Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Career Advancement: Are You Ready To Be Promoted?
10 Ways To Use Speaking to Further Your Career Goals
job vacancy indonesia
Everyone has to start somewhere. Here are 10 ways learning to be a speaker can enhance your career.
1. When you speak you automatically assume the role of an expert. People are coming to hear what you say, right? That routinely positions you in the role of an expert. The more credentials you add to your "expert" status the more valuable you become.
2. Speakers get high profile visibility. Look to get your name included in programs, brochures, email announcements, agendas and other handouts, press announcements and online posting of conference materials. This is especially important when you are starting out and are not being paid. Ask up front what type of PR they will be doing for the event. NOTE: Pay attention to important submission deadlines.
. As a speaker, you get to meet other colleagues and associates. It?s a place where you can chat up your competition without any repercussions. Look to see who's on the agenda and make sure to meet as many other speakers as you can. Ask them to keep you in mind at other events where they might be speaking.
4. Speaking can open doors to people you want to meet. It?s easy to pick up the phone and ask someone to come to your event or send them an email invitation. Even if they can't attend it will position you as someone of note. It?s also a great way to follow up with a copy of your name in print as an expert on the program.
5. The media looks for speakers at conferences and events as potential interviews. Make a point of introducing yourself to the media. It gives you an excellent way to follow up for future conversations. Add the media to your master press list and send them announcement any time you are speaking. Note: employee Don't just blast a boring announcement. Spice it up with some clever opening subject line.
6. Speaking enables you to come back with report on other events and activities. Make sure you listen to the other speakers not only as a benchmark to your expertise but to learn something new. If you are an employee, be sure and follow up your presentation with a report to your boss. Send a note to associates on anything you found of interest.
7. Often you can attend other sessions free of charge. Take advantage of this opportunity. Some times conferences are running concurrent tracts. Maximize your time there.
8. As a speaker you get face time with executives that you may not any other way. The higher the level of conference, the higher the level of attendee. You may use this as a vehicle to meet someone you have been trying to track down. Note: After is better than before. Also use the networking sessions which are commonplace to work the attendees and speakers
9. Recruiters are always on the lookout for high profile candidates. If you are in the market for a job, this is an excellent way to have the best jobs (through a recruiter) seek you out. It showcases your expertise in the best possible way. Don't be surprised when colleagues call you because they have seen your name showcased in print.
10. Look for an angle to market yourself for free exposure. If there is no money form the engagement, look for other ways to make up for it: a free booth, a place to sell your stuff, additional days at the hotel at the staff rate, discounts for attendees.
Remember, no matter what the opportunity look for the way to spin the exposure to showcase yourself in the best light possible.
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Your Most Important Asset
Five Powerful Tips for Interns
What To Do When Your Boss Is a Jerk
Continue to work hard. Regardless of how your boss treats you, it's in your best self-interest to continue doing your job to the best of your ability. Stay focused and think about how your efforts are helping the company as a whole. If you do a good job, you may get noticed by your boss's colleagues or even his superiors. Maybe a better opportunity will arise.
>vacancy
Try to improve your relationship. If your boss is a complete jerk, this may be impossible no matter what you do. But if he's only a partial jerk, perhaps it would be worth your time to try to make the situation better. After all, this person may have control over your advancement up the career ladder. And while quitting may seem to be the easiest thing to do, searching for another job, having to explain why you left your last one, and struggling to get a decent reference from an ex-jerk-boss may make leaving a difficult option for you. Instead, swallow your pride and try to understand your boss's management style and personality and adapt yourself to that. For instance, if he's a micromanager, give him constant updates and details on what you're doing (even if you think it's a waste of your time and he should just trust you to do your job).
Effective communication is very important, and it works both ways. If your boss is unclear in telling you what he wants, ask questions until you know exactly what's expected. During performance evaluations or one-on-one discussions, ask him what you can do to meet his expectations.
