Tattoos and work have always been regarded a bit of a risky combination. While employers worry they don’t come across as professional to clients, candidates fret they may harm their chances of getting a job.
If you have a tattoo and are considering moving your job hunt abroad to escape the stagnant job market in the UK, it’s probably best to bypass Japan’s second-largest city, where tattoos have been the centre of a heated dispute.
Young graduates in Osaka, Toru Hashimoto, have been busy removing their tattoos in order to find work after the mayor banned local government employees from getting inked.
The mayor has even gone as far as imposing body inspections to enforce the new law effectively – forcing graduates fresh out of uni to spend an average of between 100,000 and 200,000 yen (£819 and £1,637).
You may not be obliged to remove your body art in order to get a foot on the career ladder – but here are a few things you probably should ‘remove’ if you’re looking to find work fast:
Excess piercings
Unlike tattoos, these are easily removed – which is perhaps worth doing if you want to come across in the most professional manner possible at an interview.
Once you’ve settled into the job, you will have got more of a feel for the place and, depending on whether your position involves meeting with clients, the piercings may be able make a long-awaited comeback.
Dodgy Facebook photos and Twitter updates
Employers have admitted checking out potential candidates’ social network accounts before inviting them (or not) to an interview.
Don’t give companies a reason to bin your CV: delete the photos of your drunken attempts at pole dancing on a messy night out, and cut out the statuses about how much you’re enjoying doing absolutely nothing post-uni – or save yourself the hassle and make your personal accounts completely private.
Waffle from your CV
Keep CVs to two pages maximum – employers can be easily put off by huge chunks of text. Use bullet points to help break up the text and make your CV easier to read. Your employer will thank you, hopefully with a job offer.
Are you on the hunt for jobs for graduates? Are you worried your body art or piercings might affect your search?