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Take out your piercings, damn it!


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I'm temporarily working as a receptionist at my office because we don't have one right now. We're interviewing for them. We had one potential candidate and I was ecstatic because I hate working as a receptionist on top of the other duties I have like bookkeeping and proofreading (it's hard to proofread when you have to answer the phone all the damn time).

 

So one girl had her second interview today - I was really hoping that she would get the damn job. But NOOoooOOooo, she had to be an idiot and wear her tongue ring into the interview.

 

Ok, I'm done venting. Thanks for listening.

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I couldn't agree with you more. A business thrives on returning clients and customers, therefore, if it errs, it will err on the side of being conservative.

 

Take out your facial piercings and cover up your tattoos. Earrings are acceptable but try to keep it to one set, tops two sets.

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The thing that burns me is that this was a great candidate for the position in every other way. Her experience was spot-on and she spoke well and carried herself well. She seemed like a good choice and she had to go and ruin it with a pierced tongue wagging all about. Grrrr. I hate answering phones.

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LucreziaBorgia

I have to agree, even though I had my own piercings (none now for medical reasons) and have tattoos. At the very least she could have gotten one of those 'invisible' ones that are tongue colored and wore that for the interview. I'm all about freedom of personal expression, but in the business world it just doesn't fly that way. Regardless of what people believe about how it should be, it is just a fact that in certain professions if you have tattoos and piercings, they should be covered or discreet in order to send across the appropriate company message.

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This was her second interview with the managing partner. Blah. I wonder if she knew why she was being ushered out of the office so quickly. Maybe she thinks she just blew the second interview. Too bad you can't be direct with these kinds of things.

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Oh c'mon. It's not like she had a whole forehead full of piercings- if it was in her mouth, who give's a damn?

 

Piercing yourself doesn't do anything to anyone else, except hold a mirror up to their conservative view about something that's totally inconsequential.

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Oh c'mon. It's not like she had a whole forehead full of piercings- if it was in her mouth, who give's a damn?

 

The guys running the company...

 

We have a very open atmosphere around here. ( Art Studio ).. Artists are very expressive.. some have tats and piercings here..

But I would never hire a front phone receptionist with a tongue piercing..

 

Company look.. would I want the first impression to customers of my company to be a woman with a tongue piercing.. No..

 

Sorry BO.. they will find someone.. till then can I call you and hang up a dozen times? :laugh:

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till then can I call you and hang up a dozen times?

 

I'll call too! We'll tag team her!

 

Certain piercings are offensive to look at, nose rings, eyebrow rings, big ass spacers in the ears to make the hole look bigger (yuk, to see through someone's ear hole is GROSS), tongue piercings - When you're trying to run a business, you want professional looking people.

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Company look.. would I want the first impression to customers of my company to be a woman with a tongue piercing.. No..

 

If she dressed, spoke, and acted professionally, what's the difference?

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If she dressed, spoke, and acted professionally, what's the difference?

By that same token, what if someone had a full facial tattoo of Darthvader? If he/she dressed, spoke and acted professionally, would you hire them in a Money Management firm, for your reception desk?

 

While it would be nice to always have personal freedoms, people are hired by the employer, then paid by the employer whereby the employee manual should govern appropriate office attire and professional look.

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LucreziaBorgia
If she dressed, spoke, and acted professionally, what's the difference?

 

I get what you are saying, but unfortunately the business world does see a difference. They know that a good deal of people have preconceived notions about people with tattoos and piercings and do not want those notions associated with their company.

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By that same token, what if someone had a full facial tattoo of Darthvader? If he/she dressed, spoke and acted professionally, would you hire them in a Money Management firm, for your reception desk?

 

Ok, keep things in perspective- a full facial tattoo is very different from a small piercing that isn't visible most of the time.

 

But how about this- what if they had lots of facial tattoos because of a tribal lifestyle, then moved to the Western world, got educated, and went looking for a job?

 

 

I get what you are saying, but unfortunately the business world does see a difference. They know that a good deal of people have preconceived notions about people with tattoos and piercings and do not want those notions associated with their company.

 

No offense meant to you at all, but this way of thinking is just stupid. It's discrimination on a lesser scale.

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Ok, keep things in perspective- a full facial tattoo is very different from a small piercing that isn't visible most of the time.

 

But how about this- what if they had lots of facial tattoos because of a tribal lifestyle, then moved to the Western world, got educated, and went looking for a job?

It's because you find this acceptable whereby an 80 year-old grandmother or grandfather would not.

 

The nature of business is to find the least offensive and professional look, hence erring on the side of conservative.

 

I wouldn't hire anyone with any facial tattoos, even if it's within the back office, nevermind the front desk. If people want to have tattoos, cover them up.

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It's because you find this acceptable whereby an 80 year-old grandmother or grandfather would not.

 

The nature of business is to find the least offensive and professional look, hence erring on the side of conservative.

 

I wouldn't hire anyone with any facial tattoos, even if it's within the back office, nevermind the front desk. If people want to have tattoos, cover them up.

