Facial hair and Interview?

[lovinglife]

Okay hive.  My dh is hoping to have a job interview soon.  As a mourning ritual, he has been letting his facial hair grow since his dad died on June 7 last year.  He has kept his mustache trimmed, but his beard is quite long (my daughters joke about making ponytails with it!). There is an opening in our community for his DREAM JOB as faculty at a community college.  He stands a good chance of getting an interview because of his connections with the current faculty so we have been discussing what to do if he is offered the chance to interview and or present for the college. 

The interview would likely fall in the month before the already decided shave date (June 7).  How important is it to be clean shaven in a job interview?  We'd hate to lessen his chances at this once in a lifetime opportunity for something silly like a beard.  Yet, the beard is important to him for emotional reasons.  His father would have told him to shave (;  He is on the fence about it so I thought I'd see what the hive says!

 

[dirty ethel rackham]

Okay hive.  My dh is hoping to have a job interview soon.  As a mourning ritual, he has been letting his facial hair grow since his dad died on June 7 last year.  He has kept his mustache trimmed, but his beard is quite long (my daughters joke about making ponytails with it!). There is an opening in our community for his DREAM JOB as faculty at a community college.  He stands a good chance of getting an interview because of his connections with the current faculty so we have been discussing what to do if he is offered the chance to interview and or present for the college. 

The interview would likely fall in the month before the already decided shave date (June 7).  How important is it to be clean shaven in a job interview?  We'd hate to lessen his chances at this once in a lifetime opportunity for something silly like a beard.  Yet, the beard is important to him for emotional reasons.  His father would have told him to shave (;  He is on the fence about it so I thought I'd see what the hive says!

 

Would his father have wanted him to risk a dream job for this?  There are plenty of other ways to honor a loved one.  I voted to trim it.  If he was going interviewing for a very esoteric position in the math department of a musty university, I'd say "Keep the long beard - it adds eccentricity."  (I had lots of bizarre math professors in college at a large university.)  But for a community college, I'd go for presentable and trim it. 
 

[wapiti]

I think he should wear it however he'd like to wear it long-term, because beards don't sound out of place for this particular line of work - college instructors.

 

However, if he's planning to shave it a few weeks later anyway, I'd just get it over with sooner.

[Liz CA]

Well, can he compromise? Trim it so it has some shape to it and looks well kept. I don't think that would reduce his chances of being hired. If the beard is a little out of control, like Santa Claus gone wild, he may give an impression he does not want to give. It would also depend on where the college is. Like another poster pointed out, in some communitites he would fit perfectly.

[Dory]

I would say keep it, but trim it so that it looks well groomed. I grew up around facial hair though and see no problem with a well kept beard. If it's unkept though, it can look pretty bad to a future employer.

 

I voted yes, trim it. I'm hoping that meant groom it, not shave it. I wasn't completely sure.

[umsami]

Trim it so it looks well…or even gather the beard in a ponytail, braid, it or some such thing.  It shouldn't be ZZ Top scraggly…it should be shaped nicely.

 

He could also talk about it in the interview.

 

If he's going to shave it anyway…then I think a trim is fine.

 

On a side note, I think that was a really neat way to mourn and grieve his Dad.  Thumbs up to your DH.

 

[texasmama]

A well kept beard or goatee or mustache is not a deterrent. A long, unkept beard might be. My dh has had a goatee for 15 years. He keeps it trimmed and neat, and it has not been an issue in his field, which is pretty conservative.

[zoobie]

Is it likely to be a multi-step process? I'd do it however he will normally wear his beard. If he makes a great impression with the beard, people will remember him by it. He shows up for the second interview clean-shaven, there could be people thinking, "oh, but I really liked that guy with the beard..." or they're thinking, "wait, this was the guy with the beard, right? He looks familiar..." and their attention is distracted. The other candidates won't have that confusion.

Unless it's a super artsy school, the beard should be groomed to look "professional." My DH has always had a beard or goatee and it has never been a problem for him as an attorney.

When my oldest starts worrying about something several steps down the line, I tell her that we will jump off that bridge when we get to it.

I'm sorry for his loss. And good luck landing the dream job!

[katilac]

Why not ask his connections at the school? They will know the culture and expectations. 

 

I also agree with zoobie; he should look the same throughout the interview process. 

[Starr]

Dad has good advice. ;) Shave it or trim well depending on what look he is planning for June.

[lovinglife]

I don't think he or I had considered that he should look the same through the interview process- thanks for giving us something to think about!  I would love it if he shaved ( ;  But of course I will leave the final decision up to him.

 

[fairfarmhand]

I'm seeing lots of men copying the DUck Dynasty look and I just don't like it. Every person I see who wears it seems...redneck to me. Even if their beards existed before the DD phenom, I wonder.

 

Keep that in mind.

