In an interview with CNN, Stephen Gilett, the CEO of Symantec, amazes with an unusual statement in the business world. In his job application, he naturally included his World of Warcraft character as part of his professional achievements.
According to Gilett, he attached his achievements in the virtual world of Azeroth to the application documents, which helped him secure a steep career. This is not just about role-playing games; for a successful WoW career as a guild leader, several skills are required that are also needed in high-paying managerial jobs.
As the leader of a successful guild, he demonstrated virtual leadership skills. It also shows that he can understand the current enthusiasm of society for the struggle for points.
Guild Master organizes, manages, and recruits – experiences are transferable
As a guild leader, he organized raids, kept an eye on the guild bank, and demonstrated a knack for spotting and recruiting promising talents. Even though this does not involve young applicants, but rather mages and warlocks.
Of course, there are some interviewers, Gilett continued, who rolled their eyes and asked when viewing his WoW characters in the application documents, “What the hell is that?” But some also said, “That’s exactly what we’re looking for.”
Learning from World of Warcraft means learning to win?
This unusual part of his resume has brought Gilett a job at Corbis, a digital media company, and later at the coffee giant Starbucks. Here, it was Gilett’s experience with the reward system of World of Warcraft that inspired the “Starbucks Reward” system, a form of loyalty program.
Now at Symantec, the company behind the Norton antivirus program, Gilett believes that “gamification” can also be applied to business.
