Would you hire someone with visible tattoos?

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Tattoos are becoming increasingly popular among younger workers, but are workplace attitudes to body art relaxing to match the trend?

A poll conducted by recruitment marketing specialists Employment Office revealed almost 60% of employers think it’s unacceptable for tattoos by be visible while at work. The study also revealed that 64% of hiring managers believe tattoos should be covered up for a job interview.

Earlier this year the Western Australian Police Force followed NSW and Victoria in proposing a ban on visible tattoos for all officers. The tattoo policy has sparked debate as new recruits may be knocked back from joining the force and serving officers could be stood down or even asked to have tattoos removed.

Other organisations are also being forced to revise their personal appearance policies to create guidelines for staff with visible body art. Generally, exceptions are made for tattoos an employee has for cultural or religious reasons, however it is otherwise at the discretion of the employer whether tattoos are acceptable in the workplace or need to be covered up.

Employment Office Managing Director Tudor Marsden-Huggins says tattoo policies vary considerably between industries and occupations.

“We find organisations operating in the professional services sector, such as finance, legal and customer service tend to have a more conservative view of tattoos and would prefer they are covered up from the view of clients.

“However attitudes are much more relaxed for tradesmen, where the focus on personal appearance is not such a large factor in service delivery. Tattoos are also more acceptable in creative industries like advertising or design where personal expression is encouraged and appreciated more than a strictly professional appearance,” he said.

Marsden-Huggins encourages employers to be open-minded about visible tattoos, urging them not to rule out an outstanding candidate immediately just because of visible body art.

“Employers need to ask themselves a number of questions including – Is the tattoo offensive? Will it impede the candidate in doing the job? How will an employee with tattoos be perceived by clients? Will it affect the business?” he said.

Ultimately, employers need to be transparent about any company policies relating to visible tattoos. Advising candidates will help avoid any potential problems in the future as the candidate progresses through interview stages.

Is your candidate marketing attracting the right attention?

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Last month the total number of job vacancies advertised in Australia exceeded 160,200 individual posts. In a sea of online content, how do you ensure your job advertisements stand out from the crowd?

The answer is recruitment marketing. A recent survey by polling company Jobvite found 42% of job seekers spend an average of 10 minutes each and every day searching on mobile devices. With a huge amount of online traffic it’s essential your organisation has a strategic plan to optimise your job content and capture those candidates.

A dedicated recruitment marketing specialist can ensure your HR manager can take the guesswork out of job advertising. This will increase your chances at putting your ad in front of the right people at the right time.

Tudor Marsden-Huggins, Managing Director of recruitment marketing specialists Employment Office, says their specialist team found over 25% of all applications received for client roles comes from industry- specific niche advertising.

“Where appropriate and available, placing an advertisement in a small but targeted medium in combination with generalist advertising can be a valuable channel to finding your next recruit. Niche advertising means your ad has far less competition for the attention of browsers, so your relevant candidates will see it and it will stay visible for longer,” he said.

The search engine optimisation of these ads is also critical in this market. If your ads are well written but aren’t viewed by the right candidates then your message won’t be well-received.

Many organisations include Google Adwords as part of their ongoing recruitment marketing strategy to ensure ads will appear at the top of job seeker’s search results.

Similarly, free exposure is available with the rise of job board aggregators. As technology and online tools develop the new face of recruitment, job aggregating “spider” sites can now pull and redisplay website content.

Job aggregators like Indeed have recently entered the Australian market which is typically dominated by traditional paid job boards. Now, with more than 180 million visitors each month, Indeed is a top player in the recruitment advertising and marketing world.

If you want your organisation’s content to cut through the noise and reach your ideal candidates you need to invest in strategic recruitment marketing today.

Recruitment marketing professionals speak the language and are trained to know exactly when and where to post an advertisement. Recruitment via social media channels and supporting publicity strategies will also see your organisation succeed in otherwise overcrowded online platforms.

Employment Office can assist with all aspects of the recruitment marketing process with our fully-integrated suite of products and services.

For more information about how Employment Office can assist with your Recruitment Marketing communications strategy, please call our team on 1300 366 573.

Droves of millennials seeking work abroad

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A recent report has revealed almost 90% of Millennials working in Australia and New Zealand want to head abroad to find work.

The study found only 25% of the 400 employers questioned offer opportunities to travel overseas for work*.

Employment Office Managing Director Tudor Marsden-Huggins says workplaces must become more flexible to accommodate the rising number of MIllennial employees, who will make up 50% of the workforce by 2020.

“There’s no doubt Millennials are more willing to move around than previous generations. If employers don’t give them the option to explore overseas work and travel, they will lose them.

“Whether it’s through global mobility opportunities with your company, or through a sabbatical program, Millennials need to know they have the option to explore career and travel, while still being able to pick their career up where they left off in Australia,” Marsden-Huggins said.

Employment Office runs their own global mobility program, giving employees the option to apply for openings in the company’s Northern American offices.

“This program has allowed us to keep a lot of great talent in the business who would have otherwise gone elsewhere. As an added benefit, we have also found the program has helped to break down the barriers between our offices across the world, and provide our young people with invaluable new skills and experiences.

“Millennials are looking for an organisation which can support them in meeting their personal goals, rather than simply offering a pay cheque.

“If you can accommodate for your MIllennial staff members and their desire to live abroad for work for a period of time then you’re far more likely to retain them as long-term employees ,” Marsden-Huggins said.

To retain Gen Y workers, organisations must understand what is important to this demographic of workers. Millennials want a work-life balance above all else. Money isn’t everything to them so employers must provide opportunities for travel, further education and hobbies to attract and retain top talent.

The 2015 Future Leaders Index found this group of employees expect the norm to be flexible working arrangements, contract-based assignments and global outsourcing.

In this truly global job market candidates are no longer restricted by borders and Millennials are itching to explore the world as they travel. Make sure you give them the option to see the world, and return to your business!

*Robert Walters 2015