Go over your boss's head. This is rarely a good idea. But if you've tried everything else, and you feel that your boss is making serious mistakes that affect the company (and not just you), consider talking to his superior. If you take this route, be prepared with specific examples and proof, not just accusations. And realize that this tactic may backfire on you (especially if your boss's boss is also a jerk).
> employee
Monday, December 6, 2010
Seven Steps to Making a Successful Career Change
OK, maybe I'm not quite THAT old. But I did start out as a secretary. While I didn't mind the work, eventually I decided it wasn't very satisfying. I often felt like a "tool" that helped others contribute to the organization's success. I wanted to make my own contributions, to find creative ways to make a difference. It took me about 12 year to come to that conclusion, decide to do something about it, and change my life.
If you are not happy in your current job, perhaps it's time to think about making a change yourself. Here's what you should do: > job vacancy indonesia
1. Determine why you're not happy. Are you really unhappy with the work you do, or just upset with your salary, boss, coworkers, or the office environment? There's a difference between hating your job and hating your work, and realizing that will help you decide what course to take.
2. Find your passion. What do you love doing more than anything else? List your top three favorite activities. Try to be a bit realistic here and choose activites that you might be able to earn a living with. For instance, if your three favorite activities are sleeping, eating and watching TV, your career options are somewhat limited. But do include hobbies and activities one doesn't always associate with work.
3. Evaluate your strengths. What are you good at? Consider more than just your technical skills. For example, do your prefer leading or following; analyzing or simplifying; working alone or with a group?
4. Do research. What career fields would allow you to use your passions and strengths to earn a reasonable living? Here are some great online resources that offer tools to help you do a self-assessment and then find careers that match your interests and skills: > employee
Analyze My Career.com
MyLifeCoach.com
FutureProofYourCareer.com
JVIS.com
Too Much Competition? Change the Color of Your Collar!
Friday, December 3, 2010
THE ARYADUTA HOTEL & COUNTRY CLUB
- Fluency in English
- Minimum 2 years experience at the same position.
- Experience in a 5-stars hotels is highly preferred
If you are looking for a challenge and want to be part of Aryaduta family, then send your application along with resume before 15 December 2010, to the below email:
employee
recruitment.karawaci@aryaduta.com
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
How to launch a career?
TV is the best source to launch your career. You can broadcast your career launching in form of an advertisement but not in documentary style that will be tedious. Also stroll down important notes of your career on TV sports and news channel for at least 60 second during sports and news time. You can show it in form of clips especially during special programs. Give your launch ad in first break. To promote your career take these steps.
Proper Network
Use proper network phenomenon for the launching of your career. To obtain strong feed back from society and organization perform in such as way that previous generation did never act. Thanks to internet phenomenon, like Facebook and other social networks to help you in finding the best job. Try to show your skills via launching program that are required by the organization. These skills can be in form of computer fluency and flair of teamwork. Your social networking skills and consumer intellects are necessary for valuable career launch. Generation demand can also reveal obliging to your career.
Keep in touch
For the successful career or jobs launch contact with your concerned persons. Try to keep in touch with your previous colleagues and friends. When you are going to launch your career invite them, too. In this way you can connect with different developing organizations, social networks and media.
If you are working in an organization then this place can also be a best source for your career. Try to gain new opening opportunity if it suites you. You can launch career at that place with the coordination of your friends and ex-colleagues. You can play fabulous and useful role in that place. If you have been working in market then you can utilize your relationships for your career launch.
Newspaper
If you are looking for a best place for your career launching then newspaper is also a great source for this purpose. Especially evening time newspaper is really good for this. You can get place in vacancies and edition via a newspaper. Through this place you can get a biggest and pushiest section. In UK, Sunday is the best time to proceed. Your image selection should be appealing, it can convey your theme properly.
DESIGNING YOUR CAREER SWEET SPOT
Now I know. To be truly satisfied in a career, it must be comprised of exactly those three elements above and a somewhat selfish perspective. Before you start looking for a new house, for example, you make a list of "must haves" and "nice to haves." Same with a new car, yes? Treat your career plan or job search no differently.
