Put Raiding on Your CV
Note: This was originally posted via Blogger but I felt it was important enough to be put on this site as well. It is also worth noting that since writing this, two fellow raiders have brought up these points in interview and have been successful! I'll be revamping my own CV soon enough and raiding is going at the top of my hobbies/skills.
Be honest – do you fret about putting “World of Warcraft” as a hobby on your CV when applying for a new job? Do your work mates maybe not know that you’re missing the next office night out because Wednesday night is RAID NIGHT (and who goes out on a bloody Wednesday anyway)? Well, now it’s time to put that behind you and be proud of the life skills you can develop in gaming.
Those of us who are avid gamers know all about the negativity that is often associated with video gaming. We all remember #GamerGate, we’ve likely all had a parent, sibling, grandparent, friend, someone close to you asking why you spend so much time wrapped up in a game world, accusing us of being antisocial, addicted or obsessed. What do they know? They're not gamers themselves, they can't wrap their head around the wonderful, intricate, complex, expansive world of video gaming.
Gaming isn’t just escapism – it’s teaching us valuable skills without us even realising. I’m sure you’ve already heard that gamers are better problem solvers, right? At its base form, gaming also teaches us perseverance. What happens when your game character fails a mission or dies? You respawn and start over.
But let’s get to what you’re here for; why you should put raiding, specifically raiding on World of Warcraft, on your CV. I’m using World of Warcraft as the example because it is arguably the most popular game worldwide which features raiding and because I myself am a WoW raider (twice a week!). I’d imagine there are games which use similar team building and mechanics you can apply these points to, I just don’t know of them personally.
Anyway!
Raiding can be compared directly to every day workloads and each raiding role has a corresponding role in the workplace.
Raid Leaders; Management material
You have the ability to organise complex arrangements of 10-30 people (staff), point them toward a shared goal and motivate to beat targets and overcome obstacles. You can be firm but fair in managing raids, and we know you do research into boss mechanics and tactics to make sure your team knows what to do, and you know what each member of your team is capable of doing and you’re not afraid to give constructive criticism!
A Raid Leader knows how to organise, motivate and bring a team together to get the job done. These are skills you definitely want your employer aware of.
Though maybe turn down the swearing when dealing with your staff in the workplace… Come on, all our RL’s swear. Some maybe more than others, but still.
Tanks; Stamina and focus
This might be a little more metaphoric to tank characters than players but bear with me.
A tanking role in raiding is usually synergising with a 2nd tank and taking care of the biggest threat so the rest of their team aren’t overwhelmed/can carry out their roles. This means you can take on a large task with a weight of responsibility and work closely with another person to get it done.
DPS; Chipping away at the workload
DPS is the every day. It’s working in a team, taking instruction from the leaders, supporting the tanks, making sure you’re carrying your weight so the whole team can collectively reach the target. This may sound like an anti-climax after the comments on leaders and tanks but carrying your weight is equally as important. If you slack, someone else has to pick it up. You know this well, because you’re a raider and you’re part of an integral team.
Healers; Support, patience, tolerance, a willingness to help
Healers get a raw deal. Even the best healers will admit that they've been blamed over the tank for a wipe when tank was under geared/didn't know tactics. Healers literally keep us fighting. They'll continue to support the team, no matter how many times we stand in the fire, or run into that 1-shot mechanic. For a more straight forward role, healers pick up the slack, motivate the team to revitalize their motivation, pick us up, dust us off, and get us back on track. Workplace healers may find themselves leaning toward roles such as union reps, motivational speakers, or smaller, more supportive roles such as something of a go-between for covering absences, holidays etc.
They may not like the role but their supportive and caring nature puts others' needs before their own, often despite colleagues/team members telling them to take care of themselves more.
It could be that you’ve read through this and think I’m horribly naïve and under some illusion that all raid teams are well oiled machines. GOOD raid teams are machines. They’re effective teams. They complement and support one another to reach a shared target and that’s all an employer wants.
If you can't find your place in any of these scenarios, don't fret. If you understand everything that's been said, and can drop it into discussion at an interview, and debate your case, any employer would be impressed that you can break down any team into roles and understand what each role contributes.
