Gamers are problem solvers, expert communicators, effective teammates, and resilient competitors. They’ve spent hundreds of hours working through difficult challenges and can build strong social bonds with other players. Likewise, gamers who stream are organized, know how to present a strong brand, and offer extremely creative content for viewers.
However, many streamers ignore the valuable experience they’ve gained when applying for jobs. They don’t think employers will take it seriously, or don’t know how to transfer streaming experience into their resumes.
If you are a streamer looking to level up your stream and gain a one-up in your career, you must learn to transfer your streaming skills into professional contexts. This will improve the quality of your streaming broadcast and will help you land your next dream job.
Soft Skills
Video gaming helps you develop skills that employers love. However, you need to be savvy about the way you market your gaming experience, as gushing about your 150hr playtime in Halo won’t do you any favors — that’s where your streaming experience comes in.
Running a successful stream helps you professionalize your gaming experience as employers understand the analytics involved in streaming. They know what increased viewership does for a business and will be impressed by the engagement you can create. This means you can talk freely about the skills you’ve developed as a gamer. For example, if you’ve collaborated with other players on your stream, you can highlight this experience on your resume with an example like: “Collaborated with other streamers, resulting in a lasting viewership growth of 7%”.
By linking soft skills like collaboration with key statistics like increased viewership you show employers that you are a well-rounded, professional prospect who can add real value to the company’s bottom line.
Social Media Traffic
Social media is a great way to find an audience and grow your brand. However, simply posting your thoughts to Twitter won’t cut it. Instead, you need to think of your social media presence as an extension of your brand. That means you should be consistent in the tone, logos, graphics, and content that you put out across all social channels.
Gaining increased social media traffic also looks great on your resume. Digital marketing is among employers’ most desirable hard skills, so pointing to a successful social media campaign can make your resume stand out and help you land the job you’re applying for.
If you want to enter a creative industry, social media posts are a great place to test ideas and build a portfolio of work. You can easily put together graphics and short, well-edited, highlights from your streams. This will give you a chance to show off your stream to a wide audience and will help you gather even more professional experience.
Network
No stream is an island. Your stream is part of a wider web of content creators who are all looking to increase viewership. As a streamer, this means you should collaborate with other creators who play the same games to grow your stream.
If you’re skeptical of networking’s value, just take a look at your favorite streamer’s channel. It is extremely unlikely that they are playing alone. Instead, they are talking with other streamers and working together to highlight and grow each other’s channels. This collaborative approach helps you build a well-rounded stream and can improve your overall viewership.
Networking as a streamer also builds important professional skills which you can utilize in the workplace. At some point during your career, you will likely need help from someone in your company or industry. Drawing from your streaming experience, you’ll already know that the best way to network is to offer a service before you ask for anything in return. So, while you’re building your stream make sure you get comfortable networking as it will give you useful experience in professional contexts.
Sponsorships
Sponsorships transform streaming from a hobby into a reputable source of income and professional experience. Sponsors are always on the lookout for new and growing channels that consistently post high-quality content.
To land your first sponsorship, you’ll need to show potential partners that you are worth the investment. This means your channel should be well organized, your streams should start on time, and your content should appeal to a wide audience. If you’re streaming on Twitch, make sure that you are utilizing loyalty badges and cheermotes, as these show sponsors that your following is engaging well with your content.
After you’ve secured a sponsor, you need to make sure that you direct traffic towards their web pages. The easiest way to do this is to embed links in sponsored content and regularly provide your audience with QR codes through which viewers can find your sponsor’s product/service.
Highlight any successful sponsorships on your resume and include statistics that clearly show the value you added to a company through their sponsorship. If you don’t have access to all the data, it’s worth asking the sponsoring company for some key insights like revenue generated, lead generation, and conversion rates. This will help you make objective statements on your resume and will further establish your credibility as an applicant.
By leveling up your gaming stream you can show employers and prospective partners impressive professional experience. Social media campaigns can be used to show off your creative skills, and viewership trends are a great way to highlight your analytical capabilities. There really is no reason to ignore your streaming experience — it might just land you a dream job.
