WHAT ARTICLES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE ? LET US KNOW : EDITOR @ GEMCELL . COM . AU seem like an obvious part of this , you ’ d be surprised how far early morning coffee breath can travel . Keep some mints in the van .
PIERCINGS AND TATTOOS Gone are the days when you ’ d have been considered a potential serial killer just because you had a bolt through your septum or a spiderweb on your neck . Visible piercings and tattoos are pretty commonplace today , and your mum knows you wouldn ’ t hurt a fly , but unfortunately , preconceptions are still a thing . Perhaps think about it this way : if you ’ re trying to score a job , the question is not so much ‘ can ’ you wear the nose ring , but ‘ should ’ you . Slip it in your pocket until your real personality has had a chance to win over that customer .
SCENT Let ’ s talk about body odour . Of course the problem with talking about body odour is that the people who have body odour will read on in blissful ignorance , while those who don ’ t will start furtively sniffing their own armpits . So let ’ s change tack here and put the emphasis on how to tell a workmate that they smell . There ’ s a simple way to do this .
Actually , there isn ’ t , sorry . You just have to tell them , with as much empathy as you can muster .
NAILS No , not the things you hammer into the door frame , the ones on the ends of your fingers . While no one expects them to be manicure-perfect at the end of a long day on the tools , a potential new customer can expect that you have clean and tidy nails as you hand over a pen for them to sign on the dotted line . Not only do short , wellmanicured nails look great , they ’ re also less likely to harbour dirt and bacteria .
FEET Chances are your feet won ’ t see daylight outside your own front door during the working week , and neither should they if you ’ re on a worksite from dawn ’ til dusk . But many people will expect you to take off your boots when you enter their home . Plan ahead with clean , matching socks … and don ’ t forget your boots when you leave . n
THE LETTER OF THE LAW
While several non-job-related factors are safe-guarded by law — we ’ re talking race , age , gender , ethnicity and disability — physical appearance is not protected under Australia ’ s Fair Work Act . There is no law preventing employers from choosing people based on how attractive they are or , conversely , not taking on people who don ’ t look the part . For example , an employer can ban tattoos in the workplace , or ask that employees cover them up . Similarly , that employer can reject an applicant due to tattoos , unless they are integral to one of the protected categories above , eg , your race , nationality or ethnic origin .
WOULD YOU LET THIS DUDE INTO YOUR HOME ?
WHO ? Eric Bana in Chopper LEARNINGS : Teeth . Always better to have a full set . WHO ? Robert de Niro in Cape Fear LEARNINGS : Keep your shirt on until it ’ s safe to do otherwise . WHO ? Gary Oldman in True Romance LEARNINGS : A man bun may not help you here . WHO ? Doug Bradley in Hellraiser LEARNINGS : Piercings are a very personal choice . WHO ? Elijah Wood in The Hobbit LEARNINGS : You never know when you might need to take off your boots .
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