I can't get hired because of my throat tattoo

[Demovictory9]

https://nypost.com/2017/11/10/i-cant-get-hired-because-of-my-throat-tattoo/

?quality=90&strip=all&w=618&h=410&crop=1

A job hunter claims he has been unfairly discriminated against after he was rejected by dozens of employers over his enormous neck tattoo.

Joe Parsons, 21, got the $330 six-inch throbbing red heart with turquoise angel wings in memory of his late grandfather while he worked in a factory.

But he claims that, while he has no problem getting around 30 interviews, he has never managed to get a job thanks to his huge inking.

He has tried attending interviews wearing high-necked shirts but the tips of the wings still peek out above the collar line.

Parsons, from Manchester, England, insists he doesn’t regret getting the extreme body art but wishes potential bosses could see past it.


He said: “Before I got the tattoo people thought I was a happy, confident person. Now it feels like people think I’m full of my self and that I don’t give a damn.”

“That’s just not who I am. I’m just a normal person and all I want is a decent job.”

“There’s definitely a stigma attached which there shouldn’t be. I do think it’s a form of discrimination.”

“It’s not down to the skills I have and in every interview they haven’t given me a good reason. Now I feel like I’ve got ‘don’t hire me’ written all over my neck.”

“I don’t want to get it removed. It means so much to me.”

------------

It was in memory of his granddad Thomas Parsons, 63, who died in a care home in August 2016.

[canetoad]

1. What the fuck did Grandpa do

If that's his memorial?

[yonder]

2. change yer shirt, try again. nt

[Control-Z]

3. There's always make-up.

It works. If he wants a job badly enough he'll learn to put some make-up over it before going on job interviews.

[JI7]

5. yes, Cover it up with Makeup and once he gets the job take it off

[Hekate]

27. Uh, no. Keep it covered until past the first couple of performance reviews.

Yeesh.

[Control-Z]

35. I agree. Keep it covered until he's of more value to them

and he has a better feel for how they'd respond to it.

[vlyons]

30. Right use make up

Go to any dept store, Macys ??, and get the sales person at the make up counter to help you match the right color of make up to your neck. Buy many bottles.

[jmowreader]

40. I don't think they sell that kind of makeup at Macy's

Tattoo cover is industrial-grade stuff, and it's made by industrial-grade makeup companies.

https://camerareadycosmetics.com/products/ben-nye-mediapro-duracover-concealer

[radical noodle]

4. I wonder if he's considered

that he just might not have been the best candidate for the job? I see people with tattoos working everywhere.

Or maybe it's the dirty shirt?

[JI7]

6. depends. most don't have a tattoo like he does

and they might have gotten the job before the tattoo or covered up the tattoos.

but it's not hard to believe people would be prejudiced just based on that and not consider him regardless of anything else.

[radical noodle]

7. I wonder what kind of job he's applying for?

I suppose that might make some difference.

[JI7]

9. if it's a white collar office type job or one that involves customer service i can see it hurting

him.

[lakawak]

16. doubtful he's looking for white collar jobs

Well...the guy is 21 and got it when he had a factory job. If he IS looking for a white collar job, then the tattoo is not the only problem. I didn't see anything about college in there.

The problem is...a lot of jobs that the uneducated get are customer service jobs. Where you are the face (and neck) of the company. So yup...they don't want that as the first hing people see.

[unblock]

19. we had a guy at our office who had a tattoo sorta like that

it was a kind of snake tattoo that went up his neck and barely onto part of his face.

he was a nice, quiet kid, not what some people might expect to have that sort of tattoo.

he worked out well for maybe 3 years, then moved when he got married.

[uppityperson]

29. Some people collect garden gnomes as a hobby. I'm not sure if this is a good recommendation for you

or not. We shall see.

[tavernier]

45. Yeah, the shirt.

Hope he wasn’t applying as a waiter.

