How Tattoos Can Impact Your Career

Today's Concorde blog topic is one that 10-15 years ago we'd never have considered. Tattoos are becoming more and more common among the up-coming generation that will make up the workforce. We decided to look into how displaying body art affects getting a job and your health care career.

To delve more deeply into this topic, we sought the advice of one of our Graduate Employment Specialists. Paula Barron, GES at Concordes campus in San Antonio, shared how tattoos can affect your health care career. She also discussed how to handle having them in a job interview situation.

How tattoos can impact your health care career

"Tattoos seem to be trending and, in younger generations, they are very common," Barron said. "Many older generations believe tattoos are unprofessional, and they stereotype people with tattoos."

"If you want to have tattoos, that is certainly your prerogative, but in the workplace, they need to be covered up."

Barron said having a lot of tattoos showing might reflect negatively, at least in the eyes of the interviewer.

"It does not mean that they are less of a person, or that they aren't a good, qualified candidate for the position," Barron said. "It's just that they may get some attention taken away from them and perhaps more attention drawn to the tattoos themselves."

If someone has tattoos and can't cover them up, it might cost that person a job opportunity, Barron said.

"If you are thinking about getting tattoos, it's best to get one in a place where no one can see it or you can at least cover it with clothing," she said. "It would be a shame to lose out on a job just because someone cannot cover up all their tattoos."

Impacting a health care career after being hired

Barron said having tattoos also could hamper getting a promotion or being able to move up in a company.

"It is not always the case, but it could be," she said. "The way a company views tattoos probably depends on what kind of image that company/hospital/clinic wants to portray and the kind of patient they might see."

In summary, Barron said, in some instances, tattoos can influence your career. It is best to cover them up while looking for a job - or if you are currently employed.