Image in the Workplace…(Subtitled I ‘heart’ Tattoos!)

This picture is of my left forearm. As you can see, I have a tattoo. This is not my only one, but it’s by far the largest one. For now anyway. I love tattoos. I think they’re beautiful (most of them) and am always intrigued when I see someone with a full sleeve or other extraordinary body art.  I do; however, always find myself wondering what type of job the person has.

As the name of this blog denotes, I work in HR – your typical buttoned-down, PC, office type job.  I consider myself to be fairly conservative (not in the political sense) however, I have a healthy anti-authority streak and I’m far from PC.  This is a running joke between myself and one of my colleagues.  I’m something of a rebel with a cause.

I’ve had two recent experiences that have gotten me thinking about image in the workplace, especially as it relates to tattoos.  An intern that worked in our main office asked me about my tattoo. He said that he wanted to get one in the same location but was fearful of how it may affect his job prospects and asked me if it had affected mine.  I had to be real with him – it had never been a concern of mine. My feeling is that a job is just what I do during the day; I have to be ME 24/7. I wanted this tattoo so I got it. Quite frankly, any employer or client who chooses not to work with me because of it is not someone I want to work with anyway. I mean that from the bottom of my heart. It has no effect on how I do my job.

A few weeks ago, I co-presented an HR 101 seminar and one of the attendees asked about the risk of setting policies surrounding appearance, to include ‘no (visible) tattoos or piercings.’  My question to that person was “how is this job related?” The response: “Well, people with tattoos and piercings can be perceived negatively by customers.” Wow. Really? Of course, at the time I was wearing a suit, so the person did not realize that I have a tattoo.

Now, I’m no dummy – I realize that a lot of people associate body art with a (sub) counter-culture, but should people have to live their lives repressing their true nature because of that? Should someone be deemed unemployable because they want to express whatever it is they’re expressing on their bodies? I say a resounding “NO, NO, NO!”  There are so many much bigger things in the world to deal with; and when it comes to the business world, people should always and only be judged for their ability to perform.

I’m sure some people reading this will believe that I am biased on this issue because I have tattoos (and maybe also because I have bright red hair) but that is not the case at all. I just believe in a person’s right to exercise a freedom of personal appearance and not have it hinder his/her ability to make a living as he/she so desires.

Now, hygiene, that’s a different story- poor hygiene is just plain unacceptable!

Update: December 14, 2009- Last week the Washington Post ran an article about the acceptance, or lack thereof, of tattoos in the workplace in DC. A co-worker emailed it to all staff and a few of them (including the Pres/CEO) made comments basically agreeing with the mindset that people should cover up their tattoos at work.  I honestly took their response as a slap in the face b/c I DO NOT cover my tattoo at work, so everyone knows about it. I will continue to not hide it. I will wear it proudly and I will get more. It annoys me that people can be so small-minded on some issues.

To Blog or Not to Blog, that is the Question!

I started the first incarnation of this blog earlier this year when I was searching for a job. I intended to chronicle the ups & downs of my job search. I wrote a few posts but then the idea fell to the wayside as more pressing issues became important, such as “How am I going to pay my mortgage?”

A few months later I revisited the idea, because, as everyone knows – social media is the wave of the future. Heck, it’s the wave of the present! I certainly don’t want to be behind the curve. So I wrote a couple more posts, but then, the idea fell to the wayside – again. By this time, I was doing consulting work for multiple companies and as such was already on the computer way too much. On the flipside, I had already ordered new business cards with my blog address on them, having the full intention of blogging on a regular basis. What’s that saying about good intentions??

That brings us to today. I realized that 2009 is nearly over and I’ve only written a handful of posts. Sometimes things come to mind and I think, “I should write a blog post on that.” But I don’t. I do; however, tweet (i.e. use twitter) on a regular basis. I’ve been using it on a personal basis for several months, but it’s been fairly recently that I’ve ramped up my professional use of twitter. So, now the question is – if I tweet, do I really NEED to blog? Well, I do often have more to say than a 140 character limit will allow, so I’m thinking, yes. But how often do I need to post? Common thought is that you should post often in order to make your blog worth reading. I can’t commit to posting everyday. I know myself and I know that’s not going to happen. I am willing to make a commitment to post every week. Sometimes it may be more, but I’ll try to make sure that it’s not less.

Nearly Half of Employers Use Social Networking Sites to Screen Job Candidates

I read this today and felt compelled to write.

I find it alarming and disturbing that 45% of the CareerBuilder survey respondents screen candidates by investigating their social networking sites. I think this is a horrible practice and as a recruiter, I refuse to do this. When someone applies for a job, they are saying, “I would like to have this job,” not, “Please invade my privacy.” Granted, most social networking sites have some type of privacy settings allowing the user to control who sees their information, but should a candidate be penalized for not being privacy setting savvy?

Social networking was given that name for a reason, it’s “social”, different than traditional professional networking. Jill should be able to post to her friends, socially, that she went to happy hour with friends on Wednesday and didn’t get home until Thursday. Joe should be able to post to his friends, socially, that he had three too many drinks at happy hour and went in late to work the next day. Neither of them should fear not being selected for a job because of their social habits, or posting thereof.

That being said, I absolutely have separate social networking accounts – personal and professional- because I understand that this type of thing does happen. I don’t agree with it, but I’m nothing if not a realist.

Nearly Half of Employers Use Social Networking Sites to Screen Job Candidates

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Not Having a Degree Does Not Mean that I am Uneducated.

I’ve never understood the obsession with degrees. BA, BS, MBA, Ph.D….I think they are all great to have and for some fields and positions they are even necessary. What I do not understand is the belief held by numerous employers that a degree is necessary to perform even the most mundane of jobs. Come on, does one really require a BA to answer phones? Based on the jobs that I have seen posted, you would think so.

