So
I happen to watch MTVs “True Life” show the other day at 11pm EST called “I
Hate My tattoos”. The whole show goes on about how a few young people’s lives
as seriously impacted by their tattoos. Two fellahs were having a particularly
difficult time securing employment for reasons they felt were due to their
tattoos.
One
of the guys says, “Getting my tattoos removed will
afford me a greater opportunity to get a stable job” (he decides it’s worth the
swelling, scabbing, blistering that can result from 5-8 laser removal
sessions). He had tattoos on the top of his hands, his face and neck. One of the guys flat out admits that “I don’t want to go to job
interviews because of my tattoos”. So it’s his lack of comfort about his
tattoos that keeps him from going to job interviews, not the interviewers or
company’s biases etc. He’s not even giving himself a chance…or he’s tried in
the past and has otherwise given up and has decided to self sabotage himself.
What
I found most sadly hilarious about the whole show was when one of the fellahs
finally got a job interview at a restaurant. The first thing they show coming
out of his mouth (nervously at that) to the hiring manager is “This is
definitely a higher class place then I’m use to”. Are you kidding me? During an
interview you’re suppose to showcase your knowledge, skills, and experience,
not talk yourself out of the job. Just because he hasn’t worked in such a “high
a class” restaurant before, doesn’t mean he should toss it out there like that.
He would have been better off to say, “One thing that excites and motivates me
about this opportunity is that not only can I apply my current restaurant server experience to this, but
I’ll be working in a different, more challenging environment. It’s an
environment I haven’t worked in before, but one I’m absolutely ready for.”
Just keeping it
real with you, this fellah’s tattoos are really the least of his employment
barrier issues.
