How to Put D&D On Your Resume
As folks emerge from isolation and get back to work, a lot of folks are wondering how to make the time they spent playing D&D in quarantine look productive.
In this week's episode we cover how to put Dungeons & Dragons on your resume, but discuss the more important question - should you?
Should You Put D&D On Your Resume?
TL;DR - no, you shouldn’t put D&D on your resume in most circumstances. In the rare times you would add it, it should relate directly and provide value to the role. Remember, a resume is a foot in the door to get an interview so it must be concise!
Look - we get it. Nerd culture is chic right now thanks to mainstream hits like Stranger Things and Critical Role. Now that it’s finally cool to fly nerd colors, we want to show them everywhere - including to our prospective employers.
But coming from Erik, an actual hiring manager, putting D&D on your resume is more likely to hurt you than help you in most situations.
When to Put D&D On Your Resume
You’ve ignored the elves’ unguarded advice and elected to put D&D on your resume. In what circumstances would this help your chances to land the interview?
If you’re in the creative space, for example, and create stellar D&D content, including a selection of the best in your portfolio could be a good fit.
This mainly applies to artists, but copywriters, experiential marketers, costume makers, podcasters, voice actors, and other relatable jobs can wedge some D&D onto their character sheet.
If you’re applying to work at a game or hobby store, having in-depth product knowledge will most certainly help you match customers to the right products. You could even use your experience as a DM to help lead community events to grow the role over time - that’s providing real value!
I include Plus One to Gaming because I built it using the skills I list on my resume. In this sense, regardless of the content, I can show my ability to potential employers while also sharing a bit of my personality in an authentic way.
But I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t stand behind my work and didn’t have other ways to support the skills and experience on my resume.
What to Put On Your Resume
The final maze to navigate in this labyrinth is what from D&D should you put on your resume? If you’re a casual player or DM, there’s not much for you here aside from fluff like “collaborative problem-solving”, “creative conflict resolution”, or “team management.” Best to leave it off!
However, if you’re in the creative space, linking to a focused selection of your portfolio makes sense. Creative hiring managers do like to understand your creative process, so having that in your portfolio (not your resume!) is helpful.
If you’re shooting for a role that requires product knowledge, simply stating your experience with the product is enough. This can be measured in time or depth - whichever looks best on your sheet.
Again, we can’t reiterate enough that brevity is key. Every pixel is precious on your resume, so if you’re adding elements from roleplaying games make sure it’s in the spirit of communicating value to your potential employer.