It has to start with YOU and your goals.
Get intentional about first carefully understanding what constitutes the three key elements of your ideal role, at the intersection of which you'll find the sweet spot: your ideal career.
3 ELEMENTS OF YOUR IDEAL CAREER
Whether you are a highly motivated jobs seeker looking for a new position or a gainfully employed professional looking for the "next opportunity" internally, consider these three elements when asking yourself, "What do I really want to do?"
Function
This is the what you do piece. The tasks and activities you're responsible for completing, the role you play, the duties and responsibilities in the job description. Marry your unique MO - how you naturally do the things you do - and your strengths with a role that needs those talents to accomplish the job most effectively and you have a match that allows you to do what you do best every day.
For example, if you are a gregarious brainstorming type who adapts every documented process to address the needs of the current situation and who thrives on experimenting with new ideas to see if they work... perhaps a role in direct marketing planning and analysis isn't for you. (That was me, by the way. For the first 15+ years of my professional life.) No, no, leave that job to a systematic planner who decides, through strategic data analysis, what is feasible to try then carefully measures the results to gauge success and gather information on how to do it better next time. (Thank goodness for me there are people out there like this!)
Passion
The why you do what you do piece. What difference do you want to make? What impact? What will be your legacy? What would make you excited to get out of bed every morning to work on and invest 8+ hours a day?
I'm not necessarily talking about finding the cure for cancer or saving the whales here. Unless that's truly your thing. I'm talking about what you feel is important... what is meaningful to you. Just because your father wanted to fill the world with song doesn't mean that's what would make you race into the shower after turning off the alarm every morning. When you can work toward making a difference in some area that you feel strongly about, you will apply what you do best every day to something that matters.
Environment
The where you do what you do best piece. What does the "place" look like that will allow you to do your best work? Bright, open shared space? Private office? Your car? Outside? What is the culture/core values of the organization? Who are your colleagues (if any) and what are their attitudes, beliefs, work ethic? What are the ideal benefits and compensation?
From the physical space to the intangibles like values and benefits, outlining the characteristics of the right environment is just as important as what you do and why you do it in order to find - or design - the exact right fit for YOU.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meredith J. Masse, president of MPOWER Consulting, is a professional development consultant, career coach, and speaker who empowers individuals, teams, managers and leaders to do what they do best... focusing on the fastest way to achieve performance excellence: through optimizating natural strengths, talents and instincts in the workplace. Visit www.MPOWER-Consulting.net.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Starting A Career As A Teacher
Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy
Friday, October 22, 2010
10 Tips When Searching For A Job
Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy
The first thing that you should do is figure out your interests. Use these interests to set you apart from the crowd.
These are available numerous places online. After you take this test, you should get a good idea about what you like in a job environment.
Look to friends, co-workers, and family to tell you what you do best. They can give you a different perspective from your own. Hearing your strengths and weakness from other people can help you determine what kind of job you should be looking for.
Compare different aspects of a job. Are you more interested in a job that you are going to enjoy or a high salary? Are you planning to have the weekends off to spend time with your friends and family?
Nowadays, you are likely to bounce around from company to company. On average, you are likely to work for five companies during your working career. Pick a certain career track and try to stay on that path.
Agreeing with the ideals and goals of the company you are working for is very important. Take note of what the company stands for and compare that with your own ideals. You should feel comfortable working in a company. Make sure that the company works for you, not only that you work for the company.
Choosing a new career path can lead to a lot of change, both personally and professionally. There are tons of opportunities available to you.
When you are in your 20s and 30s, you spend a lot of time on the job. As you get into your 40s, your personal life will become more important. It is important to find a career that will allow you to balance you work and personal life.
If you are not satisfied with your career, do not hesitate to look around for another one. Make sure that you are in control of your career and that you are doing something that you want to be doing.
