Do tattoos still matter in the workplace?

Finding a balance between career goals and self-expression.

I know a girl who, at the age of 19, got a face tattoo because she wanted to commit to an ‘alternative lifestyle’. But in a country where 43 per cent of us have at least one tattoo, how alternative is it really? And with the prevalence of tattoos only growing, what’s to say that in a few years, it might be totally normal to see teachers and doctors who are all inked up?

Cultural acceptance around tattoos has come a long way since the days when they evoked images of sailors and the criminal underworld. Just stroll down any busy street and you’ll see barbed wire, winged cherubs – the lot.

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Even the Australian Defence Force has pretty loose rules on tattoos these days, allowing officers to have them anywhere that can’t be seen in a passport photo (as long as the designs are relatively inoffensive). In fact, Australia has the fourth-most tattooed population, after Italy, Sweden and the United States. As so many of us are part of the club, what does it mean for our job prospects?

Smaart Recruitment Director Will McPhee tells me the culture around tattoos has changed significantly over the 10 years he has spent in the industry. “In the past, I would receive job briefs explicitly stating ‘no tattoos’, but today it’s rare to hear that from clients,” he says. “Businesses and employees have become more accepting of tattoos due to their prevalence, and the tight talent market has necessitated adaptation.”

So does a squeezed job market and a highly-inked workforce mean that tattoos no longer matter when seeking a new position? According to Will, not entirely. “While the impact is decreasing, there are still biases and stigmas associated with tattoos in certain workplaces and industries. The type, size, and placement of tattoos can also play a role.”

Tattoos on the face, neck, hands and ankles – anything still showing with long sleeves and pants on – tend to cause more trouble than those that can be easily concealed.  The massive spider web on your head? Probably not going to go over well in the office. Will tells me industries including real estate, legal, healthcare, professional services and aviation are typically the least accepting of tattoos, although Air New Zealand has recently done away with its long-standing no-tattoo policy.

While strict, explicit bans on tattoos and piercings may be becoming a thing of the past, having them still leaves the candidate open to judgement. They can be lumped in with the overall presentation of a person – the way they dress, their appearance (pretty privilege is definitely still a thing) and the way they behave.

“Throughout my career, some clients have chosen other candidates they deemed more ‘suitable’ and I suspect that visible tattoos might have been a factor,” says Will. When it comes to his own work, he says he “couldn’t care less” about whether a candidate has tattoos.

“When hiring, I focus on two things. One: can the candidate do the job? And two: do they want to do the job? Having tattoos shouldn’t impact these two considerations. More than half of the Smaart Recruitment team has tattoos.”

Even so, he still makes it clear to his job seekers with visible tattoos that they may face some issues when trying to lock down a position. “I also communicate this clearly to potential employers, so if they have an issue, we don’t waste anyone’s time. If a business or employer has an issue with tattoos, it’s probably not a place or company the candidate would want to work for anyway.”

But don’t rush out to the laser removal studio just yet. One positive element of our shift to online work may be that without face-to-face interaction, candidates are judged less on the way they look and more on their skillset. 

As well, in certain industries (especially creative ones) having a unique look can often be a good thing – tattoos included. If you stay true to yourself, you should be able to find a job that will appreciate everything you have to offer.

Deciding whether or not to get a tattoo? Try this.