# Facial and neck tattoos. Do they have problems finding jobs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 28, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307 "2011-01-28T16:50:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/61 "2011-01-29T00:12:50Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > No, not just by people who are ignorant and narrow minded. By people who have to make professional judgments based on the presentation of the individual before them. > > I have two candidates for a job that requires drive and ambition. Both have similar skills sets and experience. One candidate is overweight. The other runs marathons. Which one appears during the course of an interview to have drive and ambition? > > Its possible my judgment is off, but if you are overweight and competing for that job - you’d better go out of your way to show drive and ambition if you are up against (and you don’t know) a marathon runner. Because that is what the marathon runner just showed me when during our discussion he mentions that he runs. Frankly when I’ve been interviewing people, the marathon runner is FAR more likely to mean “I’m going to ask for weird hours off and put my running ahead of my job here, because that IS my life and this is just my paycheck.” when s/he mentions marathon running, and the overweight guy is somewhat more likely to be the kind of guy who puts in so many hours at work he doesn’t have time for the gym. I think generalizations on stuff like that are hurting the people making those decisions in the long run. I’m expecting to be proven right on this about the same time the majority of NFL teams go for it on 4th and 1. But then again, of the three best programmers I’ve ever known, two are tattooed, one visibly. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/62 "2011-01-29T00:40:03Z")
I have a few friends who are tattooed on the neck or face, mostly tattoo artists. By and large they’re otherwise completely normal, intelligent and pleasant people, successful at what they’ve chosen to do. Their tattoos don’t hurt their job prospects in the slightest. For me, on the other hand, a facial or neck tattoo would be career suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/63 "2011-01-29T00:53:19Z")
Let’s face it - a high quality body “suit” complete with neck and face tats would be an _asset_ for a tattoo artist. Which, if that’s what you want to be, hey, go for it. As someone once told me, why would you get a tattoo from someone who didn’t have any? But in the world of employment everyone makes trade-offs and compromises. You have to choose which ones you make (well, I hope you’re choosing them and not having them imposed). If you choose to have visible tattoos you have to accept that there are some paths that will be closed to you, just as some others may open. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/64 "2011-01-29T01:07:42Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Frankly when I’ve been interviewing people, the marathon runner is FAR more likely to mean “I’m going to ask for weird hours off and put my running ahead of my job here, because that IS my life and this is just my paycheck.” when s/he mentions marathon running, and the overweight guy is somewhat more likely to be the kind of guy who puts in so many hours at work he doesn’t have time for the gym. I think generalizations on stuff like that are hurting the people making those decisions in the long run. > > I’m expecting to be proven right on this about the same time the majority of NFL teams go for it on 4th and 1. But then again, of the three best programmers I’ve ever known, two are tattooed, one visibly. My experience hasn’t borne that out. The people I work with who run tend to be motivated. I’ve never worked with a runner who has asked for weird hours. Most have turned out to be very promotable and good long term hires. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/65 "2011-01-29T03:26:26Z")
> [@Tahssa](#): > > Yeah me too. When ever I see a woman with a neck tattoo I know I’m dealing with a very beautiful successful Hollywood actress like Jessica Alba. > > [Comment le marketing de contenu peut renforcer votre présence en ligne - Jessica Alba](http://www.alba-jessica.net/en/about.php) > > [Comment le marketing de contenu peut renforcer votre présence en ligne - Jessica Alba](http://www.alba-jessica.net/en/images/tattoo2.jpg) > > Or a successful singer like Brittany Spears. > > [http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/britney-spears-spotted-with-neck-tattoos\_100439109.html](http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/britney-spears-spotted-with-neck-tattoos_100439109.html) > Whenever I see a man with a neck tattoo I know I’m dealing with a successful rock musician and businessman like Tim Armstrong. > > [Tim Armstrong - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Armstrong) > > Thank god people have neck tattoos so I know who to get an autograph from. _This_ is your argument?? _Really?_ mmm ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/66 "2011-01-29T04:00:56Z")
One of my good friends, who is beautiful by pretty well any standard, has a vegan daisy on the back of her neck. She generally wears her hair long so it doesn’t show, but she does put it in a ponytail sometimes. She works in academia and it’s a complete non-issue. She used to work as a librarian. A fellow I know has a gecko tattooed on his head - he wears his hair quite short (buzzed) so the gecko just peaks through. He’s a physician. So head/neck tattoos seem like a bit of a non-issue to me. Face is a different matter - every face tattoo I’ve ever seen has been horrifying so I’m really in no place to judge. The last one I saw was on some horrifying dude who had ‘skin’ tattooed across his forehead. Classy buddy. Classy. Regarding sweat pants - well, I’m wearing a black velour Ralph Lauren tracksuit right now and I actually wore it out to buy a baby gift. They may be sweats, but at least they’re _DESIGNER_ sweats. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Soliloquy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Soliloquy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soliloquy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/67 "2011-01-29T04:47:30Z")
I have 14 tattoos, and all of them easily hidden while I am at work. I hide mine for many reasons, but primarily to keep from being easily identifiable outside of work. I love my tattoos, and despite being very tattooed, I am VERY serious about my chosen career. I don’t consider them offensive, generally. However my personal experiences with individuals that have neck or facial tattoos is that they generally do not care much about being gainfully employed. In fact, in my experience, many, many of them are criminals of one flavor or another. I don’t really include tiny, behind the ear tats, usually, unless they’re clearly offensive or in poor taste. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/68 "2011-01-29T06:04:36Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > OK. I’ll bite. What are you dealing with? People who think facial/neck tatts are a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/69 "2011-01-29T15:16:14Z")
