It's both lol, I don't judge people by their tats at all but if you tat your face I don't ever want to hear about how you can't get a good job
This. I try hard, as a senior manager, to eliminate biases in our hiring decisions. When I am screening resumes I have HR remove the names and identifying info and provide it to me in plain text, I require the same with my supervisors and managers who are screening resumes. We conduct interviews, depending on the role, in pairs usually, rather than individually, because I feel that helps us be more objective when you know your peer saw and heard the same thing you did in an interview and will have commentary on it (plus it speeds the process up and shows how a candidate can handle pressure, etc.). But I fully admit when I see a candidate that made it to the point he/she/zim/zer/zit/whatever is interviewing with me and they have facial and neck tats it is tough to stay objective. I know it is the stereotypes getting me, and I have signed off on hiring folks with face tats before, but it is tough not to immediately pigeon-hole someone.
(One of our best floor leads right now has a full neck and partial face set of tattoos. I asked him about it once when the subject came up in conversation, like what it meant to him and all that since many people are emotionally connected to their tats, and he shocked me when he said "I regret ever getting any of these, one of the worst decisions of my life". He said he did it when he was younger - he is in his late-30's now - and the were mostly meant for shock value, and he had to get some of the more obscene tats covered up to get jobs. I would be curious to know how many people that get neck and face tats end up regretting them later.)
And most managers I know don't go to the extremes I do to keep bias out of the mix. Many would admittedly just write someone like that off from the get-go.
I understand the whole "society needs to change their views and preconceptions" thing, and agree that we need to learn to look past that kind of stuff, but in the real world, where these biases still exist, strongly, people really need to think about what their choices are doing for their future. Plus, it can say something about how a person thinks about their job and career how they present themselves. Just like we tell people to dress a level above the job they want for an interview (i.e. if it is a warehouse worker job, dress in khakis and a nice shirt, if it is a supervisor job, dress in slacks and a shirt and tie, if it is a manager-level job or higher, always wear the suit), this isn't about being forced to conform, imo, it is about pragmatism in the face of reality to be able to provide for your family or personal needs.