new thread
Hi,
I'm a senior in college and I started growing my hair out my freshman year of high school, so I've had fairly long hair for awhile (its halfway down my back). It's really clean and well kept, however, I'm about ready to start looking for jobs in my career (I'm a graphic designer)
I have been wondering if my long hair is going to affect my chances at landing a good job. Is it accepted or not - will it cost me if i don't get a "professional" haircut?
ryan
Ryan, I'm a web developer and I've hired graphic designers. If your portfolio is strong and your personality pleasant, there's no reason to think that anyone wouldn't hire you as a graphic designer just because your hair is long. Graphic design is in general a creative occupation where people expect professionals to be a bit more artsy, independent and colorful than the general population - after all, you're selling your ability to put together an attractive image, why shouldn't that apply to yourself as well!
It does help to dress conservatively at a job interview, in general the rule of thumb is to dress up as much as you would expect your prospective boss's own boss to dress up for an official event. If you have earrings, take them out for the interview and the first few days at work. If you see in the initial week on the job that it's a casual shop, gradually switch to more casual clothes but be sure you are one of the neatest, best dressed workers - this kind of thing makes a difference when promotions are considered, the next step up might involve more customer contact and it's easy to imagine someone doing that who already looks sharp every day.
Check out my fashion review page, it shows suits I think would be appropriate for a grapihcs person. Once on the job, the sweaters are examples of good "business casual" clothes. (The sweatshirt would be too informal for work.) However I'd suggest you neatly pull back your hair with a simple ponytailer or barette for the interview and your initial work days.
Hope this helps!
- Chris
Be careful here, it pays to find out the corporate culture of the prospective employer. I know of one case where a prospective employee (apparently) followed this rule.... He earned negative points - "who's he trying to fool wearing a suit-and-tie for *this*
job!"...
-Zorba
Thanks Zorba, you're right that it's best to ask. During a phone screening interview (on either side of the hiring process) I always make sure to bring up the question of what is consider appropriate attire at the organization. If it's a big company, chances are vault.com has some inside comments about its corporate culture.
Chris
As I have said before on this topic, I think it has far more to do with you as a person than your hair. What type person are you? How do you present yourself and your work in interviews? Are you confident about your abilities? Do people like being around you? Do you like what you do? All of these things come across in interviews, and they are also developed with experience. My attitude has been that hair length is neither a qualification nor a disqualification for my work. It has never been an issue.
Robert
I'm also a graphic designer, and my experience has been that they first look at the quality of your portfolio, second at your interview skills, and lastly at your appearance. As long as you make sure you dress well and clean up, then it shouldn't be a problem. Being from the conservative midwest, I've come across a few people who don't appreciate the long hair. Maybe that cost me one or two job offers, but my portfolio and interview skills have been strong enough to overcome that, and most people in the graphic design community just don't care how long your hair is. I found a good job at a communications company, fortunately with a casual dress code! I say keep your hair, and if you're a good designer, you'll find something. Good luck.
If someone won't hire you because you have long hair, you probably wouldn't have wanted to work there anyway. A narrow minded employer is just that. Look elsewhere. You will find a place that will judge you by your skills, not your atire.
Being that your field is one of the creative arts, it would seem that your having long hair shouldn't be an inhibition in your search for employment. At the very least you should go to a few interviews with your long hair, and see how it goes. Just be sure to dress appropriately, and make sure you are neat and clean looking with your hair pulled back. I think long haired men can look (at least somewhat)conservative. If, after you have landed a job, you want to wear your hair loose, try it then.
If you really like your hair long, I wouldn't cut it unless it was absolutley necessary. Some here wouldn't cut their hair for anything, I realize, but it's important to be realistic in the 'real world.' If you decide that a haircut is in order, you could always cut it to shoulder length first, and see how that goes. And, if you decide to cut your mid-back length hair, don't forget the Locks of Love organization. Good luck!
Hey everyone,
Thanks for your comments. Generally, I've been holding onto the frame of mind that "if a company wouldn't hire me because of my hair, it's not the type of atmosphere I would want to work in anyway."
I often have my hair pulled back anyway. And also in response to manemusic and zorba, I have been to a couple intreviews for internships already, in which case I have dressed nice, but not totally suit and tie.
It's also a good point that the graphic design field is generally "artsy" and "conservative" anyway so I'm hoping that most employers wouldn't think long hair was too shocking.
ryan
Just a side note: I've had to help hire a couple graphic designers over the past year or two and I've sat in on many interviews. For some reason, most of the candidates did not dress up nicely. The guys who did wear a suit and tie really impressed me, and had an advantage over those who didn't. I say always go for the suit and tie. It would eliminate any lingering doubts that potential employers might have about your not caring about your appearance due to the length of your hair. You can dress down AFTER you're hired.