The Low-Down About Tattoos and Your Job Search

By Melanie Szlucha

Job, Jobs, Career

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.

10 Dirtiest Jobs on Planet Earth

By Tauqeer Ul Hassan

Job, Jobs, Career

Today in this article, I am going to present the ten dirtiest jobs on planet earth. Those who love to enjoy sitting on their comfortable chairs in their offices, in furnished rooms and air conditioned cabins, might never think of these jobs. It is because of the people who doing those jobs that our lives are ticking over. Let us have look on those men and women who do these dirtiest jobs in order to keep our lives ticking without any complexities.

Garbage Man

This is the man who picks up the trash and waste every week. A man with flimsy pair of gloves on his hand has to clear the old eggs and cat litter off of his hands. Certainly you don't want to do it ever in your life.

Sewer Cleaner

Have you ever got your sewage pipe clogged and tried to remove the clogging on your own? The answer might be "NO" in your case. You should thank sewer cleaners for this, who unclog the sewer to stop the sewage spew onto the street or your driveway.

Egg poo cleaner

Another dirty job is egg poo cleaner. It is really creepy, when it comes to clean the egg when chickens pop them out.

Dishwasher

This might not that dirty but somehow it is. It feels really weird when you have to clean the dishes and scraping off the half eaten food off of plates in the hotels and restaurants. No one likes to do it, but a poor teenager has to do it to make the dishes available for new coming customers.

Cow Insemination

Many of you might have heard this for the first time, but it is a job. It looks quite strange but it is a scientific way to inseminate a cow artificially by using genetic engineering. Natural process of reproduction may take too long, so scientist for rapid reproduction process devises this method. Perhaps, you have got enough idea how they can do it.

Zoo Keeper:

Whenever you visit a zoo, you find animals and birds in clean cages. This doesn't mean that animals clean things on their own. It is zookeepers who clean up all the mess made by animals.

Roughneck

Roughneck is something related to oil rigs. It is really a tough job to work on roughnecks. Those who risk their lives just for the sake of proper working of hummer each day need special appreciation from you.

Concrete Truck Cleaner

Cleaning a concrete truck is another dirtiest job. You have to be quick in your actions as concrete dries rapidly. It is necessary to clean the truck after every job so that the remaining concrete would not dry. There is no easy way to achieve this.

Disaster Cleanup

Disaster cleanup is really a hectic job. Those who are involved in it have to indulge themselves in all sort of mess that has been left behind from Hurricanes or cyclones.

Waste water Treatment

Another dirty job is work at waste water treatment plant, where you have to mess up again the sewer water.

Actions To Take If You Lose Your Job

By Tauqeer Ul Hassan

Job, Jobs, Career

Today, most of the employers who are in the market and those who are fired from their work are in a situation where they can do nothing much than to hope or pray that things will get better soon. With every passing day, recession taking hold of the economy globally and for this reason, putting the future of most of the people in great risk. Employers are forced by these bad economical conditions to expel their workers to meet the expense of the companies and organizations. If you are one such unlucky man, who has lost his job due to this economic crisis then this article is a must read for you. In this article I will provide you with some useful tips about what you should do, if you have lost your job.

-The first thing you have to do is not to lose hope and never give up. It perhaps seems strange to you, but this is a fact. You have to keep yourself strong in this bad phase of your life. Always keep your hopes alive, no matter in what circumstances you are living. I know it is hard but not impossible. You have to do it in order phase the upcoming challenges.

-The next step you need to do is to sort out things according to their priority level. By this we mean that you have to list things which are most important like rent, utility bills, internet bills, car expenses and so on. Whether you filed or not to the state for unemployment money, your monthly expenses may vary. In some lucky situations, you will be able to pay most of your bills if not all, but if the situation is critical and you are hardly manage to make enough then this is the right time to set things in order of their priority. There are certain things which are indispensable like food, car etc. without food you cannot survive and without car, it will become difficult for you to find another job. So, manage things carefully. It is suggested to seize your credit cards and other mortgage payments in order to avoid critical circumstances. Your focus should be on most important things.

-Once you become stable and able to manage all the things, the time is to look for a new job. The need of job depends on your needs. If you think you can manage some more days without job, and then you can wait for a good opportunity, on the other hand, if you need cash to meet the expenses of your home, then you have to opt for anything part time or simple. Utilize all the available option in order to get a job. Ask your friends or friends of friends, or your ex-colleagues in finding a job for you.

After losing a job, you have to be patient as finding a new job may take weeks or even months. Keep your head high, have a positive approach and the success will be yours.

Online Proofreading Jobs - 5 Tips From An Employer - Here!

By Chris Howarding

Job, Jobs, Career

Last week I posted a couple of online proofreading jobs to Craigslist for a website that I'm not going to mention here (because I don't want to pimp my stuff). I wanted to share a few of the things I found out so that you can have a better chance of getting work when it comes up.

Here are my top tips to getting online proofreading jobs:

1. Get In Early - After two days I already had far more responses to my ad than I could deal with so I had to close it down. Make sure you respond in the first few hours or forget it.

2. Write a Good Cover Letter - Most of the applicants just sent in their CV, but the people I interviewed sent me a message that explained why their skills matched the position.

3. Complete Tasks - Whenever I interview for a job I set a difficult first task to test the working relationship with the person. 90% of the people did not do the task and it just left me with a few who I knew where capable.

4. Stand Out - The person we picked in the end looked at all the articles on our site and made a list of all the errors in the copy. You should think of something that will set you apart.

5. Meet Deadlines - Our new employee works from home and has never missed any of the deadlines we set up. This is a great trait and I have already given her a pay rise.

Final thoughts.

This was the first time I had hired someone just through an online process and it seems to be working out great so far.

There are a lot of high quality online proofreading jobs out there and if you can get something full time you won't have to worry about searching the job boards anymore.

Go for it!