LemonLime founder says tattoos were not required for job interviews

In short: LemonLime cofounder Jordan Zietz says people did not need to get a tattoo to get a job interview, after his LinkedIn post sparked backlash.

The details

Jordan Zietz, 24, cofounder of an AI startup called LemonLime, faced heavy criticism after a LinkedIn post about a recent hiring-themed party. In the post, he said the company brought a tattoo artist and offered an “instant interview” to anyone who got a LemonLime tattoo. He wrote that seven people got tattoos.

In an interview with Wired, Zietz said the situation was widely misunderstood. He said no one, to his knowledge, got the actual LemonLime logo tattoo at the party. He said there were pre-made lemon and lime designs, but attendees could choose any design, including something personal that had nothing to do with the company.

Zietz also said he told people that tattoos were not a requirement for a job. He said anyone at the party who wanted an interview could get one, even with no tattoo. Some people who got tattoos did not want to talk about jobs at all, he said, and were mainly there for a free tattoo.

After the backlash, Zietz got the actual LemonLime logo tattooed on his own shoulder. He said he did it partly to show he would not ask someone else to do something he would not do himself. He also said the tattoo station was meant to signal LemonLime’s “out there” culture, like a quick test of whether someone would enjoy working there (similar to how some workplaces feel like a sports team and some feel like a library).

Source: Wired