new thread
Hey everyone
As you probably know I'm looking for a job and it's not exactly successful. It's quite annoying because I do need the money and I have quite a lot of qualifications (so far). I've been applying around and the companies either don't call back, or they're expecting too much from me in the interviews (they'll be rude and unfair while I have to sit there and act polite).
Yesterday I had an argument with my brother about it. He's a captain on a yacht so he chooses how to employ people and why. He said it's very simple. They have a list of resumes, and the pictures of people they don't like they simply throw away. Even if someone has freckles or a big nose, he'd throw the resume away. How horrible. He said unless I shave my hair I'll never find a job basically because this is life and you're not allowed to live how you want.
I really don't agree. First of all, even people with shaved hair get declined jobs. Also, my brother thinks I'm an unhygenic rebel who's hair is a big tangled mess (the last time he saw me was in March and I had just woken up, hence bed hair) and this really isn't the case. I HAVE seen long haired people with jobs (and most of you out there are proof, even though it's not in my country). Finally I think an employer would hire someone IDEALLY for their job capabilities and long hair wouldn't even get in the way of that.
Of course I think if one goes to an interview with bed hair and looking terrible, then by all means they shouldn't get the job. But I don't see why I should be treated the same if I go to an interview all neat, formal and clean, and give the employer a good physical first impression. I think it's discrimination though. Many people in life are extremely shallow so even if it's not your fault you don't look like Brad Pitt, they'd just disregard you for the job. And they have the power to do that.
Where's the justice in this world basically?
And I'm not cutting my hair. That's why I fought with my brother.
I'm very stubborn so what I say goes when it regards me. hehe
But I'm still looking for a job. It's not looking too bright.
What was everyone else's experiences when finding a job with hair longer than an inch?! I think that will make me feel a bit better.
Thanks
Shawn
i'm a small business owner and i can tell you that TIMES ARE TOUGH and the labor pool is FLOODED with over & under qualified people. unemployment is at an all time high right now and employers can be VERY choosy as a result of it.
we put an ad out in the paper last monday and I have received over 150 emails in 1 week. 150! out of the 150, probably 5 had a LITTLE experience in what we do. 5!!!
the market sucks right now. you might consider lowering your expectations and working for less. and if you get a job, be happy you have one.
some words of advice, from a white collar turned blue collar by choice, ALWAYS follow up with a thank-you email after your interview. IMMEDIATELY after. offer a FIRM handshake, speak up, stand up & sit up straight, smile and MAKE EYE CONTACT. when i interviewed people in my white-collar job, if they didnt do all of the above, they were not going to work for me.
ok, gotta head into the shop.. more later maybe.
What kind of job are you going after?
best of luck!
thanks for your input
I would do as you said but they don't even handshake these people.. they just sit there bored with life.
i make eye contact, or try to, when they're actually paying attention to me and not rudely interrupting.
im not sure what im going after. maybe a clerk or office job. i want a job which will help me for the future. if im a waiter and in future i want to be a graphic designer.. the experience wont count for anything in my resume.
Thanks again. ill try
Shawn
Bullsh*t!!!They want to stop me they better bring some guns.
Justice cost money in this Country.
I think stubborn is the wrong word. loyal to your sense of freedom maybe.
I have been out of work for 1 1/2 years now. unemployment is about to run out and there is nothing on the horizon. I do odd jobs for people and make it through but I am in the poor class for sure.
My opinion is we are free and should be judged by our ability. I wouldn't work for your brother knowing his way of sorting through the apps. He is a tyrant.
Shawn,
It's a shame that your brother uses his power in hiring as he does. There are employers in the world like him. There are also a lot of here who have been successful at getting a variety of jobs with our long hair.
Circumstances and jobs vary, obviously. I am a teacher with multiple degrees and lots of experience. I have interviewed over the last ten years for three different jobs with either hair in the very awkward stage or with long hair. I got all three jobs, and my hair was never an issue of discussion with me.
Since circumstances, communities, and jobs vary, I think there are only some basics anyone can recommend, and then you sort of have to work out the specifics yourself. These are the basics:
1) Put together a good and honest resume. Don't include a picture unless one is required.
2)Always dress a little nicer than you think may be required. Clean, pressed clothing is always a must.