[mr_lebowski]

76. That's clearly a pic taken AT the Tat Parlor, probably by the Artist ...

Either at the end of the artwork being completely, or very shortly before (presumably the 'ribbon' has some words in it in the final product).

After having that much work done on one's neck, one's shirt is bound to be a bit stained/dirty.

That all being said ... I'm a bit torn on this sort of complaint. While it definitely feels 'wrong' he's being discriminated against for something like that, at the same time it's like ... what did you expect, dude?

[cwydro]

8. Why didn't he get it on his arm?

Or back, leg, stomach?

[Hekate]

32. Seriously. But that would take some thought.

My son decided to get a very artistic dragon across part of his chest and back and down his arm, but the entire thing can be concealed by a white long sleeved shirt, even when the cuffs are turned up. He has a professional career and likes it that way.

A young woman I met once (a friend of a nephew) had LAST OF A DYING BREED in Gothic lettering an inch and a half high, maybe two inches high, across her entire upper chest. It was a statement about her extended family dying out, iirc, but it was really ugly. Conceivably a high necked blouse could cover it, but the expression on her face said she was going to put that message in people's faces and be damned to them.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

10. Try a turtleneck... should cover it.

[unblock]

21. that doesn't really work for certain white collar jobs.

a bit too "casual" for most "office" interviews.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

22. Well then, if it's really such a problem, maybe that's not the kind of job he belongs in anyway...

Fuck 'em!

[unblock]

25. Well, most people I know who got neck tattoos,

Not too many mind you, but most of them say they got it precisely to make it impossible to work for that kind of business....

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

26. There you go.

[RockRaven]

11. My first reaction to seeing the tattoo was "what is that supposed to be?"

and given it has wings to the sides, and a cross-type thing in the middle, and some reddish stuff, I can't but think there are plenty of people whose first reaction would be "is that a Nazi symbol? ya know what I don't care... next!"

[lakawak]

12. yes millennials..your actions DO have consequences

I love how he thinks the employers aren't hiring him because they think the tattoo means he is too "full of himself" No son...that last thing people think about you when they see that is that you have TOO MUCH self esteem.


"I don't want to get it removed...I just want to whine about how it is hurting me. Mommy said I can have everything I wanted!"

Hopefully, he tries to sue someone for discrimination and finds out that "Dumbasses with ridiculous tattoos" is not a protected class of people.

Hey kid...if you had gotten that tattoo when your grandfather was still alive, he probably would have slapped you upside the head and called you a danged fool.

[TheBlackAdder]

20. Pretty much anybody can be trained to perform a job. Sound judgment and workplace safety paramount.

.

I was finishing a degree and the department head from the PoliSci Dept. took his last class to coach students on how to get a job. Having been in corporate life for over 30 years, I concurred with what he said. Pretty much any job can be taught to a person, within one to six months, unless if requires specialized advanced degree education.

What employers are worried about are stable people who can make sound judgments. Human Resources main concern is to make sure people will be a good fit for their organization and won't go in one day and assault someone or shoot the place up. This guy could be the nicest person on the planet, but that tattoo shows poor judgment. Since employers only get a small snippet of time to assess a candidate, they err on the side of caution.

.

[uppityperson]

28. Bring the water to a boil again, then lower the heat to a bare simmer.

[ck4829]

50. I have a large birthmark on my face, I didn't choose to have it, I don't want to risk surgery

But I wonder how it's affected my quality of life, because I am sure that the same people who scoff at this young man would also scoff at me when I apply for a job or socialize... and there's no way it doesn't affect me just because I was born with it. I do get funny looks from people when they look at my face and notice what's above my eyes, I'm pretty sure it's not just a coincidence most of the face to face interviews have gone south.

Maybe we need to start aiming our anger at the ones who tell us 'stigmas' are bad instead of those with them?

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

67. You were born with the birthmark, he decided to put the tattoo where he did.

It's different. A tattoo this bold will be seen as a "fuck you" banner to employers and customers. Sorry, that's the way I'd see it if he approached me. We're talking about getting hired here, and unless he's got unique skills in a field where they're needed, there are probably a dozen more people who are equally qualified. I'd choose one of them over him. He could have put the tattoo on his back.

