If you're feeling blocked from a promotion, and you suspect it's all those tattoos you just couldn't live without, you may be on to something. But there isn't much to be done about it.

On the other hand, if it's your wardrobe, piercing or bad breath, there's still hope for your ascent up the corporate ladder.

That's what a survey from CareerBuilder seems to suggest. The website that tracks employment trends checked around with hiring decision makers, and was able to pinpoint a few reasons your boss might not be promoting you.

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As you might have suspected, most have absolutely nothing to do with job performance.

The online survey, which was conducted in February and March and polled 2,175 human resource managers from various industries, showed that many employers avoid promoting employees because of their appearance. Here are some of the aesthetic attributes that employers say are likely to impede an employee's promotion:

  • "Provocative" attire (44 percent)

  • Wrinkled clothes or workers with a "shabby appearance" (43 percent)

  • Piercings beyond "traditional" earrings (32 percent)

  • Visible tattoos (27 percent)

  • Unprofessional or ostentatious" facial hair (24 percent)

  • Bad breath (23 percent)

Good news for those who favor heavy make-up or a good douse of perfume or cologne. Only 15 percent of managers said that too much make-up was a problem, and only 21 percent said that excessive fragrance presented issues. And, of course, you can decide to change that behavior.

Perhaps less surprising are the personality cues that employers cited as hindering a worker's prospects within the company. The most common behavioral issues:

  • Having a negative or pessimistic attitude (62 percent)

  • Showing up late (62 percent)

  • Vulgar language (51 percent)

  • Regularly leaving work early (49 percent)

  • Too many sick days (49 percent)

  • Gossiping (44 percent)

  • Spending time on social media (39 percent)

  • Not cleaning up after him or herself (36 percent)

  • Starting non-work related conversations (27 percent)

  • Taking personal calls (24 percent)

  • Taking smoke breaks (19 percent)

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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.