Really don't think there's much of a bias against tattoos here in DC anymore. I have a neck tattoo that comes right up to the lower part of my neck, barely peeks out when I wear a collared shirt or tie and lots of folks have no idea. Granted, I do consulting work for a major software company, so tattoos kinda go with the general IT thing so maybe the field of work may matter.

I used to run my own consulting business and my hiring philosophy was if you are good at what you do, tattoos add cred. If you aren't good at what you do, tattoos can be a negative.

Now I am often front-of-the-room presenter to CIOs of many government and commercial entities and no-one minds at all. I have never been told, "we can't put alex3m3ti8 in front of such and such CIO because he has tattoos." because everyone knows I do an awesome job, am laser-focused on-message and really good at what I do. I've even started to push the boundaries a little bit since pandemic and have a colored Mohawk and don't bother wearing a tie anymore so my tattoo is pretty visible.

I will say that I do have to travel for work occasionally, and I do my best to read my audience. So if I'm traveling to Deep South, I will pack a tie and baseball cap, etc. But here in DC, nah... don't get a sense that anyone cares anymore. Even some of our well-known espionage agencies...mostly not a disqualifier anymore.