What do you think about face tattoos and do you think that they are a turnoff to potential employers? That was a question that my favorite radio gospel morning show, Get Up Mornings with Erica Campbell, posed to listeners earlier this week. The show, hosted by Erica Campbell of the famed gospel duo, Mary Mary, often asks thought-provoking questions of its listeners to see where people’s hearts and minds are. So, during the “Get Up Poll” segment of the show, listeners were asked, “What do you think about face tattoos?” As you can imagine, the responses rolled in and many people expressed very strong feelings about the topic. Naturally, the conversation quickly started to focus on the impact of facial tattoos on a person’s ability to get a job. So, as I listened to the various responses, I decided that it would be a great topic to delve into this week since my blog is committed to helping job seekers present their best selves during the job search process. Let’s take a look at six perspectives on face tattoos and their potential impact on your career success.
- Your choice of career field could change – several of the callers to the radio show recommended against face tattoos. The main reason they gave was that the career that they wanted in their late teens and early twenties was totally different from the career that they have now. I October 2018, www.businessinsider.com published an article on face and neck tattoos at work. This article, shared that, while tattoos may not be wholly-unacceptable, two types of tattoos…face and neck tattoos that are less likely to fly. The reason is that you may be able to more easily cover tattoos on other parts of your body, but face and neck tattoos…not so much.
- You might need to stick with your mainstream job while you grow your passion – If you are a creative and you plan to hold onto your corporate job while you wait for your creative venture to take off, you want to comply with your employer’s standards acceptable workplace appearance. It will likely not turn out well if you just show up at work one day baring a face tattoo that was not there before. Yes, your employer could likely terminate your employment if having such body art offends their clientele, who are the foundation of the business’ existence.
- Research doesn’t lie – As I researched this topic on YouTube, I found the “After Prison Show,” which did a piece on face tattoos and getting a job. It told the true story of a ex-convict from New Zealand who could not find a job because he had “DEVAST8” tattooed across the lower part of his face like a bandana. Reportedly, after searching for a job the traditional way, he had no job offers, so he resorted to going on FaceBook to appeal to the audience to help him find a job. He was eventually successful in getting several job offers.
- More Research – Slim Albaher on his YouTube channel, Slimofication, conducted an experiment titled, “Asking for a job with face tattoos.” During his experiment, Slim donned temporary tattoos under both eyes, on the sides of his face, and on his neck. He then went to a mall on Long Island, NY to ask for a job. It was obviously during the holiday season with the Christmas trees and decorations in the background, so we all know that retailers ramp up hiring during this time. He admitted that he looked scary with is face and neck tattoos. As he headed into the mall, per his own admission, he got a lot of dirty looks from people around him. When he stopped to look at merchandise, he got many a stare. He continued his experiment by going to one store inside the mall and asking many people for a job. The first lady whom he asked for a job, told him that he and his friends were funny and referred him to the Bloomingdale website. Even when he went to the makeup counter, other departments inside the store, and the food court, he got the brush-off. Not only did he leave there without one serious conversation about his qualifications, a request for his resume, etc., but those whom he approached about a job often either told him that they were not the manager or they interrupted him mid-conversation, making it obvious that they were not interested in speaking with him about working with them. So, what was the outcome of Slim’s experiment? It was that the tattoos were slowing him down from getting a job.
- There are professions that will hire workers who have face tattoos – Profitableventure.com recently released a list of “50 Best High Paying Career Ideas That Allow Tattoos for 2019. Not surprisingly, this list consisted of professions, all of which are respectable and honest, were largely outside of the corporate arena. Professions that made the list included Bus Driver, Engineer, Miner, Fashion Designer, Writer, Welder, Building Technician, and get this…Circus Performer and Tattoo Artist. Now, these were not the only jobs on the list, but I can tell you that the creatives and non-corporate monopolized the list. The author of the article even advised readers that they can buy tattoo covers to make them less visible, wear clothing that covers the tattoos, or have them cleaned up.
- You could limit your career success – Right or wrong, we all have biases and anyone who says they don’t is sadly mistaken. Some of us have more biases than others or we have different biases. Your appearance is the first in-person impression that we make on our potential employer. Now, you may get an interview, but what happens when you walk into their workplace and they see the ink on your face before they see anything else? If the interviewer decides to move forward with your meeting, it will likely be for formality’s sake only. So, don’t be surprised if you don’t hear from them after you leave the meeting…regardless of how well you interview. Or, you could be offered a lower level job that is less visible and less interactive with clients and/or customers. Just as I heard on the radio this week, many of the callers said that they would only hire a person with face tattoos for fast-food and other entry-level type jobs. So that alone proves that the people who are in the selection decision-making seat may not feel that you are a good fit for their organization…or not for the advanced level positions within their organization. You don’t want to put yourself in either of these situations. You want to be considered seriously for your choice of career. What can you do when faced with that scenario and you have a family to feed or you just have bills to pay? Minimum wage is not likely what you’re looking for.
So, what am I trying to say here? While I do not currently, and do not plan to, adorn my body with tattoos, that decision is based solely on my spiritual beliefs about what I should do to my body. There are others who could say that, because I am a full-figured woman, that I am not respecting my body with the food choices that I have made. So, this is very personal. I will admit that I have seen some body art that I have admired. I also feel that there is a difference between tattoos that are done very tastefully…even on one’s face. For example, I’ve seen some women who have a small cross or a small rose near their ear. This often allows them to cover it with their hair, depending on the style that they wear. Conversely, when your body art is displaying all across your face, there is not much that you can do to cover it other than wearing makeup. So, my advice to those who are considering getting any body art on their face, is to speak to someone who has it already and get their perspective on how it may have impacted their career. You also need to speak to more than one person so that you can gain a balanced, informed perspective. Also, research employer’s policies on appearance and hygiene to see how they respond to such inquiries.
Career Search Success to You! Go Get Your New Job!
Original Post on HR by Nnamtique (nnamtique.com).
