Bad News for Gen Y: 37% of Employers Less Likely to Promote Someone With Piercings

Wondering why you haven’t made it into the corner office yet or haven’t received that bump in title? Part of the reason may surprise you.

In a recent study, employers nationwide shared which personal attributes would make an employee less appealing for a promotion. Bad breath, disheveled clothing, piercings and tattoos ranked highest among factors. The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive for Careerbuilder among 2,878 hiring managers across industries between February 21 and March 20, 2011.

“When it comes to career advancement, you want to stack the deck in your favor,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “While strong job performance and leadership skills will weigh heavily on prospects for upward mobility, employers will also look at whether the employee conveys an overall professional image both internally and externally.”

The top personal attributes employers say would make them less likely to extend a promotion include:

• Piercings – 37 percent
• Bad breath – 34 percent
• Visible tattoo – 31 percent
• Often has wrinkled clothes – 31 percent
• Messy hair – 29 percent
• Dresses too casually – 28 percent
• Too much perfume or cologne – 26 percent
• Too much makeup – 22 percent
• Messy office or cubicle – 19 percent
• Chewed fingernails – 10 percent
• Too suntanned – 4 percent