Tattoos shouldn't be a barrier to hiring, says employer advice group

[Bellend Sebastian]

Well, what do you devils think?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37419897

 

Although I'm personally not really bothered by tattoos I've always had a sort of 'are you sure about this, mate?' attitude towards them, mainly because of the concern that you're going to close off avenues of employment as a lot of folk still aren't keen.

 

I'd have to concede though that they're so common now that maybe this article has a point.

 

Over to you, little friends

[yorkie1999]

Call me fickle, but I'm not bothered even if these have more degrees than a horse has hairs, i still wouldn't employ them

[Bellend Sebastian]

Well not as a nursery nurse, certainly

[Captain...]

Honest opinion if I was hiring for anything client facing/customer facing other than bar work I probably wouldn't hire anyone with a visible tattoo (face/hands/neck) that can't be easily covered up on the grounds that they have chosen to get a tattoo in an inappropriate place and were either too stupid to realise it could affect their job chances or too arrogant to care. Which are not characteristics I would look for in an employee.

 

Tattoos divide opinion, and of course the type and location of the tattoo make a huge difference. In many ways I find full tattoo sleeves more respectable than having a small tattoo around the wrist or on the lower arm. At least it shows some level of dedication and commitment to your "art". Whereas smaller tattoos are in some ways more obvious. I don't have any tattoos and probably never will because they are largely fashion accessories, fashion and taste change constantly (even day to day) tattoos are permanent.

[Sharpe's Fox]

I agree that the people who are good at skilled service sector jobs and respectable should get the job regardless of whether they have a tattoo. Whether there is a correlation between people who are shite and people who have a tattoo is a different matter.

[Bellend Sebastian]

1 minute ago, Captain... said:

Honest opinion if I was hiring for anything client facing/customer facing other than bar work I probably wouldn't hire anyone with a visible tattoo (face/hands/neck) that can't be easily covered up on the grounds that they have chosen to get a tattoo in an inappropriate place and were either too stupid to realise it could affect their job chances or too arrogant to care. Which are not characteristics I would look for in an employee.

 

Tattoos divide opinion, and of course the type and location of the tattoo make a huge difference. In many ways I find full tattoo sleeves more respectable than having a small tattoo around the wrist or on the lower arm. At least it shows some level of dedication and commitment to your "art". Whereas smaller tattoos are in some ways more obvious. I don't have any tattoos and probably never will because they are largely fashion accessories, fashion and taste change constantly (even day to day) tattoos are permanent.

I pretty much agree with both points.  I've always worked in fairly old school offices where any sort of adornment is a no no (even beards were long considered problematic), but I'd have to concede that other industries are probably a bit more flexible on it.

 

Now that having a tattoo is about as alternative as sporting a bumbag, I expect there will be more instances where the best candidate for a position will have some decoration, and the employer will have to think about whether it REALLY matters.

 

I'm not into tattoos myself but like you I'm more accepting of people that have put a bit of effort into, I don't really know why.  Obviously tattoos, and having lots of them, is very fashionable at the moment, but the permanence doesn't really lend itself to fashion, does it?

 

[Babylon]

The amount of people who turn up for interviews with tattoos on their neck / hands, studs all over their face and wonder why they don't get the job. Whether you like it or not, if you're working in a professional industry people expect a professional appearance.  You also expect a professional attitude, what does it say about you if you have very visable tattoos and piercings etc? My opinion would be you're thick to get them and expect to walk into employment. Would you hire someone if your first impression is... "what on earth have you done that for you prat?

[Jon the Hat]

Visible tattoos no.  Not indicative of someone who operates well in a professional environment in my view.

[Steven]

7 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

Visible tattoos no.  Not indicative of someone who operates well in a professional environment in my view.

Depends on the industry. In a creative industry then fair enough but in Banking; probably not. 