Some may think that I am biased because I do not hold a degree; however, even when I was pursuing a degree, I felt the same way. I did not feel that I was going to emerge on the other side a better or more valuable person. There is an old saying that goes, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Well, it seems that it can also be said that “It’s not what you know or have done, it’s the letters behind your name.” For some reason degrees tend to trump experience in almost every case. I have worked with numerous employers who insisted that every candidate have a degree or who would choose a recent graduate over someone with experience, but no degree. This thinking completely goes against common sense to me.

I’ve heard different arguments for this mindset, including that obtaining a degree proves that the person put in the necessary work required or that they had “stick-to-it-tiveness.” In reality, it proves NOTHING. I know for a fact that I am more intelligent and more aware than several people that have degrees. Don’t get me wrong – I am not taking ANYTHING away from anyone who has any type of degree….CONGRATULATIONS! I think it’s fabulous. There was a time in my life when I fully intended to obtain my Ph.D. in Psychology; but life intervened and it did not happen. My dreams are different now.

Do I regret not having a degree? Only in as far as it hinders my job opportunities, but other than that, no. There are books on anything and everything that I want to know or learn about. I am an avid reader and do not require an instructor to assist me with comprehension. If I need or want to discuss different topics or learn more about them, I have friends, acquaintances, mentors and others to fill that role. As far as testing, let’s face it, life is the biggest test of all and I’m still here. I’ve been working for several years and have gained varied and invaluable experience. Not to mention, I have a glowing personality. So, what am I missing? Why can’t I get hired? Apparently, two little letters that make the difference between employed and unemployed.

Staffing Firms…Friend Turned Foe?

There was a time when I could count on a reliable staffing firm to help me fill in the gaps between full-time jobs. Apparently, that time has come and gone. Over the past five months, staffing firms have done nothing but let me down. Representatives have promised me jobs that never materialized or worse yet, been completely non-responsive.

I used to work for a staffing firm, so I know what it entails and I know how busy it can get. I also know that the representatives are committed to servicing the employers that are paying them much moreso than they are to the candidates. That being said, I believe that professionalism and common decency should not get lost in the mix. I don’t know what is going on but I don’t like it. I have had staffing reps call me about jobs, interview me, have me complete testing….only to never call me again. Communication is key in any relationship and the staffing rep-candidate relationship should be no different. This isn’t only happening to me either. My other unemployed friends are having the same experience and I’ve read of similar experiences on several message boards.

I don’t know what is going on; but I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit. I long for the days when staffing firms were friends to the unemployed professional…nowadays I feel like they are foes. At the very least they’re indifferent to our situation and in some ways I think that may be worse.

Unemployment Benefits??

When I first became unemployed, it didn’t occur to me to apply for unemployment benefits, primarily because I didn’t need it. At the time, I had enough money to live on. 10 months later that is no longer the case. Money is tight. No, make that TIGHT. And try as I might, I still have not been able to find a job. Of any type. Talk about depressing!!

This past Monday I drove a friend to the unemployment office for the third time. Each time that I have taken him, there are a lot of people and the wait is very long. Indicative, I’m sure, of the current economy and high unemployment rate. This time was no different. We were there for hours. It’s pretty depressing to see so many people out of work. Everyone has a different story, but the reason a person is out of work doesn’t matter. We’re all struggling. I know I am!

I left my job voluntarily – for lack of a better term. I wasn’t fired or laid off, but I definitely needed to leave at that time, for personal reasons. I’ve always been able to get a job when I needed one, so I didn’t think it would be any different when I was ready to go back to work. I could not have been more wrong! Forget full-time; I can’t even get a temp, temp-to-hire or contract job. I’ve had some interviews and gotten close to a few jobs, but then something happens and the rug gets pulled out from under me. Actually, the same thing has been happening to my friend that I drove to the unemployment office, so I’m wondering if one of us is a jinx. Anyway, I have always been under the impression that if you leave your job voluntarily, you are not eligible for unemployment benefits. Imagine my surprise to find out that I was mistaken. Sometimes just the tiniest bit of information during a casual conversation can be life-changing. I applied and it turns out that I AM eligible. Thank goodness! Of course the benefits aren’t enough to cover all of my expenses, but I know it will be helpful.

Back to the job search…

“Would You Hire Me?”

As a professional with several years of human resource and administrative experience, it has never been difficult for me to find a job – until now.  I have been actively seeking full-time employment since November 2008. I never would have imagined that five months later I would be STILL looking. STILL applying. STILL networking. STILL, STILL, STILL. Thankfully, because of my knowledge in certain areas, I have been able to consult on various HR and marketing projects during this time; but what I am truly seeking is regular, full-time employment (or a long-term contract/consulting position) and I have not been the least bit successful in that pursuit. 

In the past, I almost always got the interview and after the interview, I definitely got the offer – except for one time when I was the runner-up, but that worked out for the best.  But now….I can’t even get the interview.  I would like to chalk it up to the economy and the overabundance of qualified candidates that are now on the market and not take it personally; but no matter the reason, things are not working out.

I know I’m not the only one is this position.  I have friends who are also in search of employment. Intelligent, experienced, previously gainfully employed friends.  It hasn’t been easy for any of us.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in February 2009 was 8.1%, and it’s a bit disconcerting – ok, a lot disconcerting – to know that I am among that number.  It certainly is not due to lack of trying.

So what’s a girl to do? Well, of course I have to just keep at it.  All the articles say that traditional job search methods are a thing of the past and so I’m stepping my game up, adding new things to my gameplan, and I will be documenting this via my blog, “Would You Hire Me?”