The best way to stay organized is by making a schedule. If you are applying for many different jobs and get some interviews, you are going to want to keep track of everything that is going on. The best way to do this is by creating a schedule.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Make More Money With a Better Savings Plan
If you are one of the many people are wish you could get a little more out of your current savings plan, there are ways to make more money with the money you put into savings if you take the time to find a better deal. With current interest rates so low, you are lucky to even get one or two percent on your savings with a traditional passbook savings account. While stocks often put your money at risk, especially with today's fickle stock market, and investments into things like real estate is no longer a sure thing, just making some shifts with your savings account could yield you more cash.
Some people will make more money by investing some of their savings accounts into bonds. There are many municipal bonds that are really safe, and United States Treasury Bonds, which are also quite conservative as well but will usually often bring you in more money than current savings accounts. These investments are good long-term investments and are as safe as virtually any other investment.
Once you have stacked up a little more money, you could put your money into certificates of deposit with your bank. These certificates offer a little more interest than your savings account, and the longer you are willing to tie up your money in one the better interest rate you will get. Six months is the shortest time frame for a certificate of deposit, and some go as long as five years. You can make more money if you use the longer-range certificates as long as you do not need the money withdrawn, which you will pay a penalty for if you have to break the certificate before it is due.
If you get to a point where you have large sums of money in your savings you can turn that account into a money market account and make more money than before as well. Money Market accounts are basically a savings account with restrictions on how often you can withdraw funds or write checks from it. You may also be held to maintaining a minimum balance on the account or be hit by fees if you fail to do so.
All in all, you can make more money through very safe means if you are willing to take a look at what your bank has to offer. Many times even changing to a different bank could bring you more cash through more favorable interest rates too. Even if it seems like the differences are merely equating to a few cents at a time, those pennies will add up over the years and you will be happy you made the switch.
Finding Jobs With a History Degree - Discover the Profitable Hidden Opportunities
Finding jobs with a history degree can be a frustrating process. There is a lot of competition for few jobs. These days you are lucky to even get a job, let alone one that pays well. However, if you take advantage of emerging trends then you will be able to find opportunities that others aren't even aware of. If you have a history degree then you already have the skills necessary to succeed. In this article I will reveal to you how you can:
- Use your existing skills of research and writing to your advantage
- Reward yourself with a steady, ongoing stream of income
- Enjoy the comforts of working on your own time
- Have the peace of mind that comes with earning huge profits
- Learn and write about things that are interesting and exciting to you
There have always been trends in the past which helped make different sectors of the economy easier to make a profit. Initially the profitable sectors were physical resources such as timber, minerals, land and steel, as well as the transportation and manufacturing of those resources. Next it was manufacturing and cheaper ways of making things. For example, shipping production overseas or using new materials like plastic. By the 1990s the greatest opportunities for wealth were in distribution and finding cheaper ways to distribute physical products.
There is a shift in the economy which is happening right now which is to the advantage of people looking for jobs with a history degree. The economy is moving away from physical distribution to intellectual distribution. Intellectual distribution is educating consumers about products and services that will improve their lives, but which they don't yet know about. Because technology is advancing so rapidly and making so many new products, companies desperately need to make their products known and they are ready to pay good money for the service of intellectual distribution. If you are looking for jobs with a history degree you can apply your research and writing skills to create a sizeable income.
The way this works is you target online consumers who are looking for a product or service online. You help them by doing product and market research and present them with your findings. This helps save them time and make a better, more informed decision. If the customer decides to purchase the product you recommend then you get paid. As you can see, people looking for jobs with a history degree can apply their existing skills to help people and companies connect.
How to Make Money With Your Thespian Skills
While it is obvious that big time actors make big time money, but there are also many others who act, direct, and perform daily who are struggle trying to figure out how to make money while working their craft. Some begin working in television in commercials or for local affiliates, some ply their trade as various entertainers at fairs and theme parks, and others do live theatre work for as many productions as they can to get their name out in the world of acting.
Television commercials are definitely one way for an actor to discover how to make money in their field. While the pay can be pretty good for some commercials, it is often difficult to make it through the audition process, as the competition is fierce. It may take many auditions before an actor actually lands a single job that pays anything. Beyond the amount of time it takes to film the actual commercial, there will be many hours spent trying to get the gig first, which has to be factored into the overall time spent compared to the money earned. Once you are established in the television commercial realm, it may become easier for someone to get more jobs based on their credentials and resume.
