Judgment Free Zone: Don’t Judge Candidate Based on Tattoos and Piercings

You’ve very likely noticed, just walking around, that the past decade or so has seen many more people with tattoos and piercings. Once the province of sailors and even pirates, tats and piercings have gone mainstream.

 

But many businesses still judge them harshly. As a result, job candidates with tattoos and piercings may be not called in for an interview or not hired. Many hiring managers many worry that, in jobs that have to face the public, customers may be turned off by visible tats and piercings, especially very visible and very extreme ones.

 

Well, it’s really not a good idea to judge based on these things. Here are 3 reasons why.

 

They have no relationship to the quality of the person

 

In the old-school days, both tattoos and piercings were associated with a raffish element – even, almost, a criminal element. People who reacted against them were reacting against that.

 

But that’s really not the case anymore. Many, many upstanding people have tats and piercings. As we’ve said, they’ve gone mainstream.

 

They have no relationship to job performance

 

Perhaps more importantly, there is zero relationship to any job performance. Judging a potential employee for tattoos and piercings is like judging them for hair length, eye color, or skin color. Employees can have great skills and multiple piercings, along with multiple tats.

 

Remember, you need someone who can do the job well. How they choose to adorn themselves, their body, or their skin, just like how they choose to dress, is really not the concern of their employers as long as it doesn’t interfere with job function and isn’t dangerous.

 

Many people consider them attractive

 

Remember, too, that as well as being mainstream, both are increasingly considered attractive. Many people consider them beautiful. Many tattoos, especially, are done as personal statements or commemorations of important events, such as the birth of a child or a marriage. They can even be bonding agents among coworkers or among employees and customers.

 

So along with not viewing them negatively, in other words, remember that many people view both tattoos and piercings positively.

 

Contact a Staffing Firm Today

 

Do you need to recruit more employees? We can help you search and develop a plan for bringing in more people. Staffing agencies are pros. We’re happy to help. Contact us today.