[Samilktray]

Such a stupid reason not to give somebody a job really 

[davieG]

Quote

 

In his research Dr Timming found there were some organisations where a tattoo might be deemed an asset - those marketing towards younger people, including bars and clubs or in the creative industries where it can be seen as a sign of original thinking.

"Isn't that what employers are looking for these days? Someone who doesn't always toe the line?"

 

Maybe once upon a time it might have been original or not toeing the line but seems more of a sheep like response now.

[foxile5]

I am so, SO tired of this debate.

 

No, they SHOULDN'T be a barrier to a job. Unfortunately they are. And there are very specific and understandable reasons for that.

 

The first being that those giving the job are allowed to choose whom they give it to. That's the sad matter of fact. And those in the position to give jobs RIGHT NOW are, largely, from a generation of people for whom tattoos meant trouble. My boss is in her 50s approaching her 60s. For her, growing up, tattoos were the demarcation of a gang member or biker. They were synonymous with trouble. That kind of stigma will have had a resonance. It's like saying 'YOU SHOULDN'T CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT'. Yes it's an inward bias, but that's just it. You can't police that. Those who own business choose their employees. Those who pay the pied piper call the tune. Which brings me to my second point.

 

It is a long known fact that tattoos ruin job prospects. 'But they shoulllldddnnnn'ttttt'. But they do. That's it. The tattoo community should accept this and move the **** on. It speaks volumes about their community that they can't move past this. We are told from a young age, even in this liberal culture, do not get visible tattoos as it will hamper job prospects. Those who get visible tattoos and expect to have a fair crack of the whip are ****ing morons. We're not a racially equal society, so how can you expect us to be equal in terms of tattoos. It's a personal choice and it speaks volumes about the applicant. If you've elected to have a tattoo in a place where people can see, judge and weigh you for....well....that alone says you have no foresight.

 

This is all said by a man who has 2 tattoos and works in the education sector, a sector unforgiving of the tattooed. It is easily avoidable. Those who fall foul of interviews for this reason have pretty much bought that ticket themselves.

[Bellend Sebastian]

1 minute ago, davieG said:

Maybe once upon a time it might have been original or not toeing the line but seems more of a sheep like response now.

I'll probably be having to convince prospective employers that my lack of tattoos is evidence of my maverick free thinking and edgy cool before long.

 

I jest of course, they won't need any convincing

[Footballwipe]

Never stopped this woman getting a job with the FBI tbh 

 

[Babylon]

23 minutes ago, foxile5 said:

I am so, SO tired of this debate.

 

No, they SHOULDN'T be a barrier to a job. Unfortunately they are. And there are very specific and understandable reasons for that.

 

The first being that those giving the job are allowed to choose whom they give it to. That's the sad matter of fact. And those in the position to give jobs RIGHT NOW are, largely, from a generation of people for whom tattoos meant trouble. My boss is in her 50s approaching her 60s. For her, growing up, tattoos were the demarcation of a gang member or biker. They were synonymous with trouble. That kind of stigma will have had a resonance. It's like saying 'YOU SHOULDN'T CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT'. Yes it's an inward bias, but that's just it. You can't police that. Those who own business choose their employees. Those who pay the pied piper call the tune. Which brings me to my second point.

 

It is a long known fact that tattoos ruin job prospects. 'But they shoulllldddnnnn'ttttt'. But they do. That's it. The tattoo community should accept this and move the **** on. It speaks volumes about their community that they can't move past this. We are told from a young age, even in this liberal culture, do not get visible tattoos as it will hamper job prospects. Those who get visible tattoos and expect to have a fair crack of the whip are ****ing morons. We're not a racially equal society, so how can you expect us to be equal in terms of tattoos. It's a personal choice and it speaks volumes about the applicant. If you've elected to have a tattoo in a place where people can see, judge and weigh you for....well....that alone says you have no foresight.

 

This is all said by a man who has 2 tattoos and works in the education sector, a sector unforgiving of the tattooed. It is easily avoidable. Those who fall foul of interviews for this reason have pretty much bought that ticket themselves.

