Should You Hide Your Tattoos for a Job Interview?

You got the interview! Congratulations!

This is when the question of how much of yourself to reveal in the first interview surfaces. Do you show your full sleeve tattoos, facial piercings, religious jewelry or blue hair? Or, do you hide them to be more “acceptable”?

You may be wondering:

• If I show my tattoos, will they question my professionalism?
• If I cover my tattoos or tuck my religious pendant into my shirt, am I being true to myself?
• What if the interviewer doesn’t like facial piercings and feels I’m not leadership material?
• Could I work for a company that would view my self-expression negatively?

These are big questions to ask as you take off the military uniform and adapt to civilian work and style. There are no set rules, protocols or even guidelines around how to dress and present yourself physically for a job interview, making these questions both legitimate and frustrating.

The Power of Perception

Why is this even an issue? Because of the important power of perception. As human beings, we perceive, believe, judge and form options and ideas about a person based on several factors, including what we see. Unfair? Often. But perception feels real to the person experiencing it, and it informs their actions and decisions about someone else’s value.

Read More: Should You Place the ‘Open to Work’ Banner on Your LinkedIn Profile Photo?

Our emotional filters, biases, culture and contextual senses influence how valuable we perceive someone to be. When we perceive someone favorably, we may be inclined to want to learn more about them and possibly hire them. If we view someone negatively (based on correct information or not), we may limit opportunities for that person. In part, this explains how two people with equally competent, robust, detailed and credible backgrounds and skills can compete for a job, and one person secures the opportunity and the other is passed over. Sometimes it comes down to one candidate being more likable, polished, friendly, relatable or the like. The positive perception of the favorable candidate tips the scales.

How do you decide whether to show your body art?

To help you decide how best to show up for an in-person or video job interview, consider these points:

Research the company. On the company’s website or LinkedIn profile, does it show candid images of employees and business leaders? Do any of those people have body art, wear facial or religious jewelry, or have brightly colored hair? Can you get a sense of the company culture from images you see online?

Talk to people who work at the company (or did so recently). Ask them about the company’s acceptance of individual expression. Was it typically accepted at only junior levels in the company? Did they see people ascend to senior leadership and retain these public elements of self-expression?


Research the interviewer. What can you tell from the interviewer’s social media? Does the person celebrate and embrace diverse perspectives, support individuality and self-expression? While it might be hard to determine this from their LinkedIn, you can see what events, programs and communities they embrace. This won’t be an absolute — some people surround themselves with diverse individuals yet are more conservative in their views around body art and self-expression. You can’t know for sure what someone believes and values unless they tell you directly and you see evidence that they live in alignment with those values. But you can glean insights about a person’s viewpoint. Never use this solely to direct how you approach someone. Unfortunately, some individuals may mask their true feelings to be relevant and appropriate. Their true beliefs and feelings could influence their decision making.


Be prepared to talk about the meaning and significance of the personal effects you reveal. If a tattoo has a deeply personal, intimate or inappropriate story behind it (“While on deployment, I got really drunk one night …”) then the story might be more of a distraction than the tattoo.

Deciding to reveal elements of personal self-expression should be done with intention and forethought. Can they limit opportunities, or will they showcase your true personality? That’s a decision to make on a case-by-case basis for many job seekers.

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