Where tattoos used to be an exception, it has now become very common to have an image or text permanently placed on your body. But does that mean the prejudices surrounding body art have disappeared as well? What about first impressions when you have visible tattoos at work? And when it comes to applying for a job with tattoos or piercings, is it better to cover them or show them?

The short answer: tattoos and piercings usually do not reduce your chances, but they do influence how you are perceived. In this article, I will explain what research suggests you should do.

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Research on applying with tattoos and piercings

To examine the impact of tattoos during the hiring process, researchers from Belgium and Germany conducted an experiment. They asked 212 participants to take on the role of a recruiter. Of these respondents, 45.8% were female, 82.1% had completed higher education, and the average age was 41.8 years.

The participants reviewed eight different job descriptions, including roles such as mine shuttle operators, travel agents, creative writers, locomotive firemen, geological testing technicians, archivists, software developers, and cytogenetic technologists.

Next, they evaluated four candidate profiles that matched the job requirements. After that, they viewed photos of four applicants, two men and two women, presented in varying order. The researchers generated these images using AI. Each person had brown hair and a neutral expression. For every individual, the researchers created four variations: with a nose piercing, a nose ring, a small tattoo, and a larger tattoo. To examine the influence of weight, they also included a version of each image with a fuller face.

Applying with tattoos: are tattooed candidates judged differently?

The study shows that tattoos or piercings do not reduce a candidate’s chances of being invited for a job interview or getting hired. The size of visible body art also does not make a difference. Even the level of customer contact required for a role does not influence this.

However, gender does play an important role. Recruiters evaluate women more positively. They are more likely to invite them for an interview and hire them compared to men. Weight also plays a significant role. Recruiters are less likely to invite or hire people with obesity.

 

What research says about tattoos and hiring decisions

Although body art does not affect the likelihood of getting a job, it does influence how recruiters judge candidates. For example, recruiters perceive applicants with tattoos or piercings as less honest, less agreeable, and less conscientious than candidates without body art. At the same time, they see them as more extroverted and open to new experiences.

Interestingly, recruiters rate men in the study as less emotionally stable, while they do not apply this judgment to women.

Recruiters also form clear opinions about people with obesity. They see them as less extroverted, less open to new experiences, and less conscientious. However, they rate them the same as people without obesity in terms of honesty, emotional stability, and agreeableness.

In addition, recruiters rate the productivity of people with body art lower. They consider them less manageable and believe they are less capable of working effectively with colleagues and employers. They also rate their autonomy and intelligence lower. Gender and type of body art do not significantly influence these perceptions.

 

When is it better to cover tattoos during a job interview?

The study above shows that tattoos and piercings lead to different perceptions but are not decisive in hiring decisions. However, this is not the case in every profession.

Earlier research based on 2.4 million online job postings shows that there are still companies that prohibit tattoos. Roles such as security staff, hospitality workers, hosts, cleaners, and traffic controllers are more likely to face issues with visible tattoos compared to other professions.

 

Applying with tattoos: differences between men and women

That women with tattoos are judged differently than men is not new. Previous research shows that gender plays an important role in how people perceive body art.

For example, people associate tattooed women with terms such as “verbal aggression”, “rebellious”, and “ambitious”. For men, they more often use words such as aggression, masculinity, and dominance. While these terms seem similar, the wording reveals important differences in perception. “Verbal aggression” can be seen as positive in sales roles, while “aggression” may evoke fear. When people hear the word aggression, they often think of physical violence, which is not desirable in the workplace.

Tattoos are clearly more accepted today, but they still lead to judgment. The same applies to gender and body weight. Whether you choose to cover them is ultimately up to you. But depending on the role and your ambitions, it makes sense to make this decision consciously. Because as much as we would like to live without prejudice, it still finds its way in.

 

Read more about tattoos in the workplace

Want to learn more about how tattoos are perceived at work and what is legally allowed? Also check:

• How tattoos affect your professional appearance
• Employer gives employees a tattoo as a gift
• 1 in 3 have problems with their tattoo at work
• Disney employees can now have tattoos

Best,

Aileen