If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I’ve written about tattoos and piercings a few times.  My take on it is that I have nothing personal against tattoos or piercings, but — fair or not — body art can limit career choices and hurt advancement opportunities.

In a recent article on CNN.com called Too tattooed to work? a young woman quit her job because she wasn’t allowed to show the tattoos on her arms — even though she lived in Miami where it gets very hot.  Employers should take note that as the talent shortage gets more intense, attitudes about body art might have to ease.  Customers should also take note that judging someone by their appearance can be limiting — we may miss an intelligent exchange or excellent customer service.

The employee advice in the article is the same as mine.  If you’re interested in a career in a conservative industry or conservative company, hide those tattoos and remove those studs.  If you’re looking for a more creative career or a job in a ‘younger’ industry, ask if they are body art friendly before you reveal your masterpieces.  You may get lucky.

Bottom line — I wish we didn’t judge people by their appearances, but unfortunately we all succumb to stereotypes.  So take heed!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 at 5:00 am and is filed under Whatever. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.