would choose to apply to in the future. It can just be a google doc of your best work if you're uncomfortable sharing the sites you write one. But it could be your make or break point of hiring in the future. Her best advice was "make your hobby work for you!" Because when you're not under deadline and you're writing what you want to write, even if it's risque, it's your best work and that's what employers will hire you for.

 

***I'm mostly drunk but the hiring exec I was just with was (mostly) not when we had this convo (it was after an event at a bar so take that as you will). She's my new mentor, so I will relay any  new info I have related to this as best I can. Because I want to make my rp employable xD

[MAD 40]

It all depends on the position I'm applying for. I tend to make new resumes for each, mainly focusing on things and experiences that have to do with that position. On those that have to do with web development or writing skills, I do mention it, though I might use different words to make it sound more official.