<p>I know a grad school physics student with garish tattoos all down one arm and on at least one leg. He is a genius and not at all likely to be insecure or trying to fit in with a gang. Anyone who wouldn’t hire him because of his tattoos, however unsettling they may be, it’s THEIR loss.</p>
<p>If a potentially wayward genius is what is needed in the job, sure. </p>
<p>If a mature, forward-thinking, compliant type is needed, perhaps not.</p>
<p>I have only known two people who I could recognize as falling into the genius category. One was a success in his career but was tormented by his family and social life. The other was socially dysfunctional to the degree that he could not apply himself in any major endeavor including developing a career or a family/social life. Every time I think of these individuals I remember the movie “Good Will Hunting.”</p>
<p>I work in a highly technical field. Even so we rarely need the input of a genius. We do need smart, highly skilled people who can work with others. I don’t believe a tattoo is an automatic sign of deficiency in social skills that would preclude hiring, but it is a red flag. With high unemployment and plenty of people competing for jobs, no candidate needs any negatives.</p>
<p>I never rolled up my sleeve to display my tattoo during my job interviews.</p>
<p>edad - you better watch out for those combat veterans when making a hiring decision. Many service members - especially enlisted but officers too; have tatoos. Multiple ones too.
My nieces fiance is 30 and a Navy veteran. Nicest guy you would ever want to meet.<br>
He was an enlisted Nuke on a Sub and now has a fastastic job in industry paying big $$$.
Oh yeah… multiple large garish tatoos on both arms and legs.</p>
<p>This thread reminds me of when I was 15 and dying to get my ears pierced like all the other girls. My mother thought it was “barbaric” but said at 15 it was my decision so she hired a SURGEON to do it. Afterwards, my grandmother summoned me to her house to “inspect” the damage. She sniffed and said that she guessed it was OK…when I think of what other kids were doing in 1970 I think my family got off the hook easily with just pierced ears!</p>
<p>Right, JustAMom. S1 is an officer in an elite Special Operations community. He had to interview with a pretty “high up” Naval officer to get into the program. He was one of twelve selected nationwide to enter the program last year. He most assuredly has no insecurity issues or issues of any kind. People with issues don’t get in.
It is a field that is so specialized that he is unlikely to have any problem finding employment when his Navy days are over (even if his tattoos were visible).</p>
<p>I work for a very large corporation, but my company is very very lax. It all depends on the company you work for. We have business casual every day - Jeans are okay, however things like t-shirts, shorts, flip flops are not. Our a/c broke over the summer and they allowed everyone to wear shorts. I did notice that my boss has a tattoo on his calf. Never would have noticed if the a/c hadn’t been broken. I know a few girls have tattoos on their lower backs, but that’s not really something you see at work. I don’t think I’ve seen too many visable tattoos. We have casual friday’s where most of us wear sports shirts/jerseys - baseball, football, etc. They are ok with some piercings… though I haven’t seen anyone with the giant plugs in their ears. Two other people started at the same time as me and both had a very very tiny stud in their nose. The one lady was in her late 50’s and it was a tiny diamond. I was amazed that someone would start a new job with a little diamond in their nose. It didn’t look bad, but it surprised me. Hair can be however you want, as long as it looks nice. We have one girl at work right now with Fushia hair. Not my thing, but it does look nice and it works for her. I’m sure if we had direct face to face contact with customers they would be a lot less lax on things… We do have a few days each month where we all dress to the max (Kinda like someone mentioned with someone having a suit kept in their closet for visitors, haha!). I personally tend to wear dress pants and a decently nice shirt to work… unless I’m not feeling well, then I’ll wear nice jeans with a nice shirt… but I’m not afraid to sport my Phillies and Eagles atire on Fridays!!</p>
<p>[AMPLIFICATION</a> TO THE MARINE CORPS TATTOO POLICY](<a href=“http://www.marines.mil/news/messages/Pages/MARADMIN029-10.aspx]AMPLIFICATION”>Messages)</p>
<p>The military has been tightening restrictions on numbers, size and placement of tattoos. Hopefully we will see a reduction in hepatitis and grossly ugly tattoos obtained while drunk on leave. The tattoos shows on TV may have stimulated a huge increase in tattooing but at least they help foster the idea that a tattoo could have some artistic component.</p>
<p>Justamomof4, I don’t need to watch out for those combat vets. I qualify as one.</p>
<p>To respond to MOWC’s query in post 44:
“Geez. And we would all comment if we thought our cute haircut or our nice blazer got us hired or got us a promotion? How about how fast we run a marathon? It is not “telling” at all!”</p>
<p>In theory I suppose, people could have answered the Op’s question with just a yes or no. But people haven’t. Not many do in a discussion forum like this. Most have expanded their answer to include more details, and some personal experience. Some have said they hid their tatts. Others said a tatt likely would work against them. Some have said it depends on the size and location of the tatt. Others still have said showing their tatt led to no hardship. Some have commented on the tradition of service men(mostly sailors) and their tatts. So, everyone that has answered here has offered the Op and viewers much more than just the yes or no that would have answered the Op.
I don’t think it unreasonable for someone to have offered how a tatt helped, if it had. Would all say that, as you asked? Not likely imo, but I sure expected someone to say so if they’d had such an experience, and no one has to this point.</p>
<p>As for your example of a “nice blazer” not being mentioned here, I would not expect that here in a thread about tatts and employment. But I do think it reasonable about the blazer if the Op had asked “Does ‘dressing down’ hurt at an interview?” With a question like that, the responses would likely expand beyond yes and no, into suggestions of what to wear or what not to wear.</p>
<p>In conversations like this, people who think it shouldn’t matter always get annoyed when they are told that it does matter.</p>
<p>I wear nice blazers AND have tattoos. I guess I’ll never know how I got to where I am in corporate America!</p>
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<p>Perhaps by being already very successful before getting what you say don’t usually show? My kid probably wouldn’t have the same leverage that you have…
Did you have visable tatts before you got your first job?</p>
<p>In today’s hard job market, any little thing that can winnow a first time job candidate into the “no” pile will work against them.
Noticable tatts, gauged earlobes, etc will work against most kids competing for jobs with others with their same abilities but without the visable stuff.</p>
<p>No tatts until I was 48.</p>
<p>Re-reading this thread, had to laugh. My tattoo, still beautiful after 19 years, still says who I am better than anything else. Last week I was at a Sr. Management seminar (with the bigshots) when we were asked to play an icebreaker game. I identified myself as someone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas and celebrates Chaos daily. I won the prize because nobody in my company guessed me to be non-christian(Pagan) or wearing the tattoo of Eris (goddess of Chaoes and Dischord). I would not be who I am without this tatoo, nor would I have produced such a law-abiding son (talk about karma). I say as long as you can hide your tattoo without hiding who you are, you will be successful.</p>
<p>Echoing one poster about gauged ears, the other day in the grocery store I saw a kid with (I swear) inch-and-a-half blue hoops in his earlobes. It put me off my feed for a bit.</p>
<p>I am pleased to hear MizzBee has raised a law-abiding son, but I find it curious that he is the way he is because she has a tattoo. I may not see the connection, but my compliments on her mothering. That is a glowing endorsement of how her hidden tatt has truly helped her, her S, and all of society.</p>
<p>Perhaps we should wait for The Donald’s new series … The Tattooed Apprentice. :)</p>
<p>You are hired!</p>
<p>I like it! The apprentice who is successful as well as has the most tattoos/piercings…wins!</p>