Congratulations, You Just Lost a Job Opportunity
- Thread starter Cock Throppled
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You should show up for a job interview dressed as you would show up for a work day for that company. If it's attire that requires you to hide tats/piercings (which 8 times out of 10 is geared towards the CUSTOMER's beliefs/desires not the company's or your co-workers), then showing up for the interview with your tats/piercings showing is just plain dumb. You need to know the situation you're getting into, if you cant realize that then you easily aren't really fit for the job (as you cant recognize situations and adapt, it's a universal thing).
I'm sure your friend is very booksmart. However as I previously mentioned, most dress codes are in place because of clientel, not the company directly. Companies make desicions primarly focused around profit margins. You will lose far more customers by having no dress code than you will gain. Your friend is engineering no? I deal with engineers on sites. The highest I've seen an engineer dress is business casual (still need to wear work boots though, most show up in jeans and blue collar), as they're dealing with contractors/tradesmen, their dress code is alot more lax than that of a big business company.
Regardless of anyones ideals, in certain jobs the image you portray is a job skill. Heck just think of escorts. Are you likely to call one which never bothers with her hair, doesn't care what she wears for you, doesn't keep her incall/hotel room tidy, basically looks like she just rolled out of bed in the morning? You might, but a whole bunch more wont.
Personally my view of tats is I'm a "less is more" kinda guy. Good artwork makes good ink (still should be something you can conceal so you keep your options open). A lot of people who get ink done really are just trendy, dont put much thought into what they're getting, and aren't really getting a "piece" done, just the standard "off the rack" work. And I've known a tattoo artist, even he thought plenty of the "meaningful reasons" people get ink - are pretty dumb, really simply a justification. I do like some work, simplicity, symmetry, uniquness.
It's everyone's choice to do what they want. But you cant have your cake and eat it too - you have to accept that if you're going to do certain things.
Point taken. I agree, you should always show up for an interview dressed for the job, or better. But like I said, some people just think that a lip ring is nothing special and also think it's nothing special if you ask them not to wear it at work for explainable reasons. I just disagree with the "he/she has tats, so they must have something wrong with their thought process, so I'm not going to hire them" thinking.
It's actually quite funny what some people think is acceptable for a job search. I once had someone come in wearing cut-offs and an old t-shirt looking for a customer service job. Some people have "not interested, just looking" written all over them.
It's actually quite funny what some people think is acceptable for a job search. I once had someone come in wearing cut-offs and an old t-shirt looking for a customer service job. Some people have "not interested, just looking" written all over them.
Actually someone can make a judgement. Times are hard, when you have 50 applicants for one job, you are going to pick the one who is going to fit in the best and represent you the best. And in most high paying jobs it definitely isn't going to be the guy with tats. Hard to bring in that crucial contract when your point guy looks like some biker from the east end.
You got them, good for you, but you are choosing to walk uphill in a blizzard for no good reason other than ego and pride, neither of which are particularly valued personal properties.
I think the point was that is a visible demonstration of poor judgment skills. It does not mean that person is less of a human being, or that they are incompetent. But the impression is that they are impulsive and may make a bad decision sometime in the future. It is the same as coming to an interview dressed in shorts for example. If that person is covered in tatoos, the message is that person may make a whole lot of impulsive choices, and when you have a horde of candidates to select from, that probably is not the person you are going to pick. It varies from industry to industry of course, some might value that sort of person, but the vast majority of hirers will not.
Didn't think I'd post again, but it's nice to get some feedback from the OP.
With the imperfections of the current world, everyone knows (tattooed or otherwise) that if you want a particular job enough, you will dress for it. Maybe the guy was genuinely interested, enough to show up as himself but not enough to be willing to wear long sleeves in July for the next 25 years. Interviews aren't about getting hired; they're about feeling it out and seeing if it's right for you and right for the business. Reasonable?
To me, Mr. Throppled sounds just like that guy, you know, who is upset that a certain minority group has moved into his nice clean neighbourhood, and that hopefully we'd go away someday...but we're everywhere now!
With the imperfections of the current world, everyone knows (tattooed or otherwise) that if you want a particular job enough, you will dress for it. Maybe the guy was genuinely interested, enough to show up as himself but not enough to be willing to wear long sleeves in July for the next 25 years. Interviews aren't about getting hired; they're about feeling it out and seeing if it's right for you and right for the business. Reasonable?
To me, Mr. Throppled sounds just like that guy, you know, who is upset that a certain minority group has moved into his nice clean neighbourhood, and that hopefully we'd go away someday...but we're everywhere now!
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If anybody is interested, there is a reason why a lot of people regret their tattoos. In the industry there is a concept of the "scratchers", a.k.a some dude who got a machine and thinks he's a proper artist. Some are into the subculture but have no solid art background, some are good artists but can't work a machine, and some just see it as a cash grab. They will tear the shit out of your skin and leave a permanent mark of shame, all because you didn't research your artist. Many of these artists have skipped the hard work of grinding through years of apprenticeship before a skilled and experienced artist will begin teaching what is possibly one of the most secretive of trades. School can't get you there and money can't buy you this experience. I find this fascinating; it is easier to become an engineer, literally.
You might blame the mainstream for putting demand on more but lower quality artists in the industry, and even blame shops who will hire scratchers. Shops with scratchers are bad because trusting clients think they are going to professionals. However some shops have their integrity, will not hire scratchers or give away secrets to the unprepared or unworthy. Some have rules like "we will refuse to tattoo names of people" among other things being against stupid ideas. It is also a myth that tattoos are made with impulse; there are local artists who have a 6-9 month waiting list and you best believe their clients have thought it through.
