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[Octavianus]

I discriminate against people who display tattoos when I interview them for a job because I think it's unprofessional to display tattoos during a interview. If you can't conform for a couple of minutes (however long the interview takes) it says a lot to me about what I could expect if I were to hire them.

Now to be fair, I know times are changing and depending on the type of job a person is being interviewed for (music store, bar, etc.) it would be consider silly but I work in a office and it just isn't a good look.

The only thing that says is how big of an asshole you are to be honest.

 

[Lime]

Fuck 'em and their opinions. I don't have tats myself, and probably never will, but that shit is fucked :/ I had no idea this was still a thing outside of Japan.

Several people in here have mentioned questionable decision making skills, but I admire their courage rather than judge them. I'd probably never be brave enough to make that decision myself.

It's fine, so many people my age have tattoos anyway, so it's not that uncommon.

I also work in academia, so people are (usually) more open-minded and tolerant - although the amount of tats that I have might put off some people.

 

[curiouscharles]

my tattoos are all hugely visible, but i'm self employed and work in high fashion.

tattoos definitely seem rather acceptable these days, but i would definitely consider your work culture before just diving straight into getting a full fucking sleeve...

I discriminate against people who display tattoos when I interview them for a job because I think it's unprofessional to display tattoos during a interview. If you can't conform for a couple of minutes (however long the interview takes) it says a lot to me about what I could expect if I were to hire them.

Now to be fair, I know times are changing and depending on the type of job a person is being interviewed for (music store, bar, etc.) it would be consider silly but I work in a office and it just isn't a good look.

you're a dick, 100%.

"people need to learn to conform!".

like, so long as the person isn't an asshole themselves, can take direction / orders, and is a pleasant / cooperative workmate - why does it even fucking matter?

so happy i don't have to work for douchebags like this right now.

[charles goes back to working furiously at his business so this will never come to pass]

 

[Lime]

Fudgepuppy, just get a tattoo (or several more) and hide them during interviews. Then when you're employed and secure, do whatever you want and be yourself.

 

[Marauder Shields]

Visible tattoos are unprofessional in the work place, like having unkempt hair or tardy clothing. I haven't seen a single person in my office with a visible tattoo, and for good reason.

 

[Shiloa]

"My tattoos are an expression of who I am!"

"Don't judge me for my tattoos!"

Anyway I don't really understand it. If I was hiring, I would consider tattoo presence and content (and positioning, christ why your face or neck?), but generally I don't believe even a prude would turn down someone who is clearly right for the job because of a tattoo.

 

[Minamu]

Visible tattoos are unprofessional in the work place, like having unkempt hair or tardy clothing. I haven't seen a single person in my office with a visible tattoo, and for good reason.

You're gonna have to back that statement up with some academic research or retract it.

 

[Turnip Truck]

you are exactly the kind of judgemental person i would like to detract away from entering my life via having tattoos

That's fair. But to the point of the thread, that same detraction may be exactly what a hiring manager would see.

Tell you what, let's have a drink in 15 or 20 years and see if our perspectives are still the same after the next few waves of edgy, youthful trends have cycled through. At some point even you may be shaking your head and saying, "What are they thinking?"

 

[.JayZii]

Visible tattoos are unprofessional in the work place, like having unkempt hair or tardy clothing. I haven't seen a single person in my office with a visible tattoo, and for good reason.

What's tardy clothing?

 

[Count Dookkake]

I'd agree that tattoos are unprofessional if we also were to view obesity as so.

 

[ghostofsparta]

I wonder how Polynesians are affected by this. The Polynesians I know in the states have barely any tattoos because they know white corporations won't hire them. The ones with lots of tattoos work low wage jobs

Any New Zealanders know any Maori with lots of tattoos in professional places?

 

[Daft_Cat]

It's important to draw a line between the way things should be and the way things are. Your mom is right, OP. If you're interviewing for white-collar jobs, openly displayed tattoos are probably a no-no. It ultimately depends on how conservative (small c) the company's corporate culture is, but as a general rule? It's better to cover them if you really want the job.

Context matters a lot for things like this though. Are your tattoos obvious? Is it just a tiny little kanji on your wrist or something like that? Are they offensive, or could the imagery potentially make others feel threatened or intimidated (a knife, for example, or snakes coiling around your neck and displaying their fangs)?

There's no one size fits all approach - but these things are seen as warning signs by HR departments, subconsciously or otherwise. Also, keep in mind - this is just one factor, and it comes in degrees. Someone coming out of an M7 MBA program with a 4.0 GPA and a couple of prestigious internships should be able to overcome the social stigma of a tattoo. That kind of a person represents too much of a potential asset to employers for a tattoo to ruin their chances entirely. But if you're pushing 35 with a relatively empty CV and limited education? In that case, your tattoos probably won't be doing you any favors in the "stereotype" department. That sucks, but it's something to keep in mind.