Sometimes we have all thought it might be fun to be the person dressed up as Mickey Mouse at Disneyland, or many of the theme park characters we always see when we visit one of these places. While the job is not nearly as glamorous it seems, it is a way beginning actors find out how to make money as they break into the industry. Taking pictures with little kids, dancing around on stage sometimes, and even having to take some levels of abuse from disorderly children is all par for the course with these folks. Being able to handle some of these hardships might bode well for them later when they audition for other gigs, and they are at least earning a steady paycheck in the process.
Many actors do local theatre work for no pay. The flip side is that they are learning their craft and developing the skills so they can learn how to make money with what they have learned later on. The experience they gain is quite valuable, and they can also begin to make a name for themselves over time, which will help them in auditions in the future.
No matter what route they take, it is important for actors to know how to make money in their industry before they become rich and famous. Many will agree that they would rather make small amounts of money still doing things within the industry than just working a regular job outside the industry and still just keep hitting auditions when they can. The acting bug strikes so many people, and if you have it in you, you might find yourself making your way in this industry as well.
Let Your Passion Make Money For You
What is your greatest passion in life? Do you paint, draw, write books, or love taking pictures? All of these things can make money for you if you decide you want to pursue them with a more serious mindset. Artists sell their work all the time, and freelance work is always available if you know where to look. You may move beyond the realm of freelance work and decide to publish or market your work on its own, and then you can make serious money once you have n audience that is interested in your unique work.
Painters who have a different spin on the ordinary often sell well when they decide to make their work public. Writers can make money doing everything from writing freelance articles to publishing their novels, and even can make a few dollars through tutoring other writers or students. Photographers are always contracting out their services, from weddings and events to family portraits and baby pictures, there is a lot of photography work out there if you are ambitious enough to go get it.
The one factor that often stops the artist from going out in the world to make money is their passion for the art that they are creating, and do not think about it in monetary ways. They create spectacular original work, and have deep personal attachment to each individual piece they complete. When someone is personally attached to something it is harder to merely sell it for a dollar or two. This can often lead to the classic situation of the starving artist who never makes money until they are dead, because that is when their work is finally put on the market and sold to the public who ends up really loving their work. The art is also worth more at this time as there is no more new art to be produced, and the value and rarity increase with an artist who is no longer living.
Ultimately, the way an artist can make money with their work is to start getting their work out to the pubic as soon and as often as possible. Waiting too long on doing so makes the ability to touch people with your visions and creative work is severely diminished, and nobody will ever know how special of an artist you really are. So if you have the talent to produce something special, don't waste time mulling over whether you should put it on the market. Share your talent with the world and it may bring you some money as well.
Wedding Planner Certification - Tips for Getting Event Planning Contracts
Every couple and their family starts planning and preparing for their wedding reception much before the actual day of the event. How would it be to appoint a professional wedding planner for all arrangements related to your ceremony? Don't you think it sounds great! No doubt you can plan everything yourself. But a skillful event manager is trained to have a better illusion of the whole event and can tactfully plan out everything much more early and in an easy way. Thus assigning an event planner relieves you of the burden.
Looking at the rising demand of event planners in this competitive era when people really want perfection of their occasions, you must look forward for Wedding Planner Certification. If you avail wedding planner certification from some reputable institute, you surely have a bright future. You have many opportunities of getting a job as an event manager at five star hotels and can earn a lot. Some popular wedding planner companies also provide Wedding Planner Courses and Certification. If you get yourself registered with one of the recognized companies for your certification then there are many chances that they will themselves offer you a good job.
Thus your journey as a wedding planner can begin from wedding Planner Company. As you are now well versed with event planning and management, you can work on personal bases to get more and more contracts. Initially you can do some volunteer work and manage the responsibilities of small events for your friends, neighbors and relatives. When you have won many appreciations and are confident enough about your skills, you can then begin as a paid event planner on small scale.