[BigMamaBird]

If I were hiring a beard would mean nothing compared to his qualifications.  BUT.  If it's his dream job and the prospects are really good, I wouldn't risk it for facial hair.  

[Mbelle]

Well, I liked my dh beard, but he totally shaved it for a job interview.  Apparently, it looks like you are hiding something if you have a beard.  I personally find that ridiculous.  He's in the business world though.  I would think trim would be fine for academia.  

[Jerico]

I don't understand why a man having facial hair would keep him from getting the job? Granted my husband has a big beard :) it is neat, not scraggly. His hair is trimmed. His clothes are clean and he is dressed professionally...?

[lovinglife]

Well, it is pretty scraggly right now- think Amish or Duck Dynasty. We just want to have the best possible prospects. (:

[Perogi]

I would either shave it off or trim it quite close amd very neat.
Dh was once passed over for a job due to facial hair. He keeps it quite short but after the interview process a friend "on the inside" told him that the boss thought he was too scraggly.

[elegantlion]

If he's planning to shave it and keep it shaved, I'd go ahead and do it. 

 

The beard issue is a part of the psychology of business attire. Studies have shown that people with beard of mustaches may be thought of as having something to hide, it's not necessarily a conscious thought, but it's one of the reasons many villains appear with facial hair. I don't necessarily agree,however, as part of creating a good first impression I would want to put my best face forward (no pun intended). 

[catz]

I'd definitely trim it close to the face or shave it off it was a ZZ top kind of look and he was going for a professional teaching role. If he gets the job and gets established, he can grow it back.

[Crimson Wife]

Grooming is important. He doesn't have to be totally clean-shaven (especially in academia), but he does need to look neat and professional. Think Kris Kristofferson rather than ZZ Top.

[lovinglife]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I spoke with him tonight and he is planning to shave it if he gets a call (: I don't mind a nicely trimmed beard on him but I am looking forward to seeing his face again (he looks younger cleanshaven)

[AmyontheFarm]

If he is going to shave it, remember that he could have a tan line.  Shaving it sooner rather than later might be preferred.  So that he doesn't have a tanned look around the eyes and very pale chin and cheek area.

[Tap]

If he is going to shave it, remember that he could have a tan line.  Shaving it sooner rather than later might be preferred.  So that he doesn't have a tanned look around the eyes and very pale chin and cheek area.

 

I agree and his skin maybe sensitive for a while as it gets used to being shaved again.  Definitely give him a 2 week window before the possible interview to get his face back in shape.

[Catwoman]

I think he should shave it or trim it very close to his face so it looks very neat and well-groomed.

How long was he planning to keep up this "mourning ritual," anyway? Unless his father was a member of ZZ Top or aspired to be on Duck Dynasty, I'm not getting the connection. :confused:

I have to admit, though, that long, straggly, unkempt beards don't scream, "there goes a successful man" to me, no matter how well the guy is dressed or how well-spoken he may be.

[marbel]

I think he should shave it or trim it very close to his face so it looks very neat and well-groomed.

How long was he planning to keep up this "mourning ritual," anyway? Unless his father was a member of ZZ Top or aspired to be on Duck Dynasty, I'm not getting the connection. :confused:

I have to admit, though, that long, straggly, unkempt beards don't scream, "there goes a successful man" to me, no matter how well the guy is dressed or how well-spoken he may be.

 

I was thinking of ZZ Top too. 

 

Yeah, a nicely trimmed, neat beard is probably fine.  Depending on the place, ZZ Top could be OK too. 

 

I also don't get the connection on the mourning ritual, and I don't like to question the way people express their grief, but it seems like there could be a lot to lose if he keeps it up.   What purpose is it serving really?   (Rhetorical question for  your husband)

[lovinglife]

These are all great things to think about. As for the connection to mourning- you have to know my husband to get it (; it's an obscure ritual dating from hundreds of years ago that he decided to resurrect as a personal remembrance. That's just the type of guy he is. He also had his name legally changed as a teenager from the Americanized version his father took when he moved to the U.S. To the Greek family name. I think the beard has served as a physical reminder of his loss- a chance to think of his father each time he sees it or touches it, you know? He was going to shave at the one year mark, but thankfully he is open to doing it sooner (: He knows what his dad would say, and that is to just shave it off son.

[Catwoman]

These are all great things to think about. As for the connection to mourning- you have to know my husband to get it (; it's an obscure ritual dating from hundreds of years ago that he decided to resurrect as a personal remembrance. That's just the type of guy he is. He also had his name legally changed as a teenager from the Americanized version his father took when he moved to the U.S. To the Greek family name. I think the beard has served as a physical reminder of his loss- a chance to think of his father each time he sees it or touches it, you know? He was going to shave at the one year mark, but thankfully he is open to doing it sooner (: He knows what his dad would say, and that is to just shave it off son.

Thanks for the clarification! :)