Would You Accept A Job If You Had To Change Your Hair Or Appearance?

I think everyone will agree that the job market is horrible and the worst it has been in a very long time. My guy is trying to get a job and has very long hair that is neat and in a ponytail but he has a beard as well. He has been told by recruiters that it would help him to cut his hair and get his beard shaved off. He refuses. So while I agree it is important to have a code of ethics about your appearance, there are bills that have to be paid.

What is your thoughts? Would you be willing to change your appearance if it meant getting/keeping/losing a job?

I do change my appearance for work.

Working for a corporation, ! have to wear a suit or at least a jacket. I can live with that.

With respect to hair - there is a little compromise.
I will not cut it, but I do tie it back.
I have been under pressure to cut my hair, colour it, style it, etc, but have expressed very clearly that people are walking on thin ice when they broach the subject with me. So those comments are no longer made within my hearing.

I change jobs every 9-18 months so interviews are a way of life. However, I believe if you have the skills required by the marketplace, you will be hired despite any appearance-bias on the part of the employer.

In a depressed market, one is competing with a greater number of people who modify their appearance to suit employers.

If your partner is happiest with long hair and beard, I suggest that he finds alternative hair-friendly employment, outside of his field of expertise as an interim solution.
In parallel to that, he should continue to search for those employers in his specialist area that are interested in him and his skills rather than his appearance.
They do exist, I'm sure.

Best of luck to you both.

Uzma

Ethics? An ethical dilemna is when an employer asks you to lie to a client. Your boyfriend has a preference to long hair and a beard. He doesn't feel anyone should tell him what to do.

We live in a world with other people. Sometimes, that means making decisions that aren't our first choice. When you're married or have kids, that happens a lot.

Some jobs require certain appearances. You may not think they are always justified, but then it's the boss's decision. Jobs dealing with the public often require certain appearances.

If your boyfriend's dream job is like that, I hope he wouldn't compromise his dreams for hair. Hair is great, but dreams are so much more.

Cutting your hair for a job/shaving is discrimination
and positively stinks. Can he get a lower end job
to help pay the bills until someone will hire him in
his area of expertise as he is?

It's descrimination not to hire someone due to race, color, religion, or gender. There have been lawsuits about people getting hired or not hired due to apperance. When a less attractive woman lost out on a receptionist job to a more attractive woman, she sued and lost. The company believed they had an image to convey.

Any job dealing with the public, with vendors, or clients is within an employer's discretion. Companies have dress codes, even those that don't deal with the public. Is a hair code that much of an extension?

Besides dress, employers ask you to compromise your beliefs by coming in on time, bathing regularly, not goofing off and posting on the Internet (oops), among other things.

It isn't descrimination to ask someone to change their appearance for a job.

Hi! (new here)

If a specific would-be employer asked me to cut my hair, I'm not so sure I'd want to oblige. However, I am very seriously considering cutting my hair as I go out job prospecting. (I haven''t worked in a few years -- been home raising children.) And once I secure a job, I won't have any qualms about growing it back. By that time, I can be judged for my work performance and not my looks. Unfortunately, it really does seem as if long-hair people aren''t considered as professional.

For crying out loud, Reggia, jut put it in a bun. A neat and tight bun and
it will not only look professional but it will not even be clear how long it is.

Reggia,

If you believe in your skills and ability to do the job, then let that be your source of confidence. You know you can do the job just as well with long hair. So there's no compelling reason to change it. Just restrain it in a ponytail or braid. Confidence in yourself with shine through and convince would-be employers to hire you.

It worked for me, and I have (what appears to be a waist-length) braid.

Let us know how your job search goes, and good luck!

I did cut my hair for a job when I was in my late teens. In the news business, there are very rigid appearance standards. I'm not saying they are right or wrong, but they are expected in that industry.

It was a foot in the door to a career I wanted. I had hair to my shoulders and had little interest in cutting it. Guys with hair that long don't get to be on camera. Oddly enough, it turns out I prefer my hair short. It's a buzzcut these days and has been for a long time.

I did it and have no regrets. That does not mean everyone should cut their hair for a job.

If the job is just "a job" I most likely would not have. Since it was in the career I wanted and the competition was stiff, I did it without hesitation. (Never did get on camera, he notes, semi-ironically)

I grew a goatee while working at an underground magazine. When I interviewed for a newspaper in a more conservative area, I was asked if I'd shave it off if I was offered the job.
We haggled out a price and I did. (My wife was grateful)

Being a guy, the longer your hair is, it is most likely the job market will frown upon that look. As a fan of short haired women, and as a guy who used to have long hair, I find that a bit of a double standard. I understand health concerns in food service jobs, which is why hair nets and hats are available. In an office situation, as long as someone is neat in their apearance, it should not be a problem. sadly, it is.

I've hired people in the past based on how much talent I felt they had, not the way they looked. It is a strange world we live in and human resources people have preferences like everyone else. It is a shame when those preferences become a stumbling block for someone who just wants to support his/her family.

That would be Boise.