I was offered a good first job in my field of study, but in a taboo industry. Should I take it?

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THE QUESTION

I’m a recent PR grad and have been struggling to find work. My first job offer is a great role with good pay, but it’s with a sex toy company. I personally have no issues working in this industry, but I would like to have experience in other fields and I’m worried about my ability to progress and move to another company if future employers find it taboo. Should I still accept the role just to get experience, or will I be shooting myself in the foot? If I do accept, how can I best position myself for future opportunities in other industries?

THE FIRST ANSWER

Allison Venditti, HR expert and founder, Moms at Work, Toronto

I am going to treat this question in two parts. The first part is the issue of working for this company as a personal decision. Not everyone is comfortable working for different companies and/or industries (for example, oil, tobacco or cannabis) and that is a personal choice. You applied to this role and you have no issues with the industry. With every job, a candidate should have that discussion with themselves.

The second part is how future employers will view this role. To start, I wager to bet that most people reading resumes on the employer side will either not care or not recognize the name of the company. We read hundreds of resumes a day – it isn’t a big deal. In interviews it is only a big deal if you make it a big deal. If the interviewer says: “Tell us about your last role,” you can speak to the job and not the company. Talk about the size of the organization, the types of work you were doing and the campaigns you worked on. This will help with your anxiety around it and keep focused on your job skills.

As someone who has been working for 20 years, I can also tell you that, at a certain point, you start dropping old jobs off your resume. So, even if there is an issue at some point in the future, you can also choose to leave what may be a short-term or very junior job off your resume. You have a lot of control over how you position this, and it sounds like a great opportunity.

THE SECOND ANSWER

Jermaine L. Murray, talent recruiter and career coach, JupiterHR, Toronto

This is a very good and legitimate concern for a number of reasons. For what it’s worth, most companies who operate within the sex industry prefer to use discretion for this very reason unless they’re the actors on screen themselves. At first glance, the name of the actual companies will be an innocuous LLC or acronym that you can put on your resume. A good example of this is Montreal-based Aylo Holdings, which owns platforms like Pornhub. Most of their employees put Aylo on their resumes instead of Pornhub. Companies are also mindful of customer experiences so most of them default to this practice to protect privacy.

Employers are more concerned with what you’re able to produce and less so with where you acquired the skills, especially if you’re someone who can perform exceptionally well. In order to make sure your career is a success, no matter what employer you choose, create a roadmap of where you want to go career-wise and prioritize developing skills and acquiring experience that aligns with that vision. I would also find it exciting that you have a now guaranteed icebreaker topic that can serve as a good opener in an interview or at a networking conference, within reason, of course.

As long as you’re good at your job, you’ll be in demand when the job market stabilizes. And that’s the final thing – the market in itself is turbulent. Getting a role in this climate is nothing short of amazing. If you’re a grad struggling to find work and you found a job that aligns with your degree and skills, assuming the company culture isn’t toxic, that’s a major win.

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