Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

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Canada14
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Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by Canada14 »

I have a full sleeve tattoo on my left arm, black and white tattoo. Nothing with swear words or anything.. Would getting hired by a airline or so forth be out of the question? Can you wear long sleeves with westjet as one example? I have seen Air Canada Pilots with them. What about small carriers like central mountain air, etc? I know once out of the cockpit most put on there suite anyways. But just was curious to know.

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ahramin
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by ahramin »

You'll be wearing long sleeves for the formal interview obviously, I'd recommend wearing long sleeves for all aspects of the interview process, initial training, line indoc, etc.

I've never seen a clause in a CA that actually forbids tatoos, but if it bothers you to go to work looking like a petty criminal, long sleeve uniform shirts are certainly available. Just make sure you ask for it during your initial uniform fitting, as most companies send you short sleeves by default.
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dukepoint
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by dukepoint »

Hate to say it, but here at AC, you'd likely get drummed out of the organization during probation at some point by a junior manager trying to make a name for themselves. Best not to hide it, as they'll find out at some point and make your life miserable.

It is a form of discrimination, I know, however, public image is super important to Major Airlines, and they severely frown upon anything like visible tattoos. It just goes against the "conservative" " straight" philosophy that they're trying to convey. I remember a nice guy who came to the ops centre for an interview. He had nice blue suit and a very neatly trimmed beard, having just returned from the Antarctic. He was back out in the hallway within 3 minutes after entering the interview room.

Personally, I've never come across anyone at AC with noticeable tattoos anywhere. Don't think they ever make it past the interview process. Sorry to say but I think you'd be out of luck. Not to say that there aren't very rewarding careers other than the Majors. Good luck.

DP.
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Sulako
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by Sulako »

I have several large tattoos. I like tattoos. I want more tattoos. Not everyone wants to know their el capitano is illustrated with demons, so I make a nominal effort to not show them off when I'm on duty. So far, so good.
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by xchox »

It would not look favourably. But long sleeve it for sure. Cabin Crews are forced to put band aids on ALL visible tattoos at one of the big airlines. Pilots are not allowed to have any of theirs visible. Lots of people have a tattoo or two... Haven't seen a full sleeve yet.
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pilotidentity
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by pilotidentity »

Don't worry about it. There are pilots at every airline with tattoos.
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Krimson
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by Krimson »

I would think it's more of a thing where you wait to get the sleeve until you're hired and past probation.

I've seen an AC pilot with a full sleeve wearing a short sleeve shirt, so it does happen.
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Meatservo
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by Meatservo »

It might surprise you to know that, conservative as I am, I have a tattoo, on my forearm. I got it over a decade ago because I had reached a career milestone that was very important to me at the time (I got the job that was my "career goal" during college) so the idea that it might limit my career options at this point amuses me.

HOWEVER, since then, something has gone wrong. Sometimes I can hear the tattoo whispering to me to do things that I know are wrong. Sometimes I hear it saying things like "meatservo, don't wear that orange vest, it makes you look like a clown", and "meatservo, maybe you should put on a little extra fuel, off the record, just between you and me" and "meatservo, be rude to those passengers, it will be fun", and "meatservo, don't just spontaneously and spinelessly acquiesce to every unreasonable demand and petty harassment visited upon you by junior management that don't know what they are talking about."

I don't seem to be able to ignore it until I do what it says. I should never have gotten that tattoo, it's driving me nuts and it won't leave me alone.

Don't do it, man. People with tattoos make terrible pilots.
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trey kule
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by trey kule »

Don't do it, man. People with tattoos make terrible pilots.
Perhaps if you used a larger sample size, than just yourself , you would find that is not correct! :smt040

I think the generation I grew up with associated tattoos with pirates and criminals, and I never reslly understood why anyone would do that to themselves , or how they would think it looks nice.

But times are changing. Some tattoos are in colour now and dont have naked women or skulls in them.

Do not not apply for a job because you have a tat...they may just not say no. I would cover it, if possible during the interview process. If you are asked about it, express deep regrets but say it is forever. Play on sympathy .its better than ripping off your shirt, flexing your muscles and saying....beautiful baby....