That's the key part, for me it's not the look of the tattoo that's actually the biggest issue, it can say a lot about the person getting it if they knowingly choose to sabotage their own job prospects.

[GazzinderFox]

36 minutes ago, davieG said:

Maybe once upon a time it might have been original or not toeing the line but seems more of a sheep like response now.

I think it runs deeper than that. I think it's emblematic of a generation who are embracing the rejection of the western worlds judeo-christian roots and are therefore instinctively harking back to the ancient paganism of their forebears.

 

When I'm in the swimming pool and I see a young woman with an almost full body covering of tattoos I can't help thinking, Boudica probably had mates like that.     

[whoareyaaa]

Tattoos have become a hype storm by a certain generation, similar to chinos and Pokemon cards eventually it will die out but right now there is plenty of sheep around to keep it going.

 

i bet 75% of people that get a tattoo have because there mates got one. 

 

 

[Captain...]

A guilty  pleasure of mine is Tattoo Fixers, it is hilarious the amount of dumb things people tattoo on themselves.

 

It does however reinforce  any negative stereotypes you have about people who get tattoos.

[Bellend Sebastian]

56 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

Never stopped this woman getting a job with the FBI tbh 

 

I like her hair.

 

We took on a young lady who it turned out had an only-occasionally-visible massive back tattoo.  She was incredibly attractive (which it pains me to say probably did influence the decision making process, which I wasn't part of, I hasten to add) but Christ, what a boring bastard she was

 

41 minutes ago, Babylon said:

That's the key part, for me it's not the look of the tattoo that's actually the biggest issue, it can say a lot about the person getting it if they knowingly choose to sabotage their own job prospects.

I think overestimating one's ability to get people other than your mum to accept your little acts of rebellion is a common problem

[RonnieTodger]

I've got a fair few, but they're all easily covered up by a shirt. Tattoos can actually give away certain characteristics, especially if they're to reflect something "about them". If I were an employer and I saw someone with a weird looking neck tattoo or a skull on his hands then it would put me off, almost in the same way as wearing scruffy clothes.

[Rincewind]

Imagine giving someone a telephone interview. The first question you ask is not going to be 'Do you have a tattoo?'

In fact I doubt that any question would be that. The questions would be related to the persons qualification, their ability to sell themselves and their way they act. Will the employer on the person's on their first day as they walk through the day 'sorry i made a mistake you can't have the job because of your tattoo?'

That would be the same as in the past when in the same situation a non-white person turned up after a telephone or being accepted via a written application.. People are generalising over what a person is like because they like body artwork. I personally do not but I  would no judge those that do.

There is someone that works at the Kings Head that has tattoos and he is one of the most helpful and decent people I know. I would rather have him as a friend than a person who looks down on others because they are different.

[foxile5]

1 hour ago, Babylon said:

That's the key part, for me it's not the look of the tattoo that's actually the biggest issue, it can say a lot about the person getting it if they knowingly choose to sabotage their own job prospects.

As I said, we can't treat black and white people equally...that should tell you everything. People are desperate to discriminate.

 

My ex girlfriend had very visible tattoos on her arms. She got them whilst studying a law degree. Her aim was to go to work in law. I pointed out to her, as she was doing this, that it might be unappealing to clients. 'Well they shouldn't discriminate' was always her reply. She just couldn't accept that they WOULD discriminate....that or she didn't want to accept it. Anyways, long story short. She works in a bar. It's said, but she made the decisions she made KNOWING there were consequences.

[GazzinderFox]

4 minutes ago, Rincewind said:

Imagine giving someone a telephone interview. The first question you ask is not going to be 'Do you have a tattoo?'

That's probably why not many people get jobs over the telephone...

[Rincewind]

Would a non-white person or a female change their colour because they may meet objections to the way they looked?

[Bellend Sebastian]

I might employ someone with tattoos but if they also answered 'yes' to the question 'do you enjoy extreme sports?', I think we'd know then it wasn't going anywhere