Could your tattoo stop you from getting a job?

Dr Alyssa Grocutt, who is herself heavily tattooed, explored perceptions of tattoos in the workplace for her PhD at the University of Calgary in Canada, and found many stereotypes around tattooed people still exist today, both positive and negative.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, people with intimidating tattoos – in this study, a skull and a knife – were perceived as risky, while those with “friendly” tattoos of a rose and some leaves were perceived as more creative and artistic.

Overall, job applicants with visible tattoos are still slightly less likely to be hired than those without, she says.

But for entrepreneurs, or those working in creative industries, Grocutt suggests they may be viewed as an extension of someone’s personal brand.

“Even 11 years ago, when I started getting tattooed, the hands, neck and face were called ‘job stoppers’, and a lot of artists wouldn’t tattoo people in those areas,” she says.

“I think it’s shifting a bit or maybe tattoo artists don’t want to be gatekeepers. There’s more positive perceptions now, [but] you still get a lot more attention, and that’s an adjustment to get used to.”