Starry Eyed Surprise

Skills are one of the main things that employers look for when you are trying to get a job, but with tattoos being a big hype right now employers also take that into account. Usually the questions that go through a persons head are ones similar to, does it pay well? Will I get enough hours? Is it something I will like? A question that has recently come into play is; are my tattoos going to keep me from being hired? A couple years ago tattoos would be a serious problem for someone getting hired, but in today’s society people are starting to accept them more and more.

Employers have many reasons of there own of why they could accept or not accept tattoos. There are so many variables; tattoos can be inappropriate, distracting and can give off the wrong impression. You could be applying to work with children and parents don’t want people with marks on their bodies working with their kids. You could be applying to work retail and an employer could argue that people would be less likely to buy from someone due to their tattoos.

On another note, should tattoos be a judge of someone’s work ethic and character? Sarah Peterson, 19, of Cedar Rapids gives a few opinions on tattoos in the workplace.

“Tattoos shouldn’t be a judge of a person’s work ethic. Tattoos have nothing to do with your ability to do a job or get to work on time. A lot of people have tattoos now, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t have one and you can’t put everyone out of work. Also most tattoos can be covered up so that shouldn’t even be an issue,” Sarah states.

Sarah, who has tattoos herself, worked at a daycare for 2 years and her tattoos were never an issue. She now works in her colleges speaking center and the only thing that ever comes up that involves her tattoos is the occasional person asking for a backstory. It never affects her job negatively. When asked if there were any circumstances that tattoos shouldn’t be allowed Sarah answered,

“If you are working with children than excessive tattoos may be a bit much. I know it’s hard to define “excessive,” but kids can get the wrong idea. Obviously if you have inappropriate tattoos the have to be able to be covered no matter where you are working, that’s just tasteless,” Sarah answered.

Anything in your outside life can affect your work ethic, your family, your friends, school, etc. Sarah clearly voices her opinion that tattoos shouldn’t be a reason not to hire someone, I asked if she was thinking ahead when choosing her tattoos.

“The first one, no I really wasn’t. It’s on my wrist and not exactly small. I don’t regret it and it hasn’t proven to be a problem. If I really need to cover it I can use bracelets or a band aide. The other three are easy to cover, you can’t see them under most of my clothing I wear. I was thinking ahead for them. Obviously sometimes you need to take into consideration that not everyone has the same views as you. So I have the tattoos like I want, but I can cover them easy if my boss has a problem with them.” Sarah said while showing where each of her tattoos were.

Thinking ahead is a good choice whether it’s considering a job or not. A tattoo is permanent so you should think ahead no matter what. Tasha Strand of Cedar Rapids is an English teacher at a high school. Being in a serious profession she was a good person to ask about the subject.

“When I was a senior in high school I couldn’t wait until I turned 18 to get my first tattoo, I wasn’t thinking ahead at all. I just knew I wanted one and it was more rebellious at that time.” Tasha said.

If you look up rules on tattoos in a school environment, it really depends on the school to choose what their policy is with students and teachers.

“The schools that I have worked at are pretty lenient tattoos.htm the tattoos.htm issue which is good because I have one on my forearm. I did however go to an interview at a school for a position right out of college that told me I would have to always have my tattoo covered. Needless to say it was going to be a problem, which is why when I got another job interview and they told me it wasn’t an issue I was relieved. I don’t see it to be a problem unless in offensive and inappropriate.” Tasha states.

Overall when you look up rules on tattoos in the workplace it really is up to whoever is in charge. It’s getting to be a more lax issue with the more popular tattoos get. Tattoos are more viewed as artwork and a way to express yourself. There is always going to be someone who disagrees with them like any kind of controversial topic, but all in all it’s a much more accepted thing in this day and age.

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