What Will Employers Think of Your Body Art?
by Sarah E. Needleman

When Claire Hughes wears her new low-waisted pants to work, her co-workers sometimes can see the red and black sun tattooed on her back. She's even gotten a few compliments. But when the 2001 Yale School of Management graduate interviewed for her business-strategy consultant job at Braun Consulting in Boston, she was careful not to let it show. "The interview was business casual, but I was pretty conscious of not exposing it," she says. She tucked a blouse neatly into her slacks and made sure the artwork didn't show through.

Nowadays, it's not uncommon to see people with some kind of body art -- whether it's a tattoo, a piercing or distinctive colored hair. So what do you do when you start job hunting? Hide or flaunt it?

Many recent college graduates scoff at the idea of pretending to be someone else when meeting employers. After all, isn't covering up a lot like "selling out"? But if you have a take-me-as-I-am attitude, you likely won't get far. Most hiring managers and interviewers want new hires who can represent their conservative image and have a negative opinion of body art on candidates.

That's right. The business world is only a little less conservative than when Mom and Dad started out. And tattoos are still considered radical, even cute ones of Tweety Bird and Betty Boop. So while dress codes have loosened, companies still expect candidates to look professional on an interview.

That isn't the only reason why candidates should cover up tattoos and remove body piercings when interviewing, says Romayne Berry, principal and chief operating officer at Tower Consultants Ltd., an executive-search firm in Stuart, Fla. "You don't want to do anything that distracts an interviewer from the situation at hand. You want them to focus 100% on your qualifications."

Having an interviewer's attention is especially important for candidates competing in this job market. Employers expected to hire 36.4% fewer college grads in 2002 compared to 2001, reports the National Association of Colleges and Employers, an organization based in Bethlehem, Pa. Meanwhile, a 2001 online survey by Vault.com, a job-search and career Web site, shows that 58% of employers that responded would be less likely to hire someone with a visible tattoo or body piercing. You worked hard for that degree, so encourage employers to appreciate your skills and abilities, not your choice of body art.

When Kean University senior April Morecraft interviewed for a job as a student teacher at a New Jersey elementary school last fall, she wore her hair down, concealing a tattoo on the back of her neck. That's because even though she can't see the black dragon design, she knows the interviewer could if she were to pin up her brown locks in her usual style. She got the job and now she keeps the dragon and her two other tattoos hidden when she goes to work.

"I like my tattoos and want to continue getting them, but I think that unfortunately they may influence people's opinions of my performance as a teacher," Morecraft says. "I could easily work in a store where it's not an issue, but I want to be a teacher, so I'm going to cover them up."

Close Calls

Consider the interview of a recent college graduate who applied for a job at an automotive-services retailer in the Southeast. It was a hot summer day and the air conditioning was broken. The interviewer was Berry, then a vice president of human resources. She told the young man he could remove his suit jacket, and when he did, she saw that his arms were covered with colorful tattoos. Three years later, she recalls the interview vividly. "It was very hard for me not to focus on his forearms," she says.

The candidate was lucky, Berry says. For safety reasons, the job required employees to wear a long-sleeve uniform. Also, the position didn't call for direct contact with customers. Berry says the candidate was offered a job as a supervisor in the firm's maintenance department.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, or if an interviewer asks you about any body art he or she sees, be truthful, says Eric Chester, founder of Generationwhy.com, a human-resources training and consulting firm. Explain that you can comply with any policies requiring it to be concealed. "You want to sell them on the concept that even though you may be a weekend warrior, when you're at work, you're willing to play their game," he says.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Be mindful that a poor attempt to hide your body art could hurt your candidacy. When interviewing at an architectural firm in Oakland, Calif., Katie Payne, a 2000 Rutgers University graduate, says she wore a wide black leather bracelet to cover up a tribal tattoo encircling her wrist. The interviewer looked at her arm and joked, "Do you have carpal tunnel syndrome?" Payne believes the hiring manager knew she was covering up a tattoo or thought the jewelry was inappropriate. "I was a little embarrassed," she says, "and I didn't get the job." Payne may never know the real reason she was rejected, but she's certain the cover-up attempt didn't help to make a good impression. She says she now targets less conservative employers. In her most recent job, a graphic-design position at a weekly entertainment newspaper, she was one of several workers with visible tattoos, she says.

Employees in certain creative or behind-the-scenes positions often don't have to worry about concealing body art, says Ed Koller, president of Howard Sloan Koller Group, a New York-based search firm specializing in media professionals. These may include graphic artists and fashion and advertising designers. "What may not work at Procter & Gamble, may work somewhere else," he says. Still, even job seekers applying for creative positions should conceal body art during an interview because it can be a distraction, he says. "I recommend they do anything they can to cover up a tattoo or piercing."

Koller suspects that employers' attitudes toward body art may change. "It used to be inappropriate for men to wear earrings to work," and today that's a moot issue at many employers, he says. "Now it's tattoos and a whole different set of criteria that are taboo in the business world."

Showing Off Later

Ironically, once you show employers that you can do a good job, you may be able to show off your body art at the office without career repercussions. About 81% of the employees with body art whom Vault.com surveyed say their tattoos or body piercings have had no effect on their careers. First, though, learn more about the company's policies and attitudes.

This reporter, for instance, has a tattoo of a Japanese woman on her calf. When I interviewed at Dow Jones & Co. for my current position, I wore slacks to cover it. Almost a year into the job, I feel comfortable wearing skirts that show it off since my department allows employees to wear casual attire. But when interviewing sources in person, I wear business suits that cover the ink completely. After all, I want my sources to concentrate on answering my questions, not on me.

I've also discovered that hiding the tattoo on my leg as well as the other two on my arm and back is easy. In the winter, I cover up to stay warm, and in the summer I do the same -- my office has a powerful air-conditioning system.

Ms. Needleman is associate editor of CollegeJournal.com.