"I'm Modified, so I have to work a dead-end retail or food service job."
At A Glance Author cuthalcoven Contact [email protected] IAM cuthalcoven When N/A How often have you heard this, or even thought it yourself? Probably very often. I myself always felt that I had to hide my tattoos with long sleeves, and wear my hair down to cover my measly 2ga lobes. Then, my aunt got laid off, and my dad decided to quit his job of 22 years. Suddenly, the only money the house has coming in is my grandma's once a month Social Security check. Not very comforting. So what's a girl to do? Get a job, that's what. But I don't want to work retail or in food service... for one, I don't like people all that much (lol) and for two, I'm already 300lbs. Why in the hell would I want to subject myself to food continuously? I'm not that stupid.
So off I went, into the concrete jungle that is Downtown Toledo. I had resumes and references in hand, ready to plead my case to anyone who would listen. I ended up at Adecco, a staffing company. They were having a "job fair", where you could meet and talk with all of the employers that were there and submit your application and resume to all of them at once. I got to talk to quite a few people, and learned some surprising things. These jobs were all Administrative and Clerical jobs, receptionists and secretaries...things that I was good at but thought I had no chance of getting into because of my piercings and tattoos. I even, once again, wore my hair down and wore a long sleeved shirt. Argh!
My first interview was with an older gentlemen, whom I shall call "Bob". Bob was pleasant and polite, treated me with kindness and respect. It got hotter in the cubicle, so I pushed my sleeves up. Oops, he caught me. Bob smiled and told me that he had a full back tattoo! What??? He asked to the meanings and such, and I showed him my lobes. Bob re-assured me that if I wore "full pieces" (which I'm assuming he was referring to plugs) that people would think they were the costume jewelry types that older women wear. Now, normally I'd kick anyone who thought my ears were 22ga and covered with hideous "clip on" costume jewelry, but he had a point. For ears up to 0ga, this is a practical and convenient way to "hide" your ears. It could even be used for higher gauges, I just don't know because mine are only at 0ga right now, so that's all I have experience with.
Another interview station down the way, I met a very...well, my first choice would be "anal-retentive", but let's just say she was a little "uptight". I showed her my resume and references, and took three different typing and data entry tests. While I was typing, she noticed my ears and my tattoos. She immediately said that I would not be able to get a job with her company unless I hid the tattoos, and took out my lobe jewelry. I proceeded to use Bob's example, and showed her how a plug would cover more than an eyelet, and explained that I had plugs in pretty colors and stone designs that would look really professional. She still complained about the tattoos, but as a truce... I offered to wear longer sleeves or bangle bracelets to cover them. She said that was an acceptable compromise, and proceeded to tell me that I had the best data entry time of the day!
Another interviewer told me that he didn't care what I had or proceeded to get, as long as it could be hidden and the clients didn't complain about it. He said that if clients complained, the only thing he would do would probably be to ask me to find a better way of hiding them, and that he wouldn't fire me over something like that.
On the last interview, the man who interviewed me was relaxed and casual. He was dressed in a suit, but made it appear like casual wear with his stance and attitude. I explained that I had modifications and what they were right off the bat, to see how I would fare by being upfront, since I had waited until they were noticed by the other interviewers. He checked them out, and told me that he personally didn't have a problem with them, but some of the other managers might. After I took the data entry tests again for him, he was surprised. He basically told me that with my data entry and clerical skills, my appearance was a moot point and that anyone who complained about them was being stupid. Heh.
So, what did I learn and take away from this?
1- Find ways to hide your piercings or tattoos ahead of time, so if questioned... you can explain precisely what you can do to make them less noticeable.
2- Be willing to compromise. If one modification bothers them more than others, offer to hide or cover one if you can just make the other one less conspicuous.
3- Be polite and courteous. This may sound like common sense, but this goes a long way towards showing that even though you look different, you would still be a treasured employee.
4- This is the biggest thing I learned, and it was from the last interview. MARKET YOURSELF. Learn new skills, brush up on old ones...be the best that you can be. If you're the most qualified person for the job, you WILL get that job, regardless of what you look like. If you're only so-so with your qualifications and skills, your mods will most definitely drop you down to the bottom of the pile. But if you're highly sought after, it doesn't matter what had extra on your body. Companies will fight over you, if your skills are something that they need.
Face it, the older generation and the baby boomers don't know jack shit about computers and the newest technology. We do, and the younger generations are a HUGE employment force. Sooner or later, corporations and businesses are going to have to tap into that supply source, whether they agree with what we've done to ourselves or not. I can't count how many times my dad has needed me to go to his workplace on the weekends to trouble-shoot the Solomon program. I estimate that I've saved that company at least 100 times over the past 22 years, because no one there has a clue how to run the system.
So make yourself desirable! Learn everything you can and march into that concrete jungle with the certainty that you are the best candidate for the job. And you will succeed, I know it, because I've seen it.