3) Hair must be clean and "under control". That often means put it in a very neat ponytail for the interview. Very neat is key. I see guys all the time in public with their hair in a ponytail in a way that makes me wonder what they were thinking--hair flying, looking like it was never brushed, multi-colored hair ties, etc.
4) Be confident. Look the interviewer in the eye. Smile. Answer questions in complete sentences. Be charming in whatever ways are natural for you. Be honest. If something isn't your forte, it's okay to say so and follow with what IS your forte.
Best wishes in your search.
Bob
Hey man, I like long hair too, and can't wait till it finally comes in for me. But I also like food and shelter. I know that hair is important to you, just as it is to anyone else reading this, I'm sure. But to dust off an old phrase: It will grow back. It is just hair. I think it's a mistake for anyone's identity to be tied so closely to one thing. In my opinion, trading hair for employment is not martyrdom, it's foolish. Go get yourself the job that you deserve.
No offense dude, I'm just calling it how I see it. Good luck with everything.
Eric H.
I do agree with the fact that hair grows back, however, I do not agree with cutting your hair for a job. Once you start with short hair, that employer will always expect the same and you will BE DOOMED to being a short haired cookie cutter man FOREVER!..... Or at least until you quit or retire.... Just my 2cents....
There is still hope as many of us hairy people are employed and get jobs with our hair. In my current job that asked me to cut it and I politely declined the same went for my beard. I recall saying I would not be interested in cutting my hair or shaving off the beard
would they consider making an exception to their rule. They did and the salary wasn't bad and in 3 months I got an 8% raise, the hair hasn't been mentioned since other than they might lightheartedly ask when was the last time I had a hair cut. My reply is always "I can't remember, I think it was sometime before the internet got big".
To be fair in the interview I minded my P's and Q's and made eye contact and smiled so on and so fourth, as well as had lots of experience.
As has been mentioned short haired people are turned down for jobs too so keep at it.
Kevin
I am 57 and I believe quite older than most here.
I was laid-off 7-2001. Basically I am chronically unemployed. I was an EE. And my anger at the press saying how everything is fine, not just the press, it's even the man on the street, just enrages me.
I had short hair most of my adult life. I had a few interviews with short hair.
My anger is one reason I began to let my hair grow out.
I believe your brother is right. As far as I'm concerned there are too many educated people available. There is just too many people availbe for jobs. The internet is a big part of the problem as well.
So I'm sure an employer doesn't need long hair as an excuse, they just want Mr or Ms Right. Employers really don't need people THAT bad and can look till the sun sets in 2050 and then more.
One less person is more money for them
Most important is the law of supply and demand. If you go for a job that few want to do or few are qualified for, you will soon find work. If you go for a job where applicants exceed openings, a lot of applicants will be disappointed, including short-haired ones.
Employers want employees who can take the bull by the horns and just do the work without hardly ever taking up the boss's time. Convince the prospective employer that you are such a person, and you will be an employee they will want.
A big part of being a no-hassles worker is having a strong grasp on the process of "passing the ball" and realizing when it is in your court. By your demeanor, let them know you grasp those concepts.
And finally, realize that "first impressions" only matter for about five minutes once you are on the job. If you are to be a bank teller, you will seldom be with any customer for longer than that, so you are entering a beauty contest. If you are to be an engineer working on a month-long project, the client will care that you are pretty for about five minutes and for the next month he will care that your design will actually work. Since longhairs are less regarded as pretty by more people than short-haired guys, don't waste your time entering beauty contests.
Look your best within the range of looks with which you are comfortable, but don't go so far that you are uncomfortable or your look is incongruous and they therefore might think you are fake. When genuine problems crop up, they will want genuine people on board to resolve them, not people who try to fake their way through them.
Good luck!
Bill
"because this is life and you're not allowed to live how you want."
This part I really disagree with. This is life, and you only live once, so in my opinion, you might as well do what makes you happy and make the best of it.
And yeah, I agree with there not being much justice, but hopefully one day that will all change.
Imagine, people being judged by their ability, not by their hair or how they look... it's... so beautiful...
*tears up*
I am interested in working for programming, games and graphic design. It is entirely possible to look professional while having hair long. I will not cut my hair because some other human being told me to. Only I, no one else, have the right to make the decision to cut my hair (which I decided not to do anyway). Period. Long hair is my personal identity and a major source of happiness and stimulation for me. If they don't like my long hair, I can leave and go somewhere else.
Regardless