Do Tattoos Really Affect Your Chances Of Landing A Job?

Worrying about potential employers having a problem with tattoos is one of the top reasons people are hesitant about getting them to begin with.

Well, that, and the whole pain and permanence factor.

Nonetheless, those concerns aren’t really stopping too many of us. According to Australian tattoo statistics, there’s been a national growth in the rate of people opting to get inked. One in five Australians now have tattoos, and when you just count females, it’s almost one in every four.

“Australians are marking milestones, commitments or life-chapters not just with bracelet charms or certificates but tattoos,” says social researcher Mark McCrindle. “In a generation tattoos have been transformed from a sign of rebellion and non-conformity to symbols of personal meaning and life-change.”

With more people taking up body-art these days, it does raise some questions about whether society—as a whole—has become more accepting of tattoos.

I spoke on the phone with Peter Lee, director of Australia’s Leading Recruitment Agency (ALRA), about tattoos, and whether or not they can still affect your chances of getting hired.

Are employers still concerned about tattoos on prospective employees?

“I would have to say yes, some people can still be very concerned,” Peter told Student Edge.

“One of our most experienced recruiters brought up a fairly recent interview debrief he was taking from a client. It was going quite well, the client enjoyed the candidate and their experience was perfect. All of a sudden, the debrief changed.

“He said, ‘actually we’re not interested’ and the reason why, it came out at some point, that he saw [the candidate’s] sleeve retract, and he could see a full arm tattoo.”

Peter says having a tattoo doesn’t immediately disqualify you from landing a job. If you think an employer has disqualified or treated you unfairly based on having tattoos, you can contest it on these grounds.

“It comes down to giving yourself the best possible chance,” he said.

If you have tattoos, he recommends making sure they’re always covered up before going into an interview. It’s about “putting your best foot forward,” he explains.

Why do employers hate tattoos?

“I don’t know where it really comes from,” Peter admitted.

“The professions where I’ve seen tattoos being quite prolific are in the sporting arena, where it wouldn’t make a difference, either way, to your performance. The same logic should be applied to the workforce… but if you’re client facing, for example, then they might not see you as representative of the company and the culture.”

“I recently had a client turn down an interview after he [requested it based on [someone’s CV and profile] I sent through,” Peter added.

“[He cancelled] based on the person’s Facebook profile, and much the same with tattoos, I suppose if someone can find you on Facebook they’d see your appearance and know whether you’re heavily tattooed.

“It gives that little bit of insight that can sometimes hurt, or help, the application.”

Are there some fields where tattoos are preferred?

There are certain industries where creative self-expression and “being true to yourself” might bend in your favour.

“I actually helped a friend of mine get into a role in the music industry,” Peter explained.

“I told him to suit up but he said ‘no, no way, that doesn’t represent me.’ I never thought about the employer wanting to see the individual too much… He went in a t-shirt and a pair of chinos, for what I would consider a professional role… he got it immediately.

“The same would go for the creative industries and showing some of that creativity on your person, I don’t think that's too much of a problem.”

So, to tat or not to tat?

“Interviewing and securing a job is a bit like a poker game,” Peter explained.

“You try to put everything in your favour. Try not to put too many roadblocks in there for yourself. In some roles, a personal, creative tattoo may help and for other roles, it may not.”

Perhaps something to ‘ink’ about before you get that tattoo you’ve been pining for. Whatever you end up deciding to do, just don’t get one that’s grammatically incorrect.

Like this guy.

Photo: Giphy and iStock