As college students, soon to enter the ‘real world,’ we often hear advice on interviewing; what to say, what questions to ask, and even what to wear. There always seems to be a line or two dedicated to tattoos and piercings. Recently one of my instructors handed out an informational sheet titled Presenting Yourself Professionally, this line read “if you have it, make sure it won’t be visible.” The sheet goes on to say that you have the right to be who you are, but an employer also has the right to say that tattoos are not the image they want to be representing their company. Fair enough.

I guess the question is, who are you? Does your tattoo, or tattoos, represent you? Are you willing to be employed by an employer that simply wouldn’t hire someone, because they chose to get a visible tattoo? If you are willing to work for said employer, then feel free to stop reading. This is really more of a “YEAH!” first shaking in agreement article. But, if you’re on the fence, continue on.

I often find the people who are most opinionated on the topic of professionalism and tattoos, are those who don’t have tattoos, and would absolutely never get one. It wasn't until I felt those few lines about hiding your tattoos were being directed towards me that I truly formed an opinion this topic. At this point in my life, I have acquired many jobs, internships, and various other resume building opportunities since having visible tattoos. Thus, I think I might have a pretty good insight on this topic.

It is absolutely your choice, just like getting the tattoo was your choice, to show or not show your tattoos during an interview. Unless you are on your last leg, or box of ramen, desperately looking for a job, you should be yourself in an interview. Being yourself includes showing your tattoos. If you have a strong resume, you interview well, and you are the best candidate, your tattoos should have no effect on being hired. If they do, you shouldn’t work for them. I would venture to guess that's probably not the only thing the employer would want to censor about you.

Of course I’m not saying you should be unprofessional; look sharp, ask questions, avoid filler words like ‘like.’ Remember, this article, like those informational sheets handed out in class, is just advice. While it might be nontraditional interview advice, I advise you to never be ashamed of who you are, whether you have visible tattoos or not. But especially be yourself if you’ve gone through hours of pain and spent hundreds of dollars to get there.