I've been self employed as a musician and playing poker sinc

I've been self employed as a musician and playing poker since college. How do I handle this in a resume?

I dropped out of college in my junior year, ten years ago, and started making a living as a musician. After a couple of years i moved on to online poker and have done that since. Luck has run out and I'm in the market for a regular job. How should I incorporate this in to my resume? I've seen people suggest not addressing these jobs, but that would leave me with no employment history since a summer job in 1998. Any ideas are greatly appreciated. I also have extensive knowledge of food, wine and beer, but have no formal education on any of them. How should I make mention of this knowledge?

Best Answer

Leaving your poker career off of your resume would be a big mistake. Having your resume say you did nothing for that amount of time would be much worse, even if your potential employer is not a poker fan. And if you happen to interview with a poker player, he'll likely be quite impressed that you were able to make a living doing it.

I would try to focus on the skills and abilities you developed as a poker player like self discipline, quick thinking, decisiveness, self motivation (your ability to work independently and stay focused on task), mathematical acuity, etc.

In your cover letter I would spend a little bit of time "selling" what a challenging and rewarding career playing poker was, then go on to explain why you've chosen to seek a new career without being too negative. In other words, don't say you can't beat the games anymore or that it's too frustrating, say stuff like you're "looking for a new challenge" or "moving into a new stage of your life where poker is not an ideal career."

I would look for a resume writing workshop to help you out further if you're having trouble. If they have a community center or community college in your area, they may have some for free or cheap. Good luck.