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View Full Version : Male Facial Hair and Job Search?



mamamia88
February 15th, 2013, 11:21 PM
Do you think it hurts to have facial hair if you are looking for a job? Then again do you really want to work for a company that is so shallow that they think hair (which grows naturally) determines whether you are good enough for a job?

deadflowr
February 15th, 2013, 11:28 PM
It depends on the tidyness of the facial hair.

Is it a sporadic mesh of fiber, flying off the face in all directions?

Or is it well-groomed and evenly trimmed?

CharlesA
February 15th, 2013, 11:33 PM
It depends on the tidyness of the facial hair.

Is it a sporadic mesh of fiber, flying off the face in all directions?

Or is it well-groomed and evenly trimmed?

pretty much this. If I'm going to an interview, I'll shave beforehand.

Then again, I normally let my beard grow, so it looks kinda scruffy. :lolflag:

mamamia88
February 15th, 2013, 11:33 PM
It depends on the tidyness of the facial hair.

Is it a sporadic mesh of fiber, flying off the face in all directions?

Or is it well-groomed and evenly trimmed?

well i shaved it off for a job fair today but before that it looked like http://beardsandboners.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/seth-rogen.jpg

haqking
February 15th, 2013, 11:35 PM
Depends if you are male or female ;-)

Frogs Hair
February 15th, 2013, 11:35 PM
Well kept facial hair has never been a problem for anyone I know. If too long it can be a safety of cleanliness issue depending on the job and I know one person who wares a beard net :) The employer respects his right to look like a billy goat outside of work though. ;)

Old_Grey_Wolf
February 16th, 2013, 01:43 AM
It depends on the job you are applying for.

I make hiring decisions for engineering positions. I do care about the look of facial hair if the person interacts with the customer. If the person sits in a cubical and writes code without interacting with the customer, they can have facial hair that is not at all well groomed. If they interact with the customer they can have facial hair; however, it must be well groomed.

When I was one of the people in a cubical slinging code, I had a beard that was about 12 inches long, although it was a consistent length, full, and well rounded.

Now, I am a manager that interacts with the customer. I routinely trim it a few times a week with a hair trimmer so that it is a consistent 1 inch long. I also trim the hair on my neck and cheeks as short as possible with the trimmers. I also wear button down shirts, slacks, and business shoes rather than T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

3Miro
February 16th, 2013, 01:55 AM
There was a funny comic about attractiveness of facial hair vs the growth.

Don't look like a hobo. Look like Gandalf or Aragorn or Boromir. Especially Boromir should be able to get any job with his beard.

pissedoffdude
February 16th, 2013, 03:16 AM
Yeah, like others are saying it depends

If you're going to be a gandalf-like philospher who strokes his beard when he's thinking of a deep question, you need the beard

But if you're dealing with normal people on a daily basis, the beard's got to go.

lisati
February 16th, 2013, 03:19 AM
I recently got rid of a moustache that was getting a bit wild and nicotine stained.....

blackbird34
February 16th, 2013, 03:56 AM
Some people have nice beards, like president Lula of Brazil.
Obviously if it's a horrible dirty mess out it should go whatever your company.

tgalati4
February 16th, 2013, 04:51 AM
Neckbeards for Freedom!

llanitedave
February 16th, 2013, 06:58 AM
Especially Boromir should be able to get any job with his beard.

Hopefully not ring-guard.

RaHorakhty
February 16th, 2013, 09:33 AM
DO NOT LISTEN TO THESE PEOPLE. CLEAN CUT IS THE WAY TO GO! no likes looking at a hobo. shave, bathe, wear deodorant and clean black socks(just walk in with black socks)....you don't need anything else even if you happen to be female. They'll get the picture....a B.S. from an accredited school might help....but not as much as the clean socks and breathe mint.

HermanAB
February 16th, 2013, 02:46 PM
Also, if you want to look like a Unix guru then you better be a Unix guru...

Megaptera
February 16th, 2013, 03:01 PM
I recently got rid of a moustache that was getting a bit wild and nicotine stained.....

