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well I'm looking for a good job for someone my age (15). According to my dad most places would require me to get a haircut. I would really like to get a job to support myself so I wouldn't have to rely on my parents for everything. I've already talked to a friend of mine who works at chick flea about me getting a job there (sorry if I misspelled that) and he said you can't have your hair longer than shoulder length. I'm unsure weather or not every place is like this. Would I have to cut my hair to get a job or is there any places that don't mind long hair?
Best Wishes,
Josh
You'd be surprised as to what places wouldn't care about long hair. Perhaps the best is a department store or walking through a mall and looking for jobs in the individual stores. Where there's a will, there's a way. No worries, Josh. =)
-James
Yeah, Chik-fil-et (thats not the correct spelling either) is not going to have a long haired guy working at their restaurant!
There are plenty of places to look, as James R. said. Be patient and the job will find you. It'd be a true shame to cut your hair for a minimum wage, teenager-type job.
MB
I guess it depends on what kind of job you were thinking of getting. I'd say that something where you deal with people all day and have to look presentable (ie, McDonalds type jobs, or Chick Filet as you mentioned) would either have you tie it back or cut it. On the other hand theres always jobs like helping out a contractor, carpenter or something of the sort that probably wouldnt care much about it.
Or you can just tie it back so it stays above your collar. I work with a guy that I thought had shoulder length hair. Then one day I noticed him on the way out with it down and it was actually belt length.
I suppose attitude on long hair can be different regionally, but here in the northeast there are some supermarkets that have employees with fairly long hair, young and old. At the local TrueValue a fellow there had butt length! I think if you search in a wide variety of job types, you'll find something.
Bruce
Don't cut you hair for a simple job like chick-fil-a. I've worked at Mcdonalds for a year with shoulder length hair and it posed no problems other than tying it back. If the place you apply at tells you to cut your hair, try talking to them about tying it back instead. Or keep looking till you find a job that doesn't mind long hair. Rite Aid Pharmacy is another option if there is one near you. I now work at Rite Aid Pharmacy and as long as I can tie my hair back it's all fine.
Good luck in finding a job!
Hi Josh.First of all since this job will only be a stepping stone of employment for you and not your career you should not in any way alter your appearance for it.If one employer requests a haircut to get the job just move on to the next employer until you find one that does not have a hangup over this issue.Remember its only a transitional job which is temporary and regrowing hair takes many years to accomplish.Should you decide to cut your hair for such a job there is nothing to stop them from letting you go should they feel your services are no longer needed.Just remember your hair is part of you and does not effect your ability to work.You have a fantastic mane Josh and it would be a shame to loose it in that manner.At one point in my working career I had to pass on a job offer due to a haircut mandate that I refused to do.In the end I managed to find another employer in the same line of work accept me and my longhair so patience paid off in that respect.It can be done!Good luck and please do let us know how you make out with this.Take care my friend:)
Mark
I've been a lifeguard the past couple summers. It seems to work out fine and they don't mind me having long hair.
Your dad is right in one point, it's probably easier to find a job with short hair. But that's no option when you like your hair long!
Just keep looking until you find a job that doesn't mind you having longhair.
I work at the burger king and I only have to put in a ponytail. I'm sure there are enough other jobs where it's ok to have longhair.
Good luck on finding a job.
Josh, I work at a hardware store and we've hired a guy around 17 with hair about 1.5"-2" past his shirt collar. Now that may be not as long as yours but it's definitely not considered "short" by today's means. I think you'll be alright, but you might need to trim off an inch or so. It depends upon you and the person interviewing/hiring you. Good luck.
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Splat
Hey Josh,
I don't think you'll have a whole lotta luck in the food service industry. You might want to consider something like the Apple Store or Best Buy. Those places don't seem to care...you might have to wear it in a ponytail, but it beats cutting it!
Take care and good luck,
Brett
Growing My Hair Out...Again! Progress Pics
It is necessary to tie your hair back for food service, just for sake of hygiene, they make girls do it too, but plenty of long haired guys do that kind of work.
Chick Flea-Eh! is a Christian firm that AFAIK doesn't even open on Sundays. Corinthians 11:14 has been discussed here until we are fed up with the topic, but it's likely why they won't hire longhairs. Just try somewhere else,
I plan to live all my life as a long hair, and if anyone, including my boss or the interviewer, tells me to cut my hair, I will automatically not do it. I might say "Please don't send me down that road. I am not too happy being a short-hair." Plus, in a computer job, the length of one's hair does not affect their skills.
Regardless
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I wouldn't recommend a resturant job unless you just you can't avoid it or just love being around food. The coolest-looking guy in a retail job I see regularly works at Lowe's. His hair is mid-back and shiny curly. He usually wears it in a PT, but not always.
I'd suggest putting a little extra effort into getting a job someplace where long hair is actually an asset. At many of the hipper mall stores (music, clothing, etc) they actually like employing more interesting-looking people. Many of the bookstore chains (like Half-Price Books in this area) are totally cool about hair length. I may take more persistance to get one of these jobs, though.
Don't ever fall for the "increase your employment options by getting a haircut" BS. You might get into job by trying to meet other's expectations, but your internal resentment will catch up with you eventually. Decent employers respect people with strength of character.
Hard work, dedication, and going above and beyond pay off in the long run. I work I.T. for a school system and my hair has never been an issue.
If your looking for a restaurant type job, look at Big Boy type places. My sister worked at Shoneys while at high school and college, and one of her friends who worked there had shoulder length hair. Look for the private owned non corporate places. They tend to be more liberal.
Hardware stores are good places too. Long hair seems to be pretty normal here, so there are lots of places to work.
The length of your hair is less important than how you present yourself. If you are well-spoken, respectful, dressed appropriately for the interview, well-groomed and clean, then you should more than overcome any negative impression the employer gets from your long hair.
Good Luck!
Jim