Sure-fire Promotion Killers

In a recent study from CareerBuilder, employers nationwide shared which attributes would make an employee less appealing for a promotion. Not surprisingly, bad breath, disheveled clothing, piercings, and tattoos ranked highest among the factors.

While strong job performance and leadership skills weigh heavily on prospects for upward mobility, employers also look at whether the employee conveys an overall professional image both internally and externally, says CareerBuilder.

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

• Piercing: 37%
• Bad breath34%
• Visible tattoo31%
• Often has wrinkled clothe: 31%
• Messy hair29%
• Dresses too casually28%
• Too much perfume or cologne26%
• Too much makeup22%
• Messy office or cubicle19%
• Chewed fingernail: 10%
• Too suntanned4%