Does having a tattoo ruin your chances of getting a job?
Written by: Vicki Shepard
November 30, 2022
3 min read
I mean the question that I really want to ask is why is this still a concern? Maybe what the heart of the question in this article is, does having a tattoo make the worker inherently a ‘bad’ worker or not hirable at all?
The obvious answer is no.
Having a tattoo, which is a personal form of freedom and self expression, does not have any impact on whether the person has a good worth ethic, has integrity, or embodies the ‘cultural’ qualities that the company is hiring for.
So why does corporate America (or corporate in general) care if the employee has any tattoos?
Why does it matter?
Maybe the point of companies not hiring people with tattoos is because the specific tattoo is vulgar or inappropriate. I mean if you have a tattoo of a penis on the top side of your hand, where everyone including yourself will see it, that could be the reason why you didn’t get the job. Just going to throw that one out there. I mean I would recommend meditating on and thinking deeply about any implications of having that particular visible tattoo.
But what I am getting at is maybe the job requires the worker to be highly visible to others, including potential customers. If the company decides that they don’t want to hire someone with visible tear-drop tattoos under their eyes, that is their prerogative and ultimately their right to refuse the applicant based on their appearance. I think this may be one of the only ways in which a company can discriminate against hiring that individual.
But to further stretch out this question, where is the line drawn?
If said applicant were to be able to cover their tattoo, does that make a difference? For example, there is a tattoo that the applicant has, but was able to visibly cover it by wearing make-up. Then, IMO, there is no need to turn that applicant away. If the applicant can demonstrate that they fit the company’s standards in every way, who cares about what tattoo they have. It’s almost like they could have interviewed this candidate without looking at them and hire them based on their knowledge, skills, and abilities.
I like this idea of blind interviewing.
Interviewing for a job is a time consuming, drawn-out, and very old fashioned process. In today’s world many people have experience that is skill-adjacent and can learn from others on the job. I mean how many people have you worked with that were hired into a position and required on the job training? That’s right, everyone! I have been in HR for nearly 15 years now, and even when I was a freaking intern, I trained full-time salary employees how to do the job that they were hired to do. It’s like the company and the applicant went through this lengthy cumbersome process just to prove that they are capable of performing, when they will have to learn all the company and job-specific tasks.
I can remember watching this news report on YouTube where it showed a gender bias based on interviewing, but the hiring manager had both resumes that were identical except their name at the top. This is also a problem with racial bias in names on resumes and interviewing. And for some reason companies still operate like we are still living in the 1950’s.
Its stupid, outdated, discriminatory, and needs to be fixed - like yesterday.
It blows my mind. But that is not the point of this article. We are talking about tattoos and getting a job.
So what happens when you have a tattoo, say on your arm which can be covered up easily, and the company still decides to not hire you based solely on that fact? Well I think you now have some interesting viable cause for a lawsuit my friend. But I would recommend that you think a little before you even pursue a lawsuit because litigation is expensive, and you are trying to get a job, remember? Clearly money is needed in some way (unless you are rich and are working for fun?).
You can still get a job with a tattoo.
Did you know that back in 2010 nearly 4/10 millennials were recorded as having at least 1 tattoo? And that was over 11 years ago.. This is from a PEW Research Study.
Have you seen the Gen Z population on TikTok with all these cool little tattoos? Clearly tattoos can no longer be considered a trend and should now be considered mainstream. I recently got another tattoo (yes I fall into the PEW Research statistic and personally have more than 1), and I was talking with my Gen Z tattoo artist about tattoos and how they are becoming more popular. He said that he is so beyond busy with appointments that he can’t keep up. Everything from little tattoos to large tattoos. More and more people are wanting them, and most of them are visible too.
Having a tattoo doesn’t mean that you can’t perform the job or that you are a ‘bad’ person.
But it does help if you show that you are confident in your tattoo when interviewing. If it doesn’t bother you having that tattoo on your arm, then you need to show that it shouldn’t bother them. If the interviewer asks about it, let them know you love it and it means something to you.
When I was interviewing for jobs, a lot of times I may acknowledge that tattoo because I was genuinely curious. The jobs that I was hiring for were manufacturing jobs where it doesn’t matter if you have a tattoo. Most of the time the workers were wearing long sleeves so as not to get burnt from hot steel, so you wouldn’t see them anyways. Can they do the job? Do they seem like they would show up to work on time? Those were the thoughts I was having. The candidate with a tattoo has nothing to do with their integrity or moral values or the fact that they can perform the duties.
Tattoos are fun and are a great way to enjoy your self-expression.
If you are considering a tattoo and thinking about how it may affect you getting a job maybe you should think a little more on ‘why’ you want that particular tattoo or ‘why’ you want it in a particular visible place. I would also recommend that you write down your thoughts, not only to help with your personal understanding but also to help you reaffirm that you should just get it.
I say get that tattoo. No regrets.
What do you think about having a visible tattoo and interviewing? Have you ever covered up your tattoo when you had an interview? Have you ever been turned away from a job because of your tattoo? If so, how did the company phrase their reasoning? I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.
Just do it, -LBHR