 

[p_xavier]

Really tired of being stereotyped. Was the only one to have his luggage searched through the Italy-France train.

 

[eso76]

Weird.
This summer I realized I was basically the exception, not having one.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

What ideal or message is so important to you to drastically harm your employment prospects at any job better than Starbucks barista?

Visible tattoos are unprofessional, full stop.

You don't get to claim 'discrimination' for not getting a job due to your unprofessional appearance. You might as well claim discrimination after wearing a sweat-stained 'Female Body Inspector' T-shirt to a office job interview.

False analogy. That t-shirt is inappropriate and in bad taste. Tattoos can be subtle and tasteful.

They are not inherently unprofessional. They are only considered unprofessional by (stuck-up) corporate culture. And people like you are just perpetuating this shitty culture.

FWIW, I don't have any tattoos and don't plan on ever getting one. But this shitty attitude is stupid and baseless and I'm glad it's dying.

It's really fucked how progressive GAF is on almost everything, but tattoos are still a huge taboo. Maybe it's America regressing back into the right, I dunno. Here in Quebec, my mom's nurses have sleeves and my friend in finances has a neck tattoo and no one gives a shit.

Hear hear. Quebec stay winning.

Put it this way; I'd never hire someone with a bad tattoo. Never hire a smoker either.

As someone who despises smokers... this is just really weird. And dickish.

 

[Warm Machine]

It isn't just the choice you are making when you are getting a tattoo. It is what you got a tattoo of and then the quality of the art of that tattoo. Its all highly subjective.

When looking for models for photography it is actually a pain. Cover up for it sucks and then there is the rights and clearances for them.

If you do get a tattoo no matter who you are, make sure you own the artwork, otherwise some jackass effectively owns your skin.

 

[Rosstimus]

Shouldn't be a huge deal. In industries where tattoos wouldn't fly, you'd most likely have to wear long sleeves everyday anyway (If you're a dude).

 

[DudeWithNoName]

I am as bald as a dolphin.

Go on...

 

[Glass Shark]

I used to work somewhere that required all tattoos to be completely covered, even though the overall dress code was very lax and almost no one there worked directly with the public. Some bosses just have weird preferences.

 

[Subpar Scrub]

Shouldn't be a huge deal. In industries where tattoos wouldn't fly, you'd most like have to wear long sleeves everyday anyway (If you're a dude).

Basically. I plan to eventually move towards a prosecution role, so I don't care about getting arm tattoos. Suit will cover it anyway.

I would never get hand, face or neck tattoos though. Just a personal preference, plus a requirement of quite a few legal positions.

 

[Stinkles]

Go on...

Squeak

 

[Reeks]

I live in LA and don't even think about my tattoos. It's a total non issue here. If you want to be a director/cinematographer, come to LA. Two birds, one stone.

 

[GodParticle]

Got the small one I had lasered off(still a bit visible and needs some more). Had gotten it long before the tattoo fad took off. They make you cover tattoos at my workplace

 

[1upsuper]

False analogy. That t-shirt is inappropriate and in bad taste. Tattoos can be subtle and tasteful.

They are not inherently unprofessional. They are only considered unprofessional by (stuck-up) corporate culture. And people like you are just perpetuating this shitty culture.

FWIW, I don't have any tattoos and don't plan on ever getting one. But this shitty attitude is stupid and baseless and I'm glad it's dying.


Hear hear. Quebec stay winning.


As someone who despises smokers... this is just really weird. And dickish.

Yep. I don't have any tattoos but tattoos are not somehow inherently "unprofessional." It's recursive, like almost everything else -- they're considered "unprofessional" because people keep calling them "unprofessional." Obviously there are offensive tattoos. But there are also tattoos that harm literally no one (aside from the physical pain of getting it of course!) and the only thing keeping people with those tattoos from getting jobs is the fact that there's precedent for that pattern - hence why it's a pattern. People frequently try to treat behavior like this as having some meaningful referent, but if there ever were one, it's long dissolved. There's no reason to perpetuate this behavior since you cannot derive character flaws from people who have inoffensive tattoos.

 

[nicoga3000]

This is 100% industry and workplace specific. I'm an engineer at a really small firm, but nobody cares. My wife works at a hospital as a PT. The one on her wrist is visible, but nobody has said anything to her (and her manager has indeed seen it and commented on it). Culturally, they've definitely changed and are significantly more "accepted".

 

[Mammoth Jones]

Depends. I've seen the same coworker have to cover up for job A then years later we're both working at job B where they didn't feel the need to and got the job. It's usually you cover up for the interview and be prepared to cover up every work day and hope the actual job culture allows it.