If he were an artist or musician no one would care; in fact, it would be seen as a positive (except in a symphony orchestra, of course).

I live in an area that is tattoo-heavy -- maybe 25% of the adult population of all ages have a tattoo somewhere on their body (I had a grandmother show me her tramp stamp last week) -- but I've never seen one as prominently displayed as his. I work as a sub where many teachers and staff members have tats on their arms or legs, and nobody cares. I've never seen a tattoo that brilliant or prominently positioned, ever. If an applicant showed up to the school district with that tattoo, I doubt they'd be hired. It just doesn't convey a professional attitude.

I wish I had a solution to offer. It's easy to point out a problem, it's harder to come up with some way to work around it. Right now he's limited his options. I hope he finds work -- I hope we all find work -- and he may have to be creative. The suggestion to use makeup to reduce the intensity of the image might help -- I've seen actors and celebrities use it to cover tattoos when playing roles where the image doesn't suit the character. There is always a solution.

[Ms. Toad]

71. You would be wrong.

For most jobs I would be hiring for, the kind of poor judgment that led to getting that tattoo in that particular location (and then going on job interviews without concealing it), would put you lower on the list of people I would consider giving the job to.

A birthmark would not.

[Frustratedlady]

77. My lawyer has a huge birthmark on the left side of her face.

I noticed it when I first met her, but after visiting with her a few minutes, it disappeared. She is very nice and pleasant and does not to seem conscious that she has a birthmark, so it is easy to forget.

I'm more concerned that she knows what she is doing than the fact that she has a birthmark.

[WhiteTara]

70. Hey Lakawak

interesting name. Welcome to DU

And yes, there are a lot of whiny white boys who feel so privileged that they go into classrooms and kill girls they don't like because they won't date such a nasty pos.

[BlueStater]

80. I don't know why you had to make this a generational thing.

But it's trendy to blame young people for all the problems in the world, so no one here cares about your nasty patronizing.

WE didn't overwhelmingly vote for Bush and Trump and support idiotic wars that killed thousands of people for no fucking reason, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

[madamesilverspurs]

13. Well, that throat tat is better

than one sported by a job applicant where I worked. He filled out the application and tossed it across my desk with "Don't know why I bothered, nobody's hiring!" He may well have been qualified, but in a job that requires constant interaction with customers a giant "fuck you!" throat tattoo is definitely a barrier to employment. After he slammed out the door, the boss stopped by my desk. He'd seen the guy, glanced at his application and filed it accordingly.


.

[Demovictory9]

23. lol. poor guy.

[tammywammy]

14. Turtleneck and/or Dermablend

Is there a reason you're posting this article from last November?

[Fla_Democrat]

15. Have we learned nothing from TBBT?

Get the Howard Wolowitz dickie.....


https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/turtleneck-dickie/product/34162?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid%20search&utm_campaign=pla&sourceid=7SPFGPLA&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_9PVkPiV2wIVSyWBCh2mMwu8EAQYAyABEgJC4vD_BwE


Problem solved.

[Demovictory9]

24. not a new invention. I had one of those back in the 70s

[yonder]

68. I'm embarrased to say I had two of them back then.

A green and brown one. My room mate gave them to me. As I remember, I only wore one of them once before they found their way to the shop rag collection. Hideous, IMO.

[Demovictory9]

72. I had a white one. absolutely necessary for wearing a jumper dress

[LuvLoogie]

17. I think this kid lacked guidance, or didn't follow advice.

There are always music clubs and hipster coffee shops. Did he have any kind of work history before?

