I just got off the phone with a really cool chick named Ginger Burr. She has a business called Total Image Consultants . We were having a great conversation about some of the pre-packaged advice that is often given to the freaky people who are looking for jobs. One thing we were discussing was how it is often suggested that you cover your tattoos and remove your piercings when you go out on a job interview.

There is a big flaw in this advice.

It suggests that you hide who you are in order to fit into that business’s idea of what you should look like in order to work there.

So…what happens if you actually get the job?

Then you are set up to continue hiding who you are for the duration of the time that you work there. Maybe after a few weeks you put your piercings back in, let your tattoo’s peek out, or dye your hair blue again, at the risk of getting reprimanded. The end result is you not being able to show up fully while you are at work. You will always be hiding something, and that does not feel very good.

I have a different idea.

How about you look for a job where they accept you, freakiness and all?

These jobs are out there. You just have to look for them.

Imagine working in a place where you can be YOU, where they welcome your diversity, and you are allowed to show up fully every day.

What would that be like?

How much more creative would you be if you thought that your unique perspective was welcomed there?

How fun and cool would it be to work with a bunch of people who got you, and you did not have to hide parts of yourself from.

Imagine what you would create together!

(Ginger and I will be discussing this stuff further on March 9th when she appears as a guest on Defy the Box Radio.)