Intrade as a "hobby" in interest section? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Or is it too much like gambling?

I have a keen interest in current events, and I am a top user of Intrade, an Iceland-based platform that makes $ "bets" on the outcome of current events, but you can also use non-money bets. I follow politics quite closely, so I put this knowledge to work predicting the winners of caucuses and primaries and the outcome of Supreme Court cases. I am actually quite successful, with rare exceptions (I did not expect Rick Santorum to win Mississippi and Alabama during the GOP primary).

This is one of my hobbies. Is it unacceptable to put this on a resume?

Another thing I do for fun is called "swing trading" which uses an online brokerage but is somewhat similar to Intrade in that the purpose is to "trade the news cycle" using stocks with historically low beta (variability) - which means they are more often affected by external events, like bailouts in Greece or the Supreme Court's Obamacare ruling, than manipulation by hedge funds (a great reason to stay away from pink sheets). How about this?

[Systematic1]

1-800-522-4700

[HuskyHopeful]

I dont even know how I feel about an interest section, how can you fit everything on one page and still have room for intrests?

[Anonymous User]

1-800-522-4700

I don't see how it's any more gambling than day trading. It's actually a lot safer because you are not vulnerable to being screwed by hedge funds manipulating the market by short-selling and strategic dumping.

[kalvano]

OP, it doesn't sound terrible to me, but if you have to ask because you're unsure, then perhaps it's best to leave it off.

how can you fit everything on one page and still have room for intrests?

Pure talent.

[Anonymous User]

OP this is real simple:

Did you short the Mandate to be ruled unconstitutional (it was 75% for the law to be struck down 24 hours before the decision).

If you called that correct --> put it on resume

If not--> hold off.

[Anonymous User]

OP this is real simple:

Did you short the Mandate to be ruled unconstitutional (it was 75% for the law to be struck down 24 hours before the decision).

If you called that correct --> put it on resume

If not--> hold off.

In fact, yes. But, like many others, I thought it would be upheld under the commerce power with Justice Kennedy joining the liberals (which didn't matter for intrade purposes).

[txsunshine]

actually, i think it would be an interesting topic of conversation during an interview. i just became familiar with intrade when an attorney in chambers brought up the probability of condi rice as romney's vp candidate and used her trading rate as support for his argument that she was a no-go.

[yuzu]

Some people have claimed it is illegal for US residents to fund Intrade accounts; that's the only negative I can think of. I don't think many would perceive it negatively though.

BTW, Intrade is based in Ireland, not Iceland.

[20130312]

Some people have claimed it is illegal for US residents to fund Intrade accounts

Yeah, I had thought this was the case?

[Anonymous User]

I'm in a similar situation, it seems risky to me, but I'd kill for an interesting thing to talk about during OCI. I'm thinking it's a bad idea to have it down on paper but worthwhile to mention casually as a hobby if asked for what you like to do in your free time. Im guessing a significant portion of interviewers would find it interesting. It's more respectable than Internet poker, but still a legal grey area.

By the way, shorting Rubio, condi and Ryan is guaranteed 20% return over the next 30 days.

[Anonymous User]

I'm in a similar situation, it seems risky to me, but I'd kill for an interesting thing to talk about during OCI. I'm thinking it's a bad idea to have it down on paper but worthwhile to mention casually as a hobby if asked for what you like to do in your free time. Im guessing a significant portion of interviewers would find it interesting. It's more respectable than Internet poker, but still a legal grey area.

By the way, shorting Rubio, condi and Ryan is guaranteed 20% return over the next 30 days.

Not sure about Ryan or Rice. But I can guarantee that, despite what they say, Rubio will not be VP.

No one wants a VP pick with so many controversial statements and lies about his background. Ryan is unlikely too for some of these reasons. Condi is not so out of the question that I would put money on her one way or the other. If I were Romney, she is exactly whom I would pick - for many reasons (move to the center, minority vote, the female vote, remedy his foreign policy weaknesses, remedy his rich privileged guy image).

[Perseus_I]

I'm in a similar situation, it seems risky to me, but I'd kill for an interesting thing to talk about during OCI. I'm thinking it's a bad idea to have it down on paper but worthwhile to mention casually as a hobby if asked for what you like to do in your free time. Im guessing a significant portion of interviewers would find it interesting. It's more respectable than Internet poker, but still a legal grey area.

By the way, shorting Rubio, condi and Ryan is guaranteed 20% return over the next 30 days.

Not sure about Ryan or Rice. But I can guarantee that, despite what they say, Rubio will not be VP.

No one wants a VP pick with so many controversial statements and lies about his background. Ryan is unlikely too for some of these reasons. Condi is not so out of the question that I would put money on her one way or the other. If I were Romney, she is exactly whom I would pick - for many reasons (move to the center, minority vote, the female vote, remedy his foreign policy weaknesses, remedy his rich privileged guy image).

This is me. ^

[Bildungsroman]

1-800-522-4700

I dont even know how I feel about an interest section, how can you fit everything on one page and still have room for intrests?

Some people have claimed it is illegal for US residents to fund Intrade accounts

Yeah, I had thought this was the case?

Bad 0Ls. Out of the legal employment forum.

[notedgarfigaro]

I dont even know how I feel about an interest section, how can you fit everything on one page and still have room for intrests?

read this thread, and realize that maybe 10% of law students actually have enough relevant WE that a 2 line interest section would put them over 1 page (and that's a generous estimate).

[Bronte]

I dont even know how I feel about an interest section, how can you fit everything on one page and still have room for intrests?

read this thread, and realize that maybe 10% of law students actually have enough relevant WE that a 2 line interest section would put them over 1 page (and that's a generous estimate).

Most law students are the kind of strivers that could fill a twenty page resume with bullshit.

[Morgan12Oak]

You can put it, but you run the risk of people who don't know what intrade is thinking that it is trading equities.

I've heard of people getting dinged at firms because they put "investing in the stock market" or "trading" on their interests. One firm that gave me an offer explicitly told me that while that's great that I have that interest, it worried them.

[Anonymous User]

I have playing in the world series of poker on my resume and it gets brought up in every interview and goes over well. It's all about spinning it as relevant and makes you more memorable to the interviewers

[Morgan12Oak]

I have playing in the world series of poker on my resume and it gets brought up in every interview and goes over well. It's all about spinning it as relevant and makes you more memorable to the interviewers

I agree with this. But there's certain hobbies that simply aren't very compatible with biglaw like being an active investor - since firms have securities clearance policies which can make it tough to be very active in trading.

I don't think its necessarily the fact that it's "gambling" that would be worrisome.

[LOLyer]

You need to get your rear in gear if you have space for an "interests" section on your resume at this point.

(trolling... kind of)

[Morgan12Oak]

Uhh no? For OCI its actually pretty credited to have an interest section. You'd be surprised how many people have awkward interviews turn into non-awkward interviews based on an interviewer asking about an interest someone has.

[loomstate]

slightly off topic, but how do you deposit money into intrade without a foreign bank account?

[Ozymandias]

You need to get your rear in gear if you have space for an "interests" section on your resume at this point.

(trolling... kind of)

This is a horrible post all around.