The same can be said about laser hair removal, lypo suction or plastic surgery. If you don't do your research and don't think straight you can regret it for rest of your life. I for one, take pity on any person who has made poor choices from which they cannot rewind. I suppose it is only human to want to laugh at them or think you're smarter than them, and I am guilty of that as well, but it is cruel and certainly doesn't make you better than them. Honestly, many people have made stupider mistakes which just aren't visible.
While there is a current fad that will die down eventually, I think there is a gross underestimation of the subculture. It is a legitimate interest like boating, motorcycles, even pooning and there are many who gather to attend annual conventions. Yes, we gather together in large numbers and share ideas.
You might blame the mainstream for putting demand on more but lower quality artists in the industry, and even blame shops who will hire scratchers. Shops with scratchers are bad because trusting clients think they are going to professionals. However some shops have their integrity, will not hire scratchers or give away secrets to the unprepared or unworthy. Some have rules like "we will refuse to tattoo names of people" among other things being against stupid ideas. It is also a myth that tattoos are made with impulse; there are local artists who have a 6-9 month waiting list and you best believe their clients have thought it through.
The same can be said about laser hair removal, lypo suction or plastic surgery. If you don't do your research and don't think straight you can regret it for rest of your life. I for one, take pity on any person who has made poor choices from which they cannot rewind. I suppose it is only human to want to laugh at them or think you're smarter than them, and I am guilty of that as well, but it is cruel and certainly doesn't make you better than them. Honestly, many people have made stupider mistakes which just aren't visible.
While there is a current fad that will die down eventually, I think there is a gross underestimation of the subculture. It is a legitimate interest like boating, motorcycles, even pooning and there are many who gather to attend annual conventions. Yes, we gather together in large numbers and share ideas.
To be fair (and cause I'm a drunk chatty motherf**ker). I'd hesitate to call it a fad at this point. People were getting ink for the sake of getting ink since I've been in high school (15 years now). If it was a fad it'd be gone by now. I grew up as a degenerate skateboard punk, so I've known lots of people covered in tats, many say the same thing "once you get one, you're going to want another" - so I just never got the first. I never thought it was that smart to make a permanent decision that young.
My uncle went to the nationals for some hockey league when he was younger, the whole team had a great time (most of them had never been out of the maritimes before, some were getting off pei for the first time) and a bunch of them decided to a tattoo for it. Now their logo was pretty cool, they didn't have words on it, it's decent looking enough. But he then spent the next 25years wearing long sleeves in July wishing he'd never gotten a tattoo. He still wears long sleeves as he's an MP in pei now.
Maybe some artists have long waiting lists, alot most likely dont (in less concentrated cities/towns for example). In Banff you could get a tattoo within a week, saw lots of people walk in, sit down with a book and say "that one". Also went to university with a kid from NY, his father had franchised out his tattoo parlor, who was taking an art degree to go be an tattoo artist. He'd only do your tat if he liked your idea and you let him draw it up (he refused to do something you brought him), then he's still only do it if he believed you were 100% stoked on it.
It is just like, snowboarding, pooning, motorcycles, whatever; in that it's a wide range of the demographic spectrum that takes part all the way from smart talented people down to blithering idiots who cant think 20minutes down the road.
My uncle went to the nationals for some hockey league when he was younger, the whole team had a great time (most of them had never been out of the maritimes before, some were getting off pei for the first time) and a bunch of them decided to a tattoo for it. Now their logo was pretty cool, they didn't have words on it, it's decent looking enough. But he then spent the next 25years wearing long sleeves in July wishing he'd never gotten a tattoo. He still wears long sleeves as he's an MP in pei now.
Maybe some artists have long waiting lists, alot most likely dont (in less concentrated cities/towns for example). In Banff you could get a tattoo within a week, saw lots of people walk in, sit down with a book and say "that one". Also went to university with a kid from NY, his father had franchised out his tattoo parlor, who was taking an art degree to go be an tattoo artist. He'd only do your tat if he liked your idea and you let him draw it up (he refused to do something you brought him), then he's still only do it if he believed you were 100% stoked on it.
It is just like, snowboarding, pooning, motorcycles, whatever; in that it's a wide range of the demographic spectrum that takes part all the way from smart talented people down to blithering idiots who cant think 20minutes down the road.
We're in the creative field, so I'm used to a lot of oddballs.
People like to show off their creativity by dressing weirdly behind the scenes. I'm okay with that and almost anything goes as long as it's not in front of the customer. The thing is, the clothing and hair styles change almost daily and everyone likes it - but the tats are there all the time - same colour, same look, same place, all you can do is hide or cover them, so it actually impedes creativity.
I mention this because we just employed a contract worker; a very attractive younger woman who had a neck tattoo. (what the fuck is with the neck tattoos?). We used her because she was connected to another company we work with, but far from being daring, cutting edge, designer, she was one of the worst, most uncreative people any of us had worked with.
She obviously thought a tattoo gave her more street cred, but that's as far as it went.
People like to show off their creativity by dressing weirdly behind the scenes. I'm okay with that and almost anything goes as long as it's not in front of the customer. The thing is, the clothing and hair styles change almost daily and everyone likes it - but the tats are there all the time - same colour, same look, same place, all you can do is hide or cover them, so it actually impedes creativity.
I mention this because we just employed a contract worker; a very attractive younger woman who had a neck tattoo. (what the fuck is with the neck tattoos?). We used her because she was connected to another company we work with, but far from being daring, cutting edge, designer, she was one of the worst, most uncreative people any of us had worked with.
She obviously thought a tattoo gave her more street cred, but that's as far as it went.