[lunasun]

18. Couldn't put that near his heart or somewhere else ?

[Iggo]

31. Well, yeah.

[Laffy Kat]

33. I once saw a psychologist on some talk show, so take this with skepticism.

But she believed people with very bold tattoos, especially on the face or head, can give off the energy that they are dangerous. Kind of like how a venomous snake or insect is brightly colored to warn predators. She said that even if the person with the ink is the sweetest person in the world, humans are naturally wary of visual incongruities, that those feelings are part of evolution. It does sort of make sense.

[radical noodle]

37. Yes it does make sense

I get that vibe when I'm around people with a certain type of tattoo.

[TeamPooka]

74. At first glance/from a distance many see a tat like that and think gang member or neo Nazi

I know my senior citizen mother does.

[mr_lebowski]

79. It makes perfect sense ... we ARE ANIMALS, and that is obvious in so many ways ...

People's reaction to this sort of incongruity is absolutely based exactly on what this psychologist is saying.

Most who discriminate in this way will not 'realize it', and some who'd defend people who have it done will likely whinge that it's 'class-based stereotyping' or some such, but I absolutely think the reaction described is based on our evolutionary heritage. It's a 'threatening' look, and we sense it via instinct.

Having something like this done to one's self pretty much alerts everyone who looks at you that one or both is true: 1) you've planned on living on the 'outskirts of society' (which is fine, IMHO), or 2) you lack sound judgement if you were thinking you were NOT going to live thusly.

Some exceptions are if you're a talented entrepreneur in some field where non-conformity is strongly celebrated. If you're owner of a successful motorcycle mod or repair shop, for example, or really great at doing the work at such a place ... fine. If you're a successful musician, fine.

No 'regular Joe' should have work like this done on themselves unless they KNOW what their future career path is, and it involves work in a field where this sort of artwork is celebrated.

[Cha]

34. Wow.. Good Luck to

Joe Parsons.

63 is young for your grandpa to pass on.

[Atman]

36. A neck tattoo means...

“Works a job where you don’t have to file income taxes.”

[miyazaki]

38. From a distance, it could look like his throat is cut out.

Not a pleasant sight, (sorry Gramps).

Once on occasion I saw a young pretty girl from a short distance who appeared to have varicose veins. They were actually tats! Jesus.

[Raine]

39. Hopefully he didn't show up in that dirty T-shirt

to apply, putting on a clean T-shirt would at least be a start.

[FBaggins]

41. He says that he thinks it's discrimination... and he's right

It just isn’t an illegal form of discrimination.

But there’s also evidence that the tattoo isn’t his only problem. Other reporting shows that his resume claims seven prior jobs - most held for a month or two (with the longest being six months). “I have the worst luck with jobs” doesn’t help either.

[oberliner]

42. This article is from last year

Any update?

[beachbum bob]

43. lol, discriminated against for being an idiot is not discrimination...

[Vinca]

44. Hey sport, the filthy shirt doesn't help either.

Note to tattoo enthusiasts: get them where they can be covered up. I look at this guy and think idiot, not guy who loved his grandfather.

[Codeine]

48. I'm assuming that's the shirt he got tattooed in

as the art looks very fresh in that photo. There is always a lot of ink smearing during tattoo work.

[MFM008]

46. My sister

Can't have her tats seen at work or her nose ring.

[Codeine]

47. I really like tattoos, but even I

don’t like throat tattoos. They’re pretty uniquely off-putting.

[Ferrets are Cool]

49. Sorry dude, actions have consequences. Should have thought ths one through.

JMO, but evidently the same one a lot of employers have. You have significantly slimmed down your options. And good luck with that lawsuit. Corporations are people now and have feelings.

[hughee99]

57. Perhaps potential employers don't see the tattoo specifically as the problem, but rather as an

indication that the owner is a person that doesn't consider the consequences of their actions and makes poor decisions.

[smirkymonkey]

65. That is pretty much how I would see it.

The dirty T-shirt isn't going to make a favorable impression either.

[Ferrets are Cool]

66. Extremely possible. Like it or not, there is a stigma. nt

[vi5]

51. There's a reason even many tattoo artists...

..call neck and hand tattoos "job killers".

