Tattoos and Employment in the Philippines

Why tattoos still matter for employment in the Philippines?

I was shocked about this video to the point it made me do a blog post. Me and my husband can relate to this issue.

Ever since we had our family, my husband couldn’t get a job because of the same reason as the guy on the video. That is the tattoo. He always wanted to go to work and during his interviews, he always gets declined after he honestly answers the question “do you have a tattoo?”.

He even told me before that he wanted to use a hot flat iron to remove it. It made him desperate at times but as his partner, I wouldn’t ever allow it. Until we saw this video. He knows the desperation that this guy felt.

Sad and disappointing that people judge others because of physical appearance and that tattoos are still a big deal when it comes to employment. The question is WHY?

We have tons of speculations on the real answer about it, but the real answer that we need is for it to be fixed. Probably a help from the government to stop this from happening. I don’t know, I just wanted to share my thoughts maybe one day it will be seen by someone who can take action against it.

I’m a nobody and all I can do is to write, share and react like what most of us do. But sometimes even the small actions we do can make some change. So I’m super hoping for that.

We have high rates of unemployment and crime.

That’s still an ongoing issue that we face in our country and when you ask people why… It’s always because of how hard it is to get employed.

An example is like “Wanted Experienced Bagger”. WTF right? Sometimes even the simplest type of job requires experience before they could get hired. As if everyone was born with all work experiences.

Some are being dragged to do bad things to fight hunger. Simply because some are not able to meet the appearance requirements of an employer. High standards and requirements.

AND MOST OF THE TIME IT IS SIMPLY BECAUSE OF A TATTOO. Visible or not it gets you out of the list.

Requirements for Employment in the Philippines is the worst.

The standards are always too high than the expected job and salary.

“Looking for a sales lady must be college-level with pleasing personality.”

“Hiring bottle inspector in a factory, college-level required”

Is it really hard to do the task? Call centers are accepting at least high school graduate as long as they are competent. Why other jobs can’t?

Well, I rarely see ads for hirings. But I’ve seen some of that on malls before.

About the factory thing, I tried to enter a factory job before. They required at least 2 years in college, the interviewer speaks in English during the interview and they have training and tons of exams.

I passed them all but I only worked for 3 days. I quit the job because, after all the intellectual process of hiring me, the job is needing physical abilities that I don’t have. One of the tasks given is to lift 4x 500ml bottles in one hand and I had to do that in both hands. I can’t even lift 1 TABO of water for a long time. The point is their hiring process doesn’t match what they need.

And going back to tattoo… Will customers react violently against businesses when they find out that the employees have a tattoo? How about you? Will you react badly to it?

Well, our government simply set a good example, that’s why…

I’m talking about sh*tty requirements here… When I lost all my IDs and went over to a government office and asked for a replacement ID… They want me to provide TWO valid IDs. Not one but 2!

And their option is to get a PSA birth certificate and Postal ID. Which all costs money, time, and effort… Where in fact, they have my name on file, my photo, and my fingerprint. What kind of verification do they need? I literally lost a whole wallet and they expect you to have all the time and money to get alternative identifications just to get an ID replacement, that you’ll wait for 6 or more months…

Although it’s not the main issue on this post, I’m super concern about our ridiculous processes here in our country.

They always blame it on how people express themselves. It’s not the person who has to stop being what they are and who they are… It’s the society that should stop judging.

The point is…

I’m sure my rants are mumbled but my point is that the government, employers, and each one of us must not judge one’s capabilities by asking for things that are not necessary and by judging them because of their appearances.

These tattoos, were once part of our culture. A symbolic way of showing bravery and whatsoever they had in the past. So what’s the fuss about it today. It still shows bravery, symbology, culture, and creativity…

We all heard the teaching about don’t judge the book by its cover but it seems that it’s still harder to comprehend for the others.

I just wish that they’ll become more considerate in hiring people with tattoos.

That’s my only wish. I don’t think that the chances of getting negative feedback for employing someone with a tattoo can get higher than 1%.

Share your thoughts in the comments…

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