Why Tattoos and Body Piercings Can Hurt Your Chances of Employment

Looking for a job can be stressful. You want to make the search productive as possible. You want to make sure you are searching in arenas that match your interests and qualifications. You've come across several possibilities, you've applied for the positions by e-mailing in your resume as per the company's request, you've had several promising interviews, but nothing, no call backs. What in the world is going on? Have you considered that people are looking further than your detailed qualifications outlined on your resume? Well, they are. Let's look at five, what I call, Resume Extensions, that you, the job seeker, may overlook.

• Do you have a Facebook, MySpace, personal website or another social media outlet? Most people, nowadays, have an account with some sort of social media. How often do you monitor your accounts? Are they clear and clean of inappropriate photos, inappropriate jokes or the like? You need to make sure. Are you talking badly about your present employer or past employer on any of your account pages? Employers regularly puruse the Internet looking for good candidates to employ. Make sure your social media pages are always resume ready, because they are resumes.
• Your cell phone recording - what? That's right. Here is a good example. One of my favorite TV shows is on HGTV, and one of the designers always says that in order to sell your home your paint needs to be a neutral color. Your bright orange wall is "you" specific and it needs to be toned down to attract the most buyers. Your cell phone recording needs to be neutral to appeal to the most callers. How long will a prospective employer hold on while he or she is trying to get through to you to offer you a second interview and you have a "you" specific song playing before they can leave a message? Think about it.
• Body piercings - oops, there goes some one's toes. If they are visible, please remove items such as the nose stud or ring or the tongue stud or ring and the eye brow ring. You don't want the interviewer to be looking into your mouth during the interview or at your head. This point I make is extremely important especially if the position calls for you to have frequent meetings with clients. I can see if you are in a cubicle all day.
• Tattoos - oops, there goes some one's toes again. A lot of companies are very conservative so I just want you to keep this in mind. Well placed tattoos, for some companies, are those that can't be seen by others. As I mentioned in the paragraph above, it is extremely important especially if the position calls for you to have frequent meetings with clients.
• E-mail addresses can say something about you. I recommend neutral ones, not buttermeup@_______dotcom. If you are a radio personality, a good e-mail address would be aaronontheair@______dotcom.

Some of you are probably thinking that these Resume Extentions have no bearing on your qualifications, true, but they might have a bearing on whether you get the job you want. Let me tell you a little bit about me. I have three holes in my right ear, two holes in my left ear, and braids in my hair. I was laid off and looking for a job. During my job interviews I wore just one pair of earrings and had not yet gotten any braids. I was looking for a managerial position and finally got it. I knew that my job was a highly visible position, meeting with senior management, giving presentations, auditing various locations, etc. I got braids after a few months on the job, but I felt that I did not want to impede my chances of getting the job I wanted because of external factors. Everyone is different and I encourage all those job seekers to act accordingly. I wrote this Hub with much care in mind.