Visible tattoos prove controversial at local businesses
Tattoos have become a trending fad over the years, but their appearance isn’t welcomed by everyone.
An annual survey for human resource professionals showed that 60 percent of respondents viewed tattoos negatively and cited them as one of the reasons not hire applicants, according to the Pew Research Center.
“I cannot talk about what are the policies of Schlumberger, but I can tell you one thing: That at the time of interview, if I look at a candidate with tattoos, I will consider it in a negative way,” said Schlumberger engineering adviser and Global Metier Manager of Modeling and Simulation Jadideva Goswami.
“When the tattoos are visible, it really doesn’t give a professional feeling. I interview a lot of interns and, putting legal reasons aside, how professional an intern seems is very important in the hiring process, and in my field of work — in the research field — I don’t see many interns with tattoos.”
However, Forbes recently published an article that claims that tolerance seems to be increasing at corporate, medical and educational facilities such as Bank of America and the University of New Mexico. In other situations, the fine line is between what positions people would be able to work in.
“If I was hiring a warehouse guy, I wouldn’t care, but if I was hiring someone who has a lot of visibility, it would be an issue I’d have to consider,” said Mathew Minamyer, national sales manager for one of the leading piping companies.
“Visibility with the customer base is most important. If I was going to hire a salesperson and they (had a lot of tattoos), it would be an issue I’d have to consider. If it was an internal job that didn’t have much customer contact … then it wouldn’t really matter.”
For most tattooed adults from ages 18 to 25, the tattoos are not usually visible. The tension of having a tattoo in the workplace is a reason some college students are careful about where they place their tattoos.
“As long as I can hide it, I’ll consider it,” said sociology senior Gabriella Coronel. “I always think, if I want a grown-up job, I should probably wait until I get (the job) and then see if I can get it.”
Pew Research Center also shows that in non-professional settings, the increase of people getting tattoos is still controversial to some, with 40 percent of people thinking this increase is a change for the worse. However, 40 to 45 percent believe it makes no difference, and 7 percent think it is a change for the better.
“It’s just about the art for me,” said graphic communications major Juan Martinez III. “It’s not about the social commentary for me. If I could get more, I’d get more.”
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