 

[SJurgenson]

Yep. I don't have any tattoos but tattoos are not somehow inherently "unprofessional." It's recursive, like almost everything else -- they're considered "unprofessional" because people keep calling them "unprofessional." Obviously there are offensive tattoos. But there are also tattoos that harm literally no one (aside from the physical pain of getting it of course!) and the only thing keeping people with those tattoos from getting jobs is the fact that there's precedent for that pattern - hence why it's a pattern. People frequently try to treat behavior like this as having some meaningful referent, but if there ever were one, it's long dissolved. There's no reason to perpetuate this behavior since you cannot derive character flaws from people who have inoffensive tattoos.

Unhidable tattoos are unprofessional, because you've permanently modified your body in generally antisocial (or at best socially tolerated) way -- and in a way that makes your employer look bad.

You are not born with tattoos. You actively made the choice to get tattoos, knowing how society views them. If you don't want to pay the social cost of having tattoos, don't get tattoos.

 

[Beth Cyra]

Given I'm Trans I have much harder time getting someone to give me a shot due to that then my tattoo's so never been an issue on that front.

Though my latest forearm tattoo might be a problem once I get my degree so I'll need long sleeve shirt.

 

[tonysidaway]

If you don't want to pay the social cost of having tattoos, don't get tattoos.

Yes, it's a consideration to be held in mind when considering getting a tattoo. This permanent mark is going to speak to people who meet you for the rest of your life, and not necessarily in words you would choose to say. At the very least it says "probably not much of a long term thinker."

 

[cheermancy]

I haven't had any issues although I don't have anything below my elbow. I'd love to get a full sleve, but I'm still afraid of the stigmatization and how it might effect future job prospects.

I'd like to believe I'm just being crazy.

 

[SJurgenson]

I haven't had any issues although I don't have anything below my elbow. I'd love to get a full sleve, but I'm still afraid of the stigmatization and how it might effect future job prospects.

I'd like to believe I'm just being crazy.

You're not crazy. Your tattoos will be with you until you die.

Do you want to be 80 years old with a full sleeve tattoo?

 

[20cent]

Just make a tshirt of that tattoo....

If you really worry about getting one, don't do it, you won't care or will even regret it in few years anyway.

 

[1upsuper]

Unhidable tattoos are unprofessional, because you've permanently modified your body in generally antisocial (or at best socially tolerated) way -- and in a way that makes your employer look bad.

You are not born with tattoos. You actively made the choice to get tattoos, knowing how society views them. If you don't want to pay the social cost of having tattoos, don't get tattoos.

That's precisely my point. Tattoos are socially unacceptable/"tolerated" simply because of inherited bias. There's nothing meaningful underlying that bias. Saying that people who get those tattoos are antisocial puts the blame for the entire pattern on the person who gets the fundamentally harmless tattoos, rather than the society which mindlessly looks down on tattoos simply because "that's how it is." That line of thinking is not helpful to anyone.

 

[bionic77]

I wouldn't hold it against someone if I was interviewing them but I won't lie it is hard not to judge someone with an absolutely horrible tattoo that looks like it was drawn by a child.

I will get over it pretty quickly but it does not make for a good first impression.

 

[SJurgenson]

That's precisely my point. Tattoos are socially unacceptable/"tolerated" simply because of inherited bias. There's nothing meaningful underlying that bias. Saying that people who get those tattoos are antisocial puts the blame for the entire pattern on the person who gets the fundamentally harmless tattoos, rather than the society which mindlessly looks down on tattoos simply because "that's how it is." That line of thinking is not helpful to anyone.

In what possible world is permanently disfiguring your skin something you should not be judged for doing?

If you dyed your hair 'Stupid Smurf Blue' and lost out on a corporate CEO job for it, you'd understand the obvious cause-and-effect there without claiming unwarranted disrimination.

Hair dye is temporary -- tattoos are permanent. They are a sign of poor judgement.

Tattoos basically are a billboard that says "I make poor decisions. I am too immature to realize that people and culture change, and am too short sighted to understand that notbody has every said 'cool sagging dolphin tattoo Gramps' and meant it."

How short sighted or immature do you have to be to think that any belief you hold now is fundamental and deep enough to last a lifetime?

 

[samn]

Tattoos are ugly and should be banned. People should not be allowed to disfigure themselves in this way.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

I've had one job ever that even mentioned them, and it was just the interviewer telling me I should cover my wrist tattoos because the owners were fairly conservative.

It was a fine job, but they didn't pay me well enough and undervalued my skillset significantly.

In the end, it wasn't a big deal, as I moved on to a much better job where no one could care less.

 

[Big Baybee]

Tattoos are fucking harmless.

 

[arab]

In what possible world is permanently disfiguring your skin something you should not be judged for doing?

