Ask Papabear: will being a furry hurt my chances of employment?
Hi, Papabear,
I’ve been a furry for a decade, spanning back through my high school years — and left a large online footprint. I’ve tried to reduce it a bit, but everything is forever on the Internet. Entering the job market, I’m concerned about prospective employers being able to link me with my furry identity, or folks being able to link vice-versa.
My question to you is: Does it matter? Do people actively search for people’s backgrounds and would my furry identity matter to them? What do furries who have careers do regarding their two identities?
Thanks,
John “Deer” Doe
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Hi, John “Deer” Doe,
What an outstanding and highly relevant question for the “Ask Papabear” column! Thank you for sending it.
Background checks by companies for potential employees have been around for a long time. They are especially important when it comes to government employees, any job that deals with working with children, or jobs that involve highly sensitive information. Companies conduct background checks to protect themselves and their clients, as well as other employees.
In the past, background checks traditionally focused on whether or not a job applicant had a criminal record. Additional focus in recent years has been paid to applicants who have any record of child abuse, or with links to organizations or people associated with terrorist groups.
There are companies that can be hired to provide background checks to employers. The Internet, as you note, has also become a resource that employers sometimes check on their own, and, yes, social networks are increasingly coming under scrutiny.
Here’s a good link about the things employers often check and what some of your basic rights are: http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs16-bck.htm. And this article from ABC News is about employers checking social network sites: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/job-tweets-background-checks-employers-now-include-postings/story?id=13908874#.T0B0zvEgdNs.
Now, John, your question is particularly intriguing because it involves your having, in essence, an alias; that is, your fursona. My first questions to you, then, would be if there is any way that your real identity is easily linked to your fursona? For example, if someone googled your name, would they easily find web pages about your furry activities?
If not, then it is highly unlikely that an employer will find out you are a furry. Their main interests will be a criminal, financial, employment, and educational background check. They will check your resume to see if it is factual, and call your references to see if you are being truthful about your experience and education. They will also probably google you on the Internet, and they could possibly check social network sites, especially Facebook and Twitter.
Most people out there have no knowledge of the furry community and would not even think to check this unless it popped up for some reason on a routine search under your real name.
On the other hand, if your name does pop up in association with your fursona, things might get a little dicey. As we all know, people outside the community often judge furries based on the furry porn that is out there; and, whether or not you post such material yourself, there is guilt by association. This is particularly a problem if there is any “baby fur” porn. That, I believe, would send up an immediate red flag to any potential employer and you would not get hired . . . or worse!
I don’t think the above scenario is very likely, however. Most routine checks will not be so thorough (and, of course, never volunteer such information); if you are not applying for a position that involves working with children, the disabled, or the elderly, or with a government agency or a large corporation with lots of proprietary information they wish to keep secret, you probably have nothing to worry about.
As for what professional furries do about their dual identities, I can tell you that I, for one, have had no problem with it, but that’s just me. If anyone out there reading the “Ask Papabear” column would like to share their experiences involving being a furry working in a non-furry environment, please share them by posting a comment using the form below. Thanks.
Good luck on your job search, John!
Hugs,
Papabear
Disclaimer
Opinions and advice expressed in the “Ask Papabear” column are not necessarily those of the Furry News Network, its staff, sponsors, or advertisers. Papabear is not a trained therapist, physician, or social worker, and the author of “Ask Papabear” will refer readers to licensed professionals in cases where such recommendations seem in order.
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I would suggest keeping your fursona name and real name separate. I’ve only recently started merging the two together and already I’m getting questioned. But that’s from my personal life, as for my profession I’ve had no squabbles about it. But my fb at the time didn’t have anything furry on it. I guess I’d say play it safe for now, a lot of people are still confused about furries and just plain yiff.
i know one fur who even uses her fursuit with her job! i imagine itd be prety sweet for an employer to let you do that :3
I have a friend who is allowed to suit up at the office. Indeed, his colleagues think it’s a hoot. On the other hand, he can’t fursuit at home because his wife is actually less accepting of furries than his coworkers!
I’ve had my real life identity and my furry activities linked since the
start – to the extent that if you search for “furry” on LinkedIn, I come
up. To be fair, I haven’t gone on many job searches. However, I like to
think that my experience running several websites (on a technical and
organizational basis) would be viewed as a positive.
at my last job, a friend and co-worker of mine revealed she knew what a furry was. although she called us “furriers” lol. fortunately, she was not a gabber, and was cool with it when i told her i was one. however, that was my own choice, as i was careful who i told in the first place. know the persona before the fursona!!!
Why would “baby fur” porn be an issue? As no real children are depicted, it would be protected under First Amendment rights for Americans. I’m not saying they wouldn’t make judgements, but “not hiring” you specifically for that seems like descrimination, and you could file suit appropriately.
Of course, they could not hire you for that and claim it was for other reasons…but you surely wouldn’t get in legal trouble (I’m assuming you implied this by saying ‘or worse!’ ).
I’m assuming baby fur means cub, and that is illegal if it deemed obscene.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoon_child_pornography#United_States
oh, okay, guess it IS illegal.
While I do believe that fictional portrayals of underage sex are protected (I think it is still being argued in courts), the problem is that an employer, upon seeing that on your FB page or other site, will immediately see you as a pedophile and you will lose the job, period.
Well, I think that keeping identities separate is a lil’ more tricky than a couple years ago. The number of social networking sites that allow you to register and keep accounts using pseudonyms is very limiting. If Google+ finds out I’m using a fake name, I’ll have to kiss my account good-bye. Using a “real fake” name, that is, a name that may exist but isn’t mine, rises the concern of having an unknowing third party getting linked with the furry fandom, which is the problem we’re facing.
The only reliable option here is twitter, but it’s so overpopulated with spambots and such, that it’s an unattractive option. Also, Google does seem inviting for conversation, more than twitter.
Anyway, another problem I have with Google is their algorythm to check if you know other people. It’s inaccurate to give you relevant suggestions, but it’s damn good at uncovering your other identities to people you do know.
dear papabear people have been attacking me with wepons, they have been steeling hurting my family just because im a furry im scarred to go outside without people attacking me and the police dont care there just are a bunch of ignorent jerks my girlfriend my family and other furries are the only one who like/love me still i dont know what to do i need your help
I’ve had my Furry activities listed on my resume for more than a decade (caveat: my Furry activities are relevant to my professional skill set) with no problem whatsoever. Most employers are more interested in whether you can get the job done rather than whether you like to dress up as a kittykat on the weekends.
I have no problem being open and honest about my association with Furry fandom. In fact, the only way it would ever become a problem is if it were something I tried to hide.
I too have had furry-related stuff on my resume for over a decade, and employers really don’t care. Employers are more interested in whether you can do the job, and keep the job.