Your past coming back to haunt your job?

[lgliang]

Not sure if this is an art discussion or not but I figure it'd make more sense to post in the Lounge instead for casual discussion's sake.

So I've been recently laid off from my concept artist job and in my downtime, I figure I'd repolish what skill I haven't lost yet, pick up some commissions on the side and things like that when a topic I had with the project director rang in my head again.

If you made some not-so-right doodling choices in your younger years, would it affect your ability to get a creative job when you're older?


Let's just say when I was younger I had drawn and posted online rather adult if amateurish cartoon porn, the teenage hormones besting common sense right there. Though I had outgrown the pahse, have wiped out what I had largely in protest of how the fandom terribly handles itself, everyone now and then someone will post them up somewhere with my real name and sig still attached.

The internet, after all, never forgets, never forgives.


In my discussions with fellow artists and directors about this, their responses are from both sides of the fence.
- Some say I just shot myself in the foot with a punt gun.
- Some say as long as I do something awesomer than, I'll be fine.
- A few say no one actually cares as long as you do your job right.


As a kid I was brought up on this urban legend that companies will do a background check on you to see what manner of mischief you've been up to then reserve the right to terminate you on those grounds. While I can understand that Disney and Pixar might do that to preserve the wholesome image, does it really happen in the game development circles?


So, what's your opinion?

[ShotgunTony]

a. employers sneak in the right to terminate for no reason at all in your application/contract.

b. have you seen comic books or laura croft lately ? it seems most of the entertainment industry falls just short of porn anyway id say unless your working for a highly religious company i dont see a problem

[Mock]

Google yourself. What comes up on the first 2 - 3 pages is probably the only thing potential employers will look at, if they even do that.

When it comes to getting into medical/law school or getting a job where you will be a high profile figure, then yes. They will definitely look you up on Facebook, Myspace, and Google to see what a regular background check doesn't show them. When I was doing my med school interviews, they actually asked me about art as a hobby because they had Googled me.

However, if you're applying for jobs as an artist, I doubt people are really going to care as much. Even if they do look you up and stumble across it, it's pretty defensible as something you did as a kid.

[Hyskoa]

Ya can't undo the past. Move on.

[lgliang]

When it comes to getting into medical/law school or getting a job where you will be a high profile figure, then yes. They will definitely look you up on Facebook, Myspace, and Google to see what a regular background check doesn't show them. When I was doing my med school interviews, they actually asked me about art as a hobby because they had Googled me.

That has sparked my curiosity. Why would they want to know if you doodle or not?

[Mirana]

This link, start at #18: http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=142537

Short answer? Highly unlikely that anyone will give a shit. My first children's book editor wanted to take about Japanese porn art all the time. No big.

[Mock]

That has sparked my curiosity. Why would they want to know if you doodle or not?

Medical schools want people who are well rounded. That's a big part of why they sometimes prefer non-science majors. If all you do is sit in the library studying chemistry and biology and virology all the time, you aren't likely to have the kind of people skills they are looking for. So they will check Myspace pages and Google applicants to try and see what kind of interests they have outside of medicine.

They can use your interests to try and determine what type of person you are. They're often just as concerned with personality as they are with grades and MCAT scores. Similar to the way some game companies are concerned with whether artists can work well in a team.

[ashess]

I agree with chachia. google yourself, and you will know what they see. any employer will probably check the first few hits.

[timpaatkins]

I have a funny story. This guys who was in my graphic design degree lied and cheated us all, using other peoples art for about 2 years, winning prestigious contests and the like. Anyway, I never forgave him, hes a right little fucking weasel. Luckily Stockholm Sweden is pretty small, so word got around and i think he sells mobile phones now. From time to time, ill Google his name, just to see what comes up. Its kind of like sucking air in to a cavity just to see if it still hurts ya know?

ANYWAYS, he somehow got the job of art directing the semi-raunchy MOORE magazine when he got kicked out of school, probably by lying and bullshitting. Then he got fired later for something, god knows what. SO he made a (what i assume is a semi-in joke) death threat one day to the staff whilst walking in to the office, that's at least what the MOORE editor wrote on his blog.

So when you Google that assholes name, the first thing that comes up is his old boss writing that has threatened to cut his throat. In joke or not, any potential employer is gonna see that, and seriously think twice. Good one!

I wouldn't cross the street to piss on him if he was on fire by the way.

[Flake]

I agree with chachia. google yourself, and you will know what they see. any employer will probably check the first few hits.

Anyone googling me will decide I'm a critically acclaimed Smooth Jazz guitarist..

[Psychotime]

Anyone googling me will decide I'm a critically acclaimed Smooth Jazz guitarist..

Lolz, I'm glad I don't ever use my real name on anything (except my illegible signature on stuff).

I searched my name and got the Chicago Bears.

And for the heck of it, if someone got my last name wrong (which happens frequently), I searched that and got an Assistant Professor of Economics and Senior Research Associate.

I've got stuff to laugh about for the future, now.

[Mock]

Anyone googling me will decide I'm a critically acclaimed Smooth Jazz guitarist..

Not an entirely bad image to have.

[skullsquid]

I come up on google when looking for my name so no dirt or weirdness there.
You can control to some degree what information is spread on the intarwebs.

[timpaatkins]

Great. This is what I get.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...0innocent.html

"And now im looking for work at YOUR company!"

[lgliang]

Hurr, my name googled turned up results for comic book DB's website which I didn't know I was credited for, and more on some Singaporean bowler.

Maybe I should include my full name on my DA and other galleries to make it stick.

Thanks all for the feedback everyone.

[alesoun]

I share my real name with a financial high-flier (at least according to Google).

I wish......

[Prometheus|ANJ]

I don't think having drawn porn is going to put any spokes in the wheels for you when it comes to finding work. I know of a lot of artists who seem to be able to find high profile work _while_ also drawing porn. Fans might look up your old stuff though. There's probably going to be internet archeologists in the future, digging up stuff for the lulz.

Clients might be deterred by finding out that you... for example, used to make portfolios with other peoples work to get a job. A lot of people in the gaming industry know each other, so that kind of information will travel word of mouth.

[JessiBean]

What gets you a job is the portfolio you present. Don't include things you don't want someone to see and judge you off of.

[Seedling]

While I can understand that Disney and Pixar might do that to preserve the wholesome image, does it really happen in the game development circles?

It all depends. If a. you have a habit of being an asshat publicly (i.e. online) and b. the position you are applying for is going to have some sort of public aspect, then I would expect the company to consider other potential employees first. But luckily, most art positions don’t have a public aspect, so what you really need to be concerned with are the tastes of your future employer and what you present to them.

Game development circles include wholesome games, too, don’t forget.

[Black Spot]

Well I got a student citizen award, am a homeroom parent coordinator, work at the University of Texas, and am a family nurse practitioner.

Actually I’m on page 2 pontificating about kids being allowed to chainsaw people down in computer games and that it doesn’t harm them should go down a storm.