Surprisingly some of us old dinosaurs who cannot fathom the reason why, are quite liberal about this.
We might explain to you our concern with public image to gauge your reaction, and if it is favourable to us, ask you to cover it up when on duty, the problem is when someone is applying for a job they will promise anything, and then when they get the job and have a union backing them, will change their minds. It can get ugly. Most companies avoid it by default. But give some thought to how others might view it and the company's concerns . If you are OK with that it should not be a problem.

If nothing else there is a message in your post for others.
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esp803

Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by esp803 »

ahramin wrote:if it bothers you to go to work looking like a petty criminal
dukepoint wrote:you'd likely get drummed out of the organization during probation at some point by a junior manager trying to make a name for themselves
xchox wrote:It would not look favourably
Krimson wrote:I would think it's more of a thing where you wait to get the sleeve until you're hired and past probation.
The airlines are probably never going to be in my future, but I can't imagine working for a company that wouldn't hire me based on the ink on my arm. I'd like to think when I get hired it's because of my knowledge, skill, experience or personality, not the color of my skin, sex, appearance or age.

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever boarded a plane, been rolled into surgery, gotten into a taxi, walked into a classroom or hired an escort and looked at the tattoos on their arm and thought: nah, this is a bad Idea, this person has a tattoo.

E
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by Liquid Charlie »

Maybe that is why the fast growing area in cosmetic surgery is tat removal --
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by Mustard »

The number of someone's tattoos is inversely proportional to their intelligence.
That is why the airlines frown upon them.
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esp803

Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by esp803 »

Odd, with the way wages are going in the airlines I would have expected them to jump at the opportunity to hire less intelligent crews....
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CpnCrunch
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by CpnCrunch »

From what I can tell, tattoos now seem to be mostly sported by genteel women on the west coast.
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iflyforpie
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by iflyforpie »

Pretty soon there won't be anyone left without tattoos.... and the most discriminatory employers will have to hire people with tattoos.

http://theoatmeal.com/pl/minor_differences5/tattoos

I don't have to worry though. I've never really felt the need to express my individuality by getting tattoos just like everyone else....
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by ragbagflyer »

Meatservo wrote: HOWEVER, since then, something has gone wrong. Sometimes I can hear the tattoo whispering to me to do things that I know are wrong. Sometimes I hear it saying things like "meatservo, don't wear that orange vest, it makes you look like a clown", and "meatservo, maybe you should put on a little extra fuel, off the record, just between you and me" and "meatservo, be rude to those passengers, it will be fun", and "meatservo, don't just spontaneously and spinelessly acquiesce to every unreasonable demand and petty harassment visited upon you by junior management that don't know what they are talking about."

I don't seem to be able to ignore it until I do what it says. I should never have gotten that tattoo, it's driving me nuts and it won't leave me alone.
I think you should sell the design of your tattoo: sounds like it's right almost all the time.
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by brooks »

I hear for a few thousand dollars you can get that tat removed!
The year is 2001. Eighteen-year-old Rees Barnett impulsively walks into a tattoo parlour and picks the trendiest designs off the wall display: a tribal arm band and a shoulder tribal tattoo. But over the years, both those symbols quickly went from cool to ​cliché, leaving Barnett with tattoo regret. "Unfortunately, I can't blame it on booze," he said. "[It's] one of those bad decisions that you wake up and realize, oh crap, I'm stuck with these."

Now, at age 32, the pension fund analyst is erasing this part of his past at Precision Laser Tattoo Removal in Toronto. A technician zaps his two tattoos with a laser while Barnett endures much more pain than when he got inked. "It almost feels like you're getting electrocuted, pinched all at once and times that by 10." There’s also the painful price tag. In total, he'll spend an about $5,000 on multiple treatments over the course of about a year. The original tattoos cost him around $400.

Ex-gangsters offered free tattoo removal
'I can't tell you how many Tasmanian Devils we've removed'
- Tattoo remover Mike McLaine

Barnett says it’s worth it. "It'll just be nice to think of the tattoos not being there, if I'm going swimming, if I wear a short-sleeved shirt to a company outing."

People like Barnett are fuelling a booming tattoo removal industry. Tattoos have gone from being something you get in prison or the army to a popular fashion statement. And what's fashionable one decade may appear horribly outdated in the next.

