Tattoos can actually improve your job prospects, experts are told

Some managers believe a tattoo can have a positive impact on their organisation, according to a study.

Dr Andrew Timming, of the University of St Andrews, said his research showed managers believed having workers such as bartenders with tattoos would attract younger customers

He will tell a British Sociological Association conference in Leeds: “Visibly tattooed job applicants can present as attractive candidates in the labour market because they can help to positively convey an organisation’s image or brand, particularly in firms that seek to target a younger, edgier demographic of customer.

“Tattoos, especially in pop culture industries such as fashion retail, are an effective marketing and branding tool.

“Body art can be seen as an asset in the labour market, as long as an applicant’s tattoos are compatible with the organisation’s wider brand personality. This argument is compatible with anecdotal evidence that there has been, in recent decades, what might be called a ‘tattoo renaissance’ in which body art has figured more positively in mainstream society and popular culture.

“Previous research has focused on the negative effects of tattoos on one’s employment chances, but the idea that body art can improve job prospects has, until now, been largely neglected