I'm heavily tattooed but hands, neck and face are absolutely off limits for me, for this very reason.

[PoliticAverse]

52. People who dress badly for job interviews are "discriminated against" also. n/t

[Lee-Lee]

62. Tattoos are more or less another form of dress

They display a message about the wearer to all who see them.

[dawg day]

53. I always get interviews too, and then seldom get the job...

I have always attributed it to my lousy interviewing skills. (I have no tattoos, so I can't use that as an excuse.)

[ollie10]

54. Imagine that! Potential employers don't like his tattoo.....

Maybe that is right, and maybe that is wrong and unfair.

But it is 100% predictable.

If this guy couldn't predict the response, maybe he isn't smart enough for the job?

If the guy predicted the response and did it anyway,he got what he asked for.

[ck4829]

55. This whole thing could be a case study based on Erving Goffman's "Stigma"

Including... some of the reactions here on this thread. I'll be sure to remember this as I'm pursuing post-grad studies.

[flibbitygiblets]

56. I'm sending this to my 18-year old. Prominent, un-hideable tattoos indicate lack of foresight

and impulsive decision-making, and even possibly frequent intoxication.

Whenever my daughter starts going on about getting one, I tell her "When a millennial gets a highly visible tattoo like this, most people think they haven't considered their future very thoroughly."

In an interview (for a job, an apartment for rent, etc.), if there are two top candidates, and one has a blatant "fuck you, I'll do what I want" neck tattoo, it's not hard to guess which way the decision is going to go. That's not discrimination, it's reading into cues you're being given, in a limited amount of time. Interviewers don't have the luxury of time to "get to know who you really are". They have to make snap decisions based on cues, and that kind of cue is not going to work out well, unless you are applying for a job in a "creative" field.

Having said all that, I live in Portland OR, where being all tatted up is not uncommon. I know a female RN with dozens of barely coverable tats, and she works for a major health company, delivering care to emergency room patients. But this city is an exception: being "weird" is what we're known for.

[hunter]

59. I see employed people in the process of having gang tattoos lasered off.

And industrial employers don't seem to be put off by ordinary body art, so long as it's not Nazi or other gangster shit on the face or hands.

So it depends where you live.

[Exotica]

60. he can always try to be a keeper, Man City's Ederson has a large neck tat, lolol

Same for Arturo Vidal and Radja Nainggolan (Midfielders) from Bayern München and Roma, respectively

[Lee-Lee]

61. I am sure it's less about the tattoo and more about the judgement it displays

Nothing screams “I don’t think through the consequences of my actions” like going to a job interview dressed in crazy clothing or with a giant neck tattoo.

In many ways a tattoo is the same as clothing- what you choose reflects who you are and the choices you make.

His tattoo says things about his judgement to everyone who sees him, no different than his clothing choice does.

That’s assuming he isn’t looking for jobs where he will be serving the public. That tattoo would be an instant no for a customer service position almost anywhere other than a tattoo parlor or dive bar.

[karynnj]

63. Has he considered wearing a turtleneck sweater or shirt to interviews?

If he did that and was given jobs, he would be correct that the tattoo did color people's first impressions of him. He might also accept the jobs, keep the tattoo hidden until people knew him. Then, if the job did not require being a company representative to others, he might be able to let his tattoo show.

[Demovictory9]

73. he says the wings of the tattoo poke out of shirt

[Henry Krinkle]

64. "insists he doesn't regret getting the extreme body art..."

Could be worse...

[img][/img]

Yep... bad decision making on his part.

Personally, I have no problem with tattoos no matter how badly done, but neck and face
tattoos are something I usually associate with convicts, gang members or sign of mental
illness.

[Buns_of_Fire]

69. Sorry...

[Bettie]

75. Perhaps the young man should have

thought about employment prospects before he had the giant, vivid tattoo put on his throat.

[Lil Missy]

78. And it's not even attractive.