You can make your own personal website and introduce yourself as a certified event planner for birthdays, dance parties and small scale business conferences. You must also get your own business cards published and involve in a little marketing to gain fame. For the success of event management, two most important keys are to have excellent coordination and time management skills. Friendly atmosphere and team work are very necessary to bring up a qualitative conclusion of the event. To get many things to be done simultaneously on time you need to deal very well with all people indulged in managing different categories of the occasion.
When you have arranged quite a lot of small events successfully and have become popular in the business, then you can expand your business and step towards arranging events on big scale like weddings, concerts and seminars.
A Few Tips If You Are Thinking of Getting Into Design As a Career
Choosing the best graphic design school can make a big difference to your career. It's important you choose a program which suits your talents best as well as your budget. Try and focus on what you want to specialize in and you would get plenty of help along the way. There are tons of people who want to get into the field of multimedia arts. You could find jobs in the video game industry as well as the computer animation industry. Many graphic designers are now branching out into the advertisement animation industry. If you decide to get into this line the possibilities are endless, but you need to remember that there is going to be a lot of competition. This is why choosing the best graphic design school is very important and could save you a lot of time and money.
The basic idea behind these institutions is to teach students everything they need to know about the fundamentals and basics of the graphic design field. Once your roots are strong you can let your imagination and creativity go wild. The field it-self is so large that you could choose various careers like 3D animation to video game design to internet media development and finally Web design. People often think that web design is not a part of graphic design. This is a common misconception as websites and pages have many flash videos and flowing graphics on their websites.
There is a difference between graphic design schools and traditional colleges. They are usually more expensive than most community colleges and do not teach as many subjects. They lack the broad range of study programs. This is because they are primarily focused and specialize in the field of design. Their main emphasis is on your graphic design path and not so much on other educational courses.
One of the main things you need to remember is to choose a program that has compulsory work experience or internships as part of their curriculum. This way you would get hands on experience of a real time job. This would help you handle the stress of a full time job before you actually graduate from college. If you did great work while you interned you can bet you have landed yourself a job in that particular company.
Another important thing you need to look into while choosing a graphic design is money. These schools can be very expensive so you need to choose a program which will suit you best while keeping a certain budget in mind. Make sure you go through their financial aid schemes so you know what kind of financial aid is going to be available to you. There are some schools which would except loans from only a few loan companies while other are tied up with many companies and let you decide. Before you spend your money make sure it's worth it. Have a look around the school, their labs and computers. Go and meet the teachers as well as the schools academic advisors. This will help you find the best graphic design school for you.
The Financial Side of Freelance Writing
Freelance writing is getting more popular among the class of people who have a craze for writing. Just writing for clients for your pleasure will definitely be not your aim, you have to earn your living through your writing. You have to be paid for your work. There is always a middle point between your writing and making a living, i.e. a financial intersection. As a freelance writer you should have a clear idea about this financial intersection and how to approach it.
Internet has made things relatively easy in terms of sharing information. You can share information worldwide through the World Wide Web. Few years back, the internet marketing was done only through emails, but now back links and search engine optimization has make things quite easy to promote yourself on net. It is for this reason, the opportunities to make money online has expanded significantly. You can look for plenty of jobs that pay you for your work. You just need to know how to handle your clients.
If you want to start your career as a freelance writer, then you have to set some financial guidelines first. Never expect to become rich instantly. Making online money is a gradual process and you learn with time. First you have to make your image in the eyes of clients with your good work and writing skills. But this doesn't mean to set your rates too high or too low. You have to do your homework, see the market situation and accordingly set your financial guidelines and sticks to them in any case. There are many writers who charge $1 or $2 for a single 500 words article. This rate is simply not enough to get your financial goals. Often clients assume this as an unprofessional rate and your work low grade. It is important for beginners to make some smart choices. There are two possible ways for beginners are given below to set their rates.
