As students at UF, we understand how important it is to have a resume that showcases our talents and abilities. Almost every job we apply for is highly competitive, so we need to make ourselves stand out. Despite that, some of us have experience that will never be on our resumes.
These skills that we develop can come from odd places. For example, the administrator of a Facebook fan page dedicated to a character in a video game learns public relations while dealing with fans. One of the largest pages in this category is about “Metagross,” a Pokémon species. That page has more than 36,000 fans. Other pages for games with a smaller fan base — such as games from the Fire Emblem series — have more than 3,000 fans.
By and large, though, I don’t think most people would list “Facebook Page Admin” as part of their job experience. They may have learned things and grown as a person because of them, but there seems to be a stigma about listing the job.
Personally, I also have this problem. I am a global moderator on a forum in which members role play a text-based Pokémon adventure in a fan-designed and fan-updated world. In addition to the responsibilities that go with that — we only have four global mods — I also publish the site’s newsletter, which has in-game event information and is also used to advertise the site via Tumblr and sometimes Twitter.
As a result of my time on this site, I have learned and improved a multitude of skills. I work with computer graphics, juggle the recruiting of site volunteers and improve my debate skills through discussion with other players. I’ve learned how to act professionally while monitoring the site and enforcing rules, fuel creativity while introducing new quests for players and enhance my own public relations skills when creating prizes for members. All of this while attending class, working on assignments and writing for the Alligator.
Despite learning and growing from all of this, I am not about to list “Global Moderator at Pokémon site” on my resume. I think part of it is that despite having to be extremely professional in that world, when it comes to the “real world,” it does not have that professional air about it.
I have to believe that I am not the only one who has encountered this situation. I would argue that these invisible experiences make us more rounded and valuable individuals and potential employees than someone who has similar experience and grades but has never ventured farther into the Internet than social media.
I may not inform a potential employer that I spend most of my free time working for a fan website, but I know the things I have learned will make me a better worker, even if it has nothing to do with the job I am seeking.
Logan Ladnyk is a UF journalism junior. His columns appear Tuesdays.