You who ELSE has facial tattoos? [Spoiler]Nazis! Godwin **THAT** BABY! [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/70 "2011-01-29T16:39:01Z")
> [@Soliloquy](#): > > I don’t really include tiny, behind the ear tats, usually, unless they’re clearly offensive or in poor taste. I think small tattoos on the nape of the neck or behind the ear are pretty widely accepted at this point. I know plenty of people who have them, most of them professionals. I also know quite a few professional women who have tattoos on the inside of their wrists, which is much harder to hide for a woman. I think we can all agree that facial tattoos are a horrible idea. But visible tattoos in general? The number of jobs where they’re absolutely verboten is actually pretty small. You probably won’t get hired for any client-facing job in finance, but that’s the only industry I can think of off the top of my head with such a universally conservative culture. There’s lots of ways and places to be a doctor or a lawyer. Plenty of retail places would consider it a boon. Much of the IT industry and academia are pretty free-wheeling. I don’t think it’s all that limiting anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/71 "2011-01-29T18:22:04Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > I think we can all agree that facial tattoos are a horrible idea. I’ve run into a couple of professionals from Africa who had facial scarification. Would you discriminate against them too? ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/72 "2011-01-29T18:28:23Z")
Yes, because that’s exactly the same thing. Also, because your misplaced indignation amuses me. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/73 "2011-01-29T18:45:34Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > There are no guarantees in life. well there is one guarantee: Having a tattoo on your face will eliminate you from certain jobs, forever. > [@](#): > > While having a facial tattoo is certainly evidence of bad judgement, the lack of one certainly doesn’t indicate \*good \*judgement. > I’m just amused at the idea of people congratulating themselves on their ‘good judgement’ for not getting facial tattoos. " okay, so I have two equal candidates for the job: one with a tattoo, one without. I already know that the tattooed guy has made one very, very dumb decision in his life. The non-tat guy may also be dumb…but so far, he hasn’t given me any reason to suspect so… So , even if you are right that he may not have good judgment about how to do the job … at least I know he _does_ have good judgement about to apply for the job. Guess who I’m going to recommend for the second round of interviews? ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/74 "2011-01-29T18:57:09Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > Yes, because that’s exactly the same thing. Also, because your misplaced indignation amuses me. So what criteria do you use to determine whether culture-bound body art is appropriate? ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/75 "2011-01-29T19:17:41Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > So what criteria do you use to determine whether culture-bound body art is appropriate? Umm…the culture? The two situations are obviously not the same thing. Facial scarification may be a common expectation of some cultures. Facial tattooing is not a common expectation in American culture. The meaning behind the two is completely different BASED on the culture. Not hiring someone who has a facial tattoo in America, and who does not come from a culture for which that is an expectation, is not discrimination in the sense that it does not violate someone’s ethnic, cultural, or religious rights. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/76 "2011-01-29T19:21:55Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > So what criteria do you use to determine whether **culture-bound** body art is appropriate? a very simple criteria: culture. MY culture. You live with me,you wanna work for me, you gonna play by my rules. And ,yes, when I go to foreign countries, I expect them to judge me by their culture. (That’s why, for all three continents I’ve lived in, I’ve always spoken the local language , dressed appropriately and behaved in public according the local culture.) (on edit: Kolga beat me to it by 4 minutes. So…“what he said”) ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/77 "2011-01-29T19:27:07Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > (on edit: Kolga beat me to it by 4 minutes. So…“what he said”) She. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/78 "2011-01-29T19:49:22Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > Yes, because that’s exactly the same thing. Also, because your misplaced indignation amuses me. I did not read indignation. I’d add Seal and some Maori folks to the list. They will be forever unable to work for you, I get that…I will also never be able to get a job as a Rockette…I may have the height, and I could work on the flexibility, but the fact I’m a Dude pretty much rules that out. I’m not so certain that working for you would be desirable, based on the criteria you’re requiering . The one thing I noticed, after getting a tattoo was this: All those “Scary” tattooed people? They’re like a lot of untattooed people…but with a little ink. They’re the same as they were before…with a little art on 'em. In fact, it takes a WHOLE lot of stupid ideas in the ink department before I’ll judge a person (The guy with the Denver Area Code on one calf, the Colorado Springs Area Code on the other, and a tattoo of a gun sticking up above his waistband? Yeah, not so smart. There’s a lot of righteous indignation from the folks that don’t have 'em. It’s an awful lot like virginity, It’s a big hellacious deal before I lost it…20 years in, meh, losing it isn’t that big a deal anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/79 "2011-01-29T19:52:23Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > Umm…the culture? The two situations are obviously not the same thing. Facial scarification may be a common expectation of some cultures. Facial tattooing is not a common expectation in American culture. The meaning behind the two is completely different BASED on the culture. You make it sound like there’s a single culture in America. In your own hometown there are MANY diverse cultures. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307/80 "2011-01-29T19:55:53Z")
> [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > You make it sound like there’s a single culture in America. In your own hometown there are MANY diverse cultures. I’m well aware that there are numerous subcultures in American society. If you can name me one in which facial tattooing is a required and consistent rite of passage or expectation of adult living, I’ll be interested to read about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facial-and-neck-tattoos-do-they-have-problems-finding-jobs/569307.md?page=5)