A heavily tattooed woman recently vented online about TJ Maxx rejecting her for a retail position in one of its stores. Instead of offering their support, the online community gave her a dose of reality, suggesting that โfacial piercings and tattoosโ are โcareer enders,โ making her โunemployable.โ
Ash Putnam, who goes by the online handle ashxobrien, recently went on TikTok and complained that TJ Maxx rejected her for a job in retail.
โI applied to TJ Maxx a few weeks ago and they denied my application,โ the 24-year-old started in the TikTok clip that was viewed more than 7 million times. โThey couldnโt even call me. They just sent me some automated email.โ
Looking for some clarity, Putnam โ who has visibleย tattoosย covering her face and body, along with numerous facial piercings โ said she decided to confront the hiring manager.
โSo, I went in today, and I was like, โWhat was the reason I didnโt get hired?โ And she was like, โOh, you just donโt have enough experience. There [were] candidates with more experience than you,โโ explains the young woman.
โI asked her if it was because of my tattoos. Obviously, a lot of places donโt like tattoos. She said that [it] wasnโt the reason. I donโt feel like thatโs true, but whatever. Iโll leave it at that.โ
Hoping to get some insight from the online audience, Putnam asks in her video, โIโm just wondering how teenagers and young adults who havenโt had a job before are supposed to get employed.โ
โHow are they supposed to get a job if these places are only hiring people based on experience? It just doesnโt make any sense to me.โ
Before ending her clip, she asked her followers to share their experiences and any obstacles they may have experienced when looking for work.
โI want to see if Iโm the only person experiencing this right now. I hate that my tattoos have been such a defining factor for me getting a job or not,โ Putnam added. โJust because I haveย tattoosย doesnโt mean that Iโm not going to be a good worker.โ
โUnemployableโ
Her story struck a chord with many viewers, prompting an outpouring of comments from people offering their opinions.
โMaybe itโs the demon spider??โ writes one user, referring to the prominent tattoo that spreads from her neck to her lower cheeks.
โ[You] can be a bartender, tattoo artist, an extra in a prison movie, bassist for Motley Crue,โ jokes a second TikToker, while a third simply writes: โUnemployable.โ
Others suggested itโs the placement of Putnamโs tattoos and not the actual body art. โThereโs a reason that tattoo artists refer to face tattoos as career enders,โ writes one user.
@ashxobrien I want to know who is also having a hard time finding a job right now! #jobs #jobmarket โฌ original sound – Ash Putnam๐ค๐บ๐ธ
A second says, โI donโt think itโs because you have tattoosโฆI think itโs WHERE you have tattoos.โ And a third, pens, โI have tattoos everywhere but my faceโฆbut I can get a job anywhere. Be [for real].โ
Offering some professional advice, one netizen writes, โHR supervisor here. There is no way any company would put you in front ofย customersย like TJ Maxx.โ
Next, a former hiring manager at TJ Maxx confirms the suspicions of facial art in the workplace: โI used to be a hiring manager for TJ Maxx and I will tell you itโs the facial piercings and tattoos.โ
โShows creativityโ
Over the past decade, tattoos have become far more accepted in the workplace. However, for individuals with extensive ink โ like Putnam โ the job hunt can still be an uphill battle, especially for customer-facing roles.
And if her body art is the reason she was denied a job at the retailer, Putnam told theย Daily Starย that companies need to rethink their hiring process.
โIf they think tattoos determine job skill and qualifications they really need to rethink. Tattoos, piercings and colored hair are not unprofessional. It shows creativity and uniquenessโฆpeople need to get over not liking tattoos.โ
If you were responsible for finding a suitable employee to fill a position, would you hire an individual with visible tattoos and piercings? Please let us know what you think and then share this story so we can get the conversation started!
