new thread
I betrayed myself during last Monday’s interview for a much needed job. Three years ago after another bad haircut I became determined to grow long hair finally for once in my life. Every haircut I can think back on felt like a bad idea. Luckily I was working for an independent pharmacy (Mom and Pop type place) and in Hawaii so enjoyed great autonomy and grew my hair long. I really enjoy it and marvel at the way it feels and moves. Because it extends into the environment and its attached to my head I sense more about the space I occupy than when it was only 1 to 2 inches. Swimming, running and surfing took on a much more tactile acuity.
After moving back to Cali to be closer to family and pursue a dream, I found the job market sluggish at first then learned it was really bad for every pharmacist here looking for a position. SoCal is saturated with pharmacist. There is a surplus and demand is very low. After looking hard core for three months I found myself 80 minutes into an interview seemingly going well. It did go well. The job was offered to me during the interview. It was offered on the contingency that I cut my hair. I was taken off guard. This is where I lied and immediately felt guilt. I said it’s not a problem at all and would just donate it to locks of love. The hiring manager looked pleased and said it had to go. The drive home I should have been elated, screaming for joy and singing at the top of my lungs for finally after all the hard preparations and interviews to land a job. I was confused by the guilty feeling. I’ve been blessed with another job offer of lesser money and 2 hours away. The last few days I’ve been writing pros and cons for each job offer and just can’t decide. I’m a grown adult, 38 years old, and embarrassed that the hair thing is even an issue for me. I feel strong trepidation when the thought comes about cutting my hair. Why? Guess I never had to think too hard about its importance and meaning until now. I don’t know. Just wanted to share this.
would you consider a ponytail during any other interview?
Hi Wynn,
I must say you look very distinguished in these photos. I would definitely trust my health to you! I would hire you in a minute. As the other poster said it's their loss. Keep pushin' on friend!
Ted
That photo looks very much like how I do my hair every day for work. Now that it's winter I'm wearing hats more often it's even less noticeable that I'm sporting long hair. ;-)
As for your photo, I would consider that to be completely appropriate for office attire.
--Dale
What company is it for? I know a guy out in the Bay Area who is a pharmacist for Kaiser and he has thick long hair that goes down to his lower back. He just ties it in a ponytail. I wish companies would just lay off the whole personal appearance thing and focus on skills instead.
Hi Wynn,
If I was faced with this situation I would probably decline the offer which required the hair cut and keep looking. Maybe if things didn't pan out I would return to the place that required a haircut. If they still didn't budge, I would still decline. This, of course, would depend on my financial status at the time.
If I was in a good financial postion I would keep looking for a pharmacist job where I could keep my hair. If I still couldn't find a hair-friendly pharmacist job I would have to do some soul-searching. I would have to decide which was more important-my hair or a job. It is kind of hard to believe that in Southern California they are not more liberal. I do wish you much success in finding a hair-friendly employer.
Ted
I had an uncle who for many years owned his own pharmacy. He had to give it up when he contracted Parkinson's. He died a few years
back.
I would mention that the independent pharmacy is about to become
extinct, the big chains are killing off the independents.
If you want to keep your beautiful long hair your best bet for many
years was to start your own pharmacy. Nowadays with the big chains that is very difficult to do.
Again this also comes down to the old double standard. W0men
pharmacists can have their hair long but men can't. I would suggest you keep looking. After all if women pharmacists can
have long hair, then why can't men?
You make excellent points here. Sorry to hear of your uncle's passing. I am also sorry about the independent businesses' demise. It is a bummer that's for sure. However, at my local Walgreens there was a young man with hair just below his shoulders and also some piercings. Needless to say, he was a great employee with excellent customer service skills. Don't even get me started on the double standard...
Ted
It happened many years ago in the 90s. Thank you for your
compassion.
So maybe there is hope of finding a pharmacy job without sacrificing the long hair.
Not a problem. May he rest in Peace.
I sure hope so. I am still having a hard time drawing the connection between the length of someone's hair and their job performance. Heck it seems like every time I see a male criminal on TV they have short hair or a buzz cut. What gives?
Ted
From my own recent job-hunting experience I don't think it's so much a connection between hair length and job performance as a connection between hair length and perceptions of "professional appearance". For many years the accepted conventional wisdom has been that short hair on men was the norm for business. I've never been able to detect any reasonable argument as to why, but it's been generally accepted as "the way it is". This standard has slipped some in recent years in some parts of the country and especially in certain professions, but it hasn't disappeared by any stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately it's a potential handicap in the employment field that we longhairs will have to watch out for until that happy day when nobody cares about hair length anymore.
Frodo
We just have to wait for the happy day when people aren't so shallow. "You can't judge book by it's cover....
You are absolutely right on with the independents. My first and main job searches where for independents. I learned that 3 in my city have just recently sold their "profiles" to CVS. CVS will pay about $400,000 to $600,000 for a profile depending on the type of patients that independent serviced and how many patients they have on file. Independents can barely survive and after the CVS Caremark Corp began. “Our biggest issue is that the patient is mandated to go to CVS or Caremark,” See this article at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-11/cvs-caremark-roils-independent-pharmacies-as-walgreen-abandons-drug-plan.html
Any way i can go on for days about this problem. I love the independent pharmacies.
CVS Caremark and Independents
Thanks Ted. I was also surprised to find such resistance here in San Diego. Maybe coming from Kauai I was not prepared for the mainland business culture. In Hawaii the longhair actually helped promote people's willingness to trust me with their health needs. Probably looked more approachable or something on those lines. I'm still getting used to the tie vs aloha shirts too. haha
San Diego has a dichotomy between the heavy military influence and the more open California/surfer style, so I'm not too surprised that there are managers who are pushing for a more uptight style.
Hope something workable comes up so you can just walk away from this dilemma...I can't imagine the work environment would improve post-hiring!
Thanks for writing about this.
Aside from someone who is in a dire situation (has family to feed, medical bills, etc), I just can't get on board with someone cutting their hair against their will.
I guess I can support others while not supporting everything they do. I made a decision a few years ago that I was NOT going to submit to authority (employment) and cut my hair. I feel that doing so further entrenches acceptance of this sexual discrimination. It ISN'T "hair discrimination," because actually banning all long hair is clearly legal and acceptable. But, banning long hair ONLY on males is clearly sexual discrimination, and is widely practiced. I refuse to submit. It's their loss - they will lose a great potential employee.
If more people refuse to accept and look elsewhere for work, it would change the system.
Good luck in all you do. You have my support. Be true to yourself, and support the GOOD stuff that society has to offer.
Peace.
I remember a phrase that I read many years ago in a magazine distributed for free by the Danish Railways in the Copenhagen suburban trains - it is called "Look & Listen" (translated from Danish "Se & Hoer"). That phrase was:
"If there is no room for your hair in a workplace than there is no room for you either"
--
A Linux Longhair
"...To Thine Own Self, Be True..."
Do what is going to make you the most happy.
Good Luck and let us know the outcome.
WWT
Hi Wynn,
I can understand your dilemma and the buyers' market you find yourself in in So Cal.
Why not try looking for a job where you don't have to be customer-facing. I think that's the problem and a more behind the scenes job would perhaps not require you cut your hair.
My friend's son has very long hair but works for the bank HSBC in a behind-the-scenes job, making decisions on investment applications or something like that. Now that is in relative,ly conservative Malaysia, about hald a world away from you.
Or perhaps try northern California, like close to the Silicon Valley where they maye be more liberal on matters like this.
I hope you find a amicable solution to your dilemma.
Cheers
Charles