A bit of background -- I'm a bit older than most of the people here (48). I'm a career administrative assistant, with over 20 years working for large financial institutions. I have over 250 hours of tattoo work (full sleeves, most of my legs, both hands, and back of my neck) and a lot of ear piercings, including 2 industrials, 4 gauge and 0 gauge dermal punches in my right ear, and my lobes are stretched to 3/4".
At A Glance Author Mrs. Penguin Contact Mrs. [email protected] IAM Mrs. Penguin When N/A I started out with standard lobe piercings when I was 9 years old, and that was it for many years. In my early 20's, adding a second lobe piercing became fashionable, and I had that done. Over the years, I added more and more piercings, until I had over a dozen in each ear. It was quite a sight. It was also not a problem at work. I was fortunate that once I proceeded beyond multiple lobe piercings onto more heavy-duty piercings, none of the places I worked had an issue with it. Eventually I added a tongue piercing to the mix.
Then, in May 2003, I was laid off from the job I'd had for 6 1/2 years, and during which I'd gotten the bulk of the piercings done. Although we knew that the layoff was coming, I held out hope that I'd be spared. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and I was thrust upon the job market.
So, what to do about the piercings and tattoos? The tattoos were easy. I ALWAYS wear a suit to interviews, so my arms and legs weren't a problem. For the tattoo on the back of my left hand (the right hand wasn't done yet), I bought large bandaids and covered it up. The ears, though, were a bit more of an issue. My lobes were only at 0 gauge at that point. My solution was to wear my shoulder-length hair down, covering my ears. Fortunately, a job which was an eerily perfect fit came in about 2 weeks later, and even more fortunately it was a very casual atmosphere. Even with my hair down, it was still quite possible to catch a glimpse of my ears. The place I interviewed at didn't notice it, and wound up not particularly caring.
Unfortunately, that job didn't last, and in March of 2005 I once again found myself job hunting. This time, it was much more frustrating. I'd apply to jobs online and enthusiastically be welcomed with open arms by recruiters who were DYING to send me out on interviews. The usual pattern seemed to be that I'd show up, they'd love my background, and then rarely (if ever) send me out on interviews. I was, as before, wearing my hair long and over my ears, but I can't help but wondering if that was an issue. Some recruiters are honest and up front, and will tell you about something they think you need to change, but most aren't. It's hard to know if my difficulty was due to the piercings, due to my being in a higher salary bracket than the majority of the jobs out there, or another factor(s). Eventually, I found a job through a posting on one of the internet job boards. This worked out because while the position was here in New York, the company's main office is in Chicago. I had my initial interview with their internal recruiter (this was not through a staffing agency) over the phone. Since they couldn't see me, there was no way for them to judge me on my appearance. To make a long story short, I wound up getting the job. It was a long search (2 months from when I started until I received an offer) and I have to wonder what would have happened if the initial interview wasn't by telephone.
Bad luck struck again. This job did not turn out to be a good fit, for reasons I won't go into hear. Yet again, I found myself job hunting. I have been extremely pro-active and aggressive this time around, and was meeting with staffing agency recruiters left and right. This time around, a lot of them were saying that I really have to wear my hair pulled back to go on interviews, that it is a 'cleaner' more professional look. Well, that's a problem with heavily pierced ears. A couple of them did notice the piercings, and weren't happy. Coincidentally, those recruiters haven't sent me on any interviews.
Unfortunately, the majority of the adminstrative jobs in the New York City area are filled through staffing agencies, so I am completely at their mercy. If they do not like how you look when you walk in the door, you don't get sent on interviews, regardless of how good your background and skills are. In a way, I can understand their point. They're being paid thousands of dollars by their clients to fill these spots, and they don't make a dime if the client doesn't hire their candidate. They err on the side of extreme caution when picking people to send for interviews. And at the level I'm looking at, there are fewer jobs, and they tend to be higher-level and potentially more conservative.
So, here I was needing to make a decision. I had to take the piercings out. Some of them, like the dermal punches in my conch, couldn't just be removed. It wouldn't do to walk in for an interview with a gaping hole in my ear. I went online and found flesh-colored 'hider' plugs, which work reasonably well. There isn't anything I can do about the lobes. I've been wearing the least obtrusive pair of plugs I have, a pair of pink stone (agate) that don't jump out. And it's a bit easier for a woman to get away with large lobe jewelry than it is for a guy.
In spite of the practical reasons to remove the jewelry, it was extraordinarily difficult and upsetting. My piercings are part of my identity. I love the way they look, and the fact that they make me stand out from other people. I put a lot of time and work into healing the cartilege work. I was nearly in tears as I started to take barbells, captives, and circular barbells out.
But I did it. As much as it hurt, I did it. When it comes down to it, I need to make myself as marketable as I possibly can. There's lots of competition out there, especially at the higher levels. I've got to do everything possible to turn the tide in my favor.
I know there are people who will call me a sellout, and maybe that's true in a way. But I've got to be practical. I'm not a college student, I don't live at home with my parents, and I don't have another source of income. Instead, I'm a middle-aged woman with living expenses that have to be met. And at this stage of my life, being without medical insurance isn't an option. Being in a position where I've been force to choose, I chose to be practical. At least I'll be a sellout with an income and health benefits. I've also got my husband to consider; he hasn't got health insurance on his own, so it's up to me to provide that.
I totally realize that it's not at all fair that any employee should be judged on their piercings rather than the quality of their work. It may be unfair, but unfortunately that's the reality. An employer may not be able to (outwardly) discriminate on the basis of race, religion, etc, but they're perfectly within their legal rights to not want to hire someone who's appearance doesn't fit in with what they've got in mind. In a way, it's along the same lines as having a dress code. I may be an excellent employee, but if I show up in jeans when the dress code is business attire, I wouldn't last long.
So far, the 'hair back, unobtrusive jewelry in the unhideable holes' strategy seems to be working. I'm getting sent out on more interviews than I was during my last job search. And depending on what the atmosphere is wherever I wind up, I could possibly wind up being able to put the jewelry back in. But for now, it was time to grow up.
In a way, this should act as a warning of sorts to other people who are considering piercings or tattoos which aren't easily hideable. Think carefully before you paint yourself into a corner. Just because something isn't an issue at the present time, you don't know what your future holds.