If you dyed your hair 'Stupid Smurf Blue' and lost out on a corporate CEO job for it, you'd understand the obvious cause-and-effect there without claiming unwarranted disrimination.

Hair dye is temporary -- tattoos are permanent. They are a sign of poor judgement.

Tattoos basically are a billboard that says "I make poor decisions. I am too immature to realize that people and culture change, and am too short sighted to understand that notbody has every said 'cool sagging dolphin tattoo Gramps' and meant it."

How short sighted or immature do you have to be to think that any belief you hold now is fundamental and deep enough to last a lifetime?

the irony from this one oh boy

 

[SJurgenson]

Tattoos are ugly and should be banned. People should not be allowed to disfigure themselves in this way.

Nah, people are free to get tattoos -- they just need to take responsibility for the choice they made knowing full well society's views on tattoos and the likely reprecussions.

What kinda pisses me off about this thread is the use of the word 'discrimination'.

Being denied a loan because you arr black? That's discrimination.
Being paid less because you are female? That's discrimination.
Being spat upon because you are Jewish? That's discrimination.

Being passed up for a job because you chose to get a unsightly tattoo? That's the choice you made, and the 100% foreseeable outcome.

 

[SJurgenson]

the irony from this one oh boy

I might come around on tattoos one day. I'm not stupid enough to emblazen "I think tattoos are a poor choice" permanently onto my body, however.

 

[Kirye]

I've actually turned people down for jobs because of their tattoos. I don't care about them personally but I have to hire people that go into people's homes and install their cable services, and i'm sorry but people just don't trust someone in their home with a neck tattoo.

 

[Darksol]

I work in education in Japan. Don't get them if you don't have them or aren't prepared to cover them 24/7.

 

[NoRéN]

How short sighted or immature do you have to be to think that any belief you hold now is fundamental and deep enough to last a lifetime?

We'll ask you in 50 years.

Tattoos are ugly and should be banned. People should not be allowed to disfigure themselves in this way.

Ahahaha

Gotta be joke posters, right?

 

[ponpo]

Personally I think tattoos are mostly awful and too many people in the west feel compelled to get them to seem cool, but it's more of a personal bias. If I were in a position to hire someone, for example, I wouldn't care.

 

[Man God]

As someone who despises smokers... this is just really weird. And dickish.

It puts me off to such a degree that unless there was no other option I would not hire someone who I knew smoked cigarettes. That means they'd have to smell badly enough of it that I could tell at the interview.

 

[takriel]

Not gonna lie, I think I'm a bit prejudiced against tattoo owners. Which is shitty I know.

 

[motherxwolf]

Worked at a credit union and people had full sleeves and I had a septum piece, no one cared. I'm pretty sure it's a case by case situation though

 

[Stinkles]

Being passed up for a job because you chose to get a unsightly tattoo? That's the choice you made, and the 100% foreseeable outcome.

I'm 46. I grew up in a socially conservative environment with actual class distinctions applied to tattoos when I was young. Over the decades I observed directly and indirectly as tremendous softening of the stigma attached. If someone comes in for an interview with a spiderweb tattoo on their neck and a partially disguised swastika, I am going to judge them - and unless I read that they were kidnap-Ed and forcibly tattooed, I'm not hiring them. If a nerd comes for an interview with a Triforce emblem on his arm, I'm ABSOLUTELY going to judge him, but it's not going to have the slightest effect on whether I hire him or not - and if someone comes in with a really nice, expensive and well articulated sleeve, I'll compliment it.

I work in the tech industry. There is no uniform for work. The whole concept of wearing a suit is absolutely ridiculous and akin to costume and dress up. Every justification I've ever heard for suits, ties and pencil skirts is basically some flavor of "tradition" or "because that's the way it is" and has no provable logical bearing beyond the circular, "We don't like it, so we don't like it." Now, I can't argue with the logic that it WILL affect your ability to get certain jobs. And A tattoo of a dick on your forehead would make me think you may not be a tremendously forward thinking individual - even if the dick was pointing stridently or majestically ahead. But a simple arm tattoo? Or a leg tattoo?

We shouldn't give a shit. Grown ass men are deliberately wearing uncomfortable shirts and tying silk ribbons around their necks for no practical reason. And they've desperately tried to keep the costume identical for almost two hundred years.

All that said, I still give certain tattoos sideye because I think they're lame or trashy, but trust me, I do that for cheap suits too.

 

[SJurgenson]

We'll ask you in 50 years.

Ahahaha

Gotta be joke posters, right?

There is no hypocracy is me saying that I think tattoos are a bad idea. Saying that on a forum does not forever bind me inexorably to that belief.

I can always come back and edit my post, or clarify in further posts.

Tattoos are forever, opinions are forums are not.