 

Well, there are a lot of 80-year olds that are still taken aback by seeing a black person in anything other than a subservient occupation.

 

Professionalism is one thing, but it seems like we're SOOOOOO paranoid about the smallest offenses that the line of "acceptable" takes forever to inch forward. And it enforces the idea that there's something off about people who choose to look ever the slightest bit different.

 

There are days I look very conservative, and days I look punk, and no matter how I'm dressed, as long as I act maturely and address people respectfully, I've never gotten so much as a dirty look.

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Well, there are a lot of 80-year olds that are still taken aback by seeing a black person in anything other than a subservient occupation.

 

Professionalism is one thing, but it seems like we're SOOOOOO paranoid about the smallest offenses that the line of "acceptable" takes forever to inch forward. And it enforces the idea that there's something off about people who choose to look ever the slightest bit different.

 

There are days I look very conservative, and days I look punk, and no matter how I'm dressed, as long as I act maturely and address people respectfully, I've never gotten so much as a dirty look.

Being racist is not being conservative... Any fashion statement can be easily changed or hidden unless people have made the unwise decision of facial tattoos. Facial tattoos will change in shape over time, especially if they lose or gain substantial weight. Kind of dumb, IMO.

 

This is no different than an avante-garde hair salon requiring its receptionists to have a more dramatic look, including and especially having to do with their hair.

 

Btw, in the past, I hired an assistant manager who had tattoos covering his entire back and arms. He was discreet and always kept them covered up in the office. When the day was over, he would thow on his leathers, jump on his harley, put on his spiked helmet and ride home. :laugh:

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If she dressed, spoke, and acted professionally, what's the difference?

 

Company Look.. that is what the difference is..

If the interface between my customers and the my company is a person then I want that person to convey an image of professionalism.. A woman with a piercing in her tongue doesn't convey the image I would want my customers to perceive..

 

Our sales reps must wear business attire ( suit.. dress suit etc etc.. ) because I want them to convey that the customers can spend their money with my company and not hesitate at all...

 

If all my sales reps wore jeans and were tated all up with piercings then how in the heck I'm I supposed to get the CEO of Hanes Clothing Brands to spend their money in my shop when they aren't dressed professionally.. ??

 

Like I said.. we have people who have piercings and tats who work here.. but not in a position that shows the image of the company to our customers other than thru their work...

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Btw, in the past, I hired an assistant manager who had tattoos covering his entire back and arms. He was discreet and always kept them covered up in the office. When the day was over, he would thow on his leathers, jump on his harley, put on his spiked helmet and ride home. :laugh:

 

Well then, why can't the tongue piercing girl discreetly not stick her tongue out and wag it around all the time? If she is discreet, most people would never even notice it.

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LucreziaBorgia

No offense meant to you at all, but this way of thinking is just stupid. It's discrimination on a lesser scale.

 

I don't take offense. I understand where you are coming from. If someone gets a glimpse of my tattoos, and my nose piercing when I had one - they often judge me and make plenty of false assumptions about me. I wish that sort of thinking didn't exist, frankly. A tattoo is, after all just a picture on your skin and a piercing is just a piece of metal through the skin. I can't help but to wonder if an alien culture were to observe human behavior if they would think it strange that humans ascribe various notions to stuff like that in such a way as to make a judgments about others.

 

Unfortunately though, society for the most part does not have the ability to look past the outer layers yet. Perhaps one day they will. I wouldn't count on it happening anytime soon though.

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Like I said.. we have people who have piercings and tats who work here.. but not in a position that shows the image of the company to our customers other than thru their work...

You're more lenient than I ever was, since employees can and will wander by the reception desk. Anyone is a representative of the company and the image you're trying to portray to the client or prospective client.

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Being racist is not being conservative...

 

But both can discriminate against someone for trite reasons.

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No offense meant to you at all, but this way of thinking is just stupid. It's discrimination on a lesser scale.

 

It isn't really a way of thinking.. it is the way the world really truly does work.. either conform or rebel.

 

I'm not saying that rebellion is bad.. it is just that conformation has it's perks..

 

The world will not change if you don't want to work somewhere because they have certain methods of doing business...

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Well then, why can't the tongue piercing girl discreetly not stick her tongue out and wag it around all the time? If she is discreet, most people would never even notice it.

Good question. You might want to ask blind_otter the question of how the tongue piercing girl managed to allow the interviewer a glimpse of her tongue piercing. If the interviewer can see it, so can clients, therefore, why hire someone so indiscreet when there are plenty of candidates who know better?

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Unfortunately though, society for the most part does not have the ability to look past the outer layers yet. Perhaps one day they will. I wouldn't count on it happening anytime soon though.

 

Sadly. :rolleyes:

 

This makes me want to actively not hire women who wear stupid hokey sweaters, men who wear ugly ties, and both sexes who wear too much scent. Because I think all these things are unprofessional.

 

But that would be silly, right? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

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But both can discriminate against someone for trite reasons.

It's illegal to racially discriminate in that the discriminated can pursue legal means to compensate. It's not illegal to demand professionalism from your employees or prospectives.

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