"I went in thinking a butterfly would be a sweet, feminine tattoo that I wouldn't regret," said 31-year-old Dominique Farr as she pulled back her hair to reveal the fading butterfly on her back she got when she was 17. The real estate agent has already endured 10 treatments at Precision Laser to nix it. "It takes away from my fashion sense and it's just tacky," she said. "I don't like it anymore."

Tattoo removal becoming big business in B.C.
Market research company, IBISWorld, estimates that, in the U.S., the tattoo removal industry is now worth $75.5 million, up 500 per cent from a decade earlier. The company predicts the business will be valued at $83.2 million by 2018.

Growing trend

Since he opened in 2010, Mike McLaine said his business at Precision Laser has grown by 300 per cent. He's one of a number of businesses popping up across North America that specialize in tattoo removal. Often, he explained, the regretted tattoo is no longer on the "what's hot" list. "We remove a lot of barbed wire now." He added, "One of my favourites is Looney Tunes characters. I can't tell you how many Tasmanian Devils we've removed."

The most common removal technology is a Q-switched laser that shatters the tattoo ink into tiny fragments that later wash away. Patients have to wait about six weeks between sessions and undergo, on average, six to 12 treatments before the tattoo fully disappears, said McLaine. "The reason it takes so many [sessions] is it's like coats of paint on a wall. You have to scrape it away."

McLaine said he has a new PicoSure Laser that can cut treatment time in half. But, because the laser is more expensive, the total cost is still the same, $1,500 to $3,000 to remove one tattoo.

The growing number of people offering tattoo removal is worrisome for some. Cosmetic laser treatments are largely unregulated in Canada. For example, in Ontario, anyone can purchase a laser, get training from the vendor and start treating patients. The Canadian Dermatology Association wants all skin laser treatments to be relegated to the doctor’s office.

Ottawa dermatologist Dr. Sharyn Laughlin has been removing tattoos since 1983. She said some patients seek her services after a bad experience at non-medical clinic, with the complaints ranging from incomplete fading to scarring. She believes all laser skin treatments should be overseen by a doctor: “You really should know your skin to do this,” she said. “[Non-medical clinics] don’t have that quality and knowledge about wound healing, about how lasers work.”

Calgary woman removes ex-husband's name from tattoo as Valentine's gift
While there is no doctor on staff, McLaine said his laser technicians are trained in medical esthetics and laser technology. He adds that they offer a wealth of experience because almost every client comes for tattoo removal. But he supports tougher regulations to prevent just anyone from purchasing a laser and setting up shop in their basement. “Sometimes people call us and say, 'Oh, I heard of a place that will do it for half that price' and I say, you know what, you get what you pay for.”

As for Barnett, he’s satisfied with his service so far. He said he’ll never get another tattoo and warns young people to think before they ink. “They’re pretty popular right now, but definitely, if you’re thinking about getting one, think it over two, three, four, five times.”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tattoo- ... -1.2739901
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by CID »

Your "looks" including any tattoos you sport should not stop you from applying for a job but.....remember that pilots are often in high visibility positions and employers are sensitive to customer's opinions no matter how draconian we perceive them to be. I am one of those from a generation that perceive tattoos to be associated with people with poor judgement, criminal activity and questionable hygiene.

If I'm hiring someone who I feel must command respect and give an air of professionalism, I may bypass the guy with the neck tattoo even if he (or she) is the best pilot ever.

As a rule of thumb, I would say that unless you're going to be a rock star or work in similar industries where tattoos are almost mandatory, then try to keep the tattoos off the forearms, necks, faces and hands. And keep the piercing down to one or two (ears only). You can come up with all the reasons you like as to why this is unfair or wrong but remember, you will be dealing with the public and many will pass judgement on your tattoos and piercings.

This is why most Air Canada pilots just have tramp stamps.
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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by niss »

Chances are you don't have enough tattoos. One day you're going to have to barge into managements job and look intimidating and demand a raise. How are you going to do that with a butterfly on your ankle or some barb wire around your bicep?

You gotta go full badass.

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Re: Chance of getting hired with a tattoo?

Post by Hipster Exterminator »

Off the top of my head I can think of about half a dozen pilots I know with tattoos, including two women.

It never would have occurred to me this was really an issue, unless say you had an Insane Clown Posse tattoo on your neck.
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