Oh, you've met my wife !!

steveneddy
February 16th, 2013, 06:47 PM
DO NOT LISTEN TO THESE PEOPLE. CLEAN CUT IS THE WAY TO GO! no likes looking at a hobo. shave, bathe, wear deodorant and clean black socks(don't a suit just walk in with black socks)....you don't need anything else even if you happen to be female. They'll get the picture....a B.S. from an accredited school might help....but not as much as the clean socks and breathe mint.

Agreed - if you are serious about a serious job - then clean cut, well groomed and bathed persons are the ones that frequently get hired.

Shave the beard - go to work for said company - save every dime you make - then start you own company and do what you please.

That's what I did.

snowpine
February 16th, 2013, 06:51 PM
Where I live, clean-shaven men are in the minority. In fact the popular look these days is shaved/trimmed head, short facial hair. Nobody here would think twice if you showed up to a job interview with neatly trimmed facial hair. :)

Megaptera
February 16th, 2013, 08:12 PM
A handy guide .... :p

JayKay3OOO
February 16th, 2013, 10:06 PM
I've got a beard due to my neck injury and although it kinda looks cool like some kind of cave man I hate that I always get food in it and spaghetti look out!

As long as it's grown a bit so it does not look like two day old stubble then it's cool and its clean and you take care of it then I don't think there should be a problem if you have the skills and the personality for the job combined with a decent suit and shiny shoes with clean fingernails.

Although... shaven might give a better first impression as some people have made up their mind in the first 30 seconds.

Beards seem to be 'in' right now too.

Old_Grey_Wolf
February 16th, 2013, 10:20 PM
...I hate that I always get food in it and spaghetti look out!...

Ice cream in a cone is the one that I have problems with.

The acceptance of facial hair may be different in some regions.

zombifier25
February 17th, 2013, 04:39 AM
Most of the discussions here concern beards. What about mustache? Or sideburns?

userfriendly1992
February 17th, 2013, 06:14 AM
I know some employers see a trimmed and maintained beard is a good sign of above average hygiene. Just depends man. :D

Dry Lips
February 17th, 2013, 11:52 AM
Sideburns ftw!

(Just had to get rid of my beard since I just found out that my ladyfriend hates beards with a passion!)

Docaltmed
February 17th, 2013, 02:22 PM
DO NOT LISTEN TO THESE PEOPLE. CLEAN CUT IS THE WAY TO GO! no likes looking at a hobo. shave, bathe, wear deodorant and clean black socks(don't a suit just walk in with black socks)....you don't need anything else even if you happen to be female. They'll get the picture....a B.S. from an accredited school might help....but not as much as the clean socks and breathe mint.

Fashion advice that is a bit dated. Nonetheless, the acceptibility of facial hair varies with at least some industries. You will find very few men in banking and finance sporting facial hair; smooth faces also predominate in certain customer service fields, such as airline attendant.

For most other jobs, however, a well-trimmed beard is perfectly acceptable. The key is presentation.

I have had a beard, of one sort or another, for 38 years, during which time i worked in a variety of fields. Kept it clean, trimmed, smooth neckline and cheekline, nobody ever thought a thing of it.

llanitedave
February 17th, 2013, 06:23 PM
Beards, schmeards! It's the nostril and eyebrow chains, and the naked ladies tatooed on the forehead, that make future bosses sit up and take notice!

mips
February 17th, 2013, 06:39 PM
Just me but I can't stand moustaches. I reckon it's from a bygone era and don't look good. That said I will grow a mosh every November for the Movember cancer drive but I hate them with a passion.

PhilGil
February 17th, 2013, 06:58 PM
Another consideration that no one has mentioned yet..

As many men reach "a certain age," their facial hair can go gray before the hair on their head does. This may make you look older in a job market where youth is valued over experience.

ugm6hr
February 18th, 2013, 11:19 PM
Agreed - if you are serious about a serious job - then clean cut, well groomed and bathed persons are the ones that frequently get hired.

It seems pretty simple to me:

Clean shaven is better in some industries
Facial hair may be acceptable in others


If in doubt, and you want the job: option 1.
When you're the one looking for a job, unless you are the the world's best [insert what you do here], you have to make some sacrifices. Facial hair is not a big one.