"By Word" Writing
By word writing is a phenomenon where writer charges for each word he writes for the client. Mostly, the ideal rate for beginner is to start with one or two cents per word. Although, this amount seems small, it is enough to make a good start. Never go below than this rate. If any of the jobs offers you a rate less than your set financial guideline, simply reject it. The major point here is your coolness of mind. You need to be stick to your financial guidelines in order make progress in freelance writing career.
Flat rate
Another option, which is used by most of the amateur or beginners, is the flat rate. Generally, the set financial guideline for this rate is from five to six dollars per article. It is quite reasonable as no one wants to write a 10,000 words article for five or just mere six dollars. The average length of the articles is usually between five hundred to one thousand words.
It is important to use your resources properly, don't ever let others to take benefit of your skills by paying less to you.
The Low-Down About Tattoos and Your Job Search
Several years ago I spoke in front of a college audience and got what has since proven to be one of the most interesting questions I've had as a speaker-Tattoos. Students were wondering how employers felt about tattoos and male/female multiple piercings when conducting job interviews.
I can understand that it's difficult to figure out how to handle the situation. On one hand, you want the ability to express yourself, and you know that any physical adornments will not get in the way of your ability to do your job. On the other hand, you know that some people are offended or feel uncomfortable around them, and you don't want to turn off a prospective employer the minute you walk into their office.
The problem is not with the tattoos or piercings themselves, but with the stereotype of the person that goes along with them. They mean different things to different people, but for the sake of discussion, let's take one stereotype (often incorrect) of the tattooed and pierced person as a heavy partier. The problem with being a heavy partier is that you may not show up to work on time, or while you're partying, could say some things about the company or people that should not be said. Again, that's a stereotype-an impression-that someone could get from you before they get to know you as a responsible, mature person. So going into an interview with tattoos or multiple piercings could put you in the position of not only having to prove to an employer that you can do the job, but to combat any stereotype they could have of you because of your appearance.
Is this problem limited to tattoos and piercings-nope! Think about your everyday interactions with people. As you're standing in line at the supermarket, and you see a woman ahead of you with two kids, both of whom are wearing shirts with stains, and she's carefully watching the cost of all items as they are rung up. What guesstimate are you going to make as to her home life? Now switch it up and assume that the stains are from a juice box that exploded when they popped the straw into it, and watching the register receipt is because as she opened her purse she realized that she left her credit cards at home, and has only $20 in her wallet, but plenty of money in the bank. You made a preliminary assumption based on how she and her kids were dressed and were acting in the 2 minutes that you were watching them. Maybe it was right, maybe it was wrong.
Employers do the same thing. They take the information you present in terms of your dress and mannerisms and make an assumption about the type of worker you will be. Some people's stereotypes are more inbred than others, so you may have to work harder to change them. It's just a fact.
My advice? Look for positions with younger, hipper and anti-establishment companies. Advertising agencies, internet companies or in bigger cities for example, and avoid--if you can--financial services and retail (among others) that tend to be more conservative. Your other option is to go through the interview process without the piercings and putting makeup on the tattoo and receive an offer from the firm. At that point, you will have been at the company for several in-person interviews and can get a feel for the other people who work there, the dress code, etc. You want to work where you'll fit in-just like they want you to fit in where you're working. Before you accept the offer, you can say that you do have a piercing/tattoo and would it be OK if you started showing it once you started working. You can also ask this question after you accept the position if you really want the job, don't want to risk turning off the employer, and if the answer is no you can resign yourself to wearing/showing them on the weekends.
I know it stinks. I know it isn't fair. You should be judged based on your accomplishments rather than appearance. I agree wholeheartedly. However, just as in the example I noted above, we all make judgments about people-no matter how innocent they are, and until you have a solid work reputation to back you up you need to be mindful of how your appearance is coming across to others.
Melanie Szlucha has been a hiring manager for over 15 years and a career coach for over 4 through her company Red Inc. She writes resumes, coaches clients for job interviews, and works with them to strategize networking opportunities and job search tactics.