Beard or no beard for new job? Discussion

To shave or not to shave? I had a recently started looking for a new job. I have about a 6" long beard. I applied for 3 jobs. 3 of which offered me jobs and I took two of the jobs. So my question is do you shave before interviews or would you hire anyone with abnormally long beards?

my thoughts are that it depends on the industry. what do you guys think?

I guess it all depends on how it looks on you. I look very baby faced when I am clean shaven, but maybe 4-5mm of facial hair makes me look much better. I have friends who look terrible with facial hair!

Go with your instincts man :)

I can see that. I havent been without facial hair for years now and would be scared to do so. I started this after a debate with a few family members. They asked how I would go into a "richy" country club and get a job with a long beard, so I did it today and just laughed to myself.... I just wanted to get everyone elses opinion or experiences.

I would say the closer the likelihood that you'll be in a suit and tie, the closer the shave should be. The closer you are to a hard hat, the longer the beard can be.

Some things are a toss up. If you have a professional certification, I would take my cue from the owners or co-workers where you applied. For instance, I don't see a lot of RN's with long beards, but I do see a lot of HVAC guys with them.

Yeah, I get ya. I personally would have no problem taking on staff who had beards regardless of profession. If you look good with it and are comfortable, then you wear that beard with pride! :D

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This is my post "shave" for interview
http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/...psf6e0dd7c.jpg

I have had thick long beard for over a 4 years now... If your clean & well mannered, it does not matter at all...


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My partner wears a goatee that he's been working out to about 4 inches. He works in the kitchen at a country club, and his boss doesn't care, as long as it's clean and well-taken-care-of. As long as you and your employers are comfortable with it, I don't see an issue. =]

Wow. I was expecting this to be more than a one side discussion lol

I am a manager of a company and I have a beard but not very long and i leave my neck bare and clean shaven. I usually trim it down to about a half inch every two weeks. Beards are not unprofessional at all unless they are very long and not taken care of.

If I could grow a beard I would wear it. As long as you look the part, then well kept is well kept.

I go with the beard. I keep mine neat and make sure my neck is shaved. Looks good even in a suit and tie. I look like I'm about 12 without it.

My policy was shave and then earn the ability to look however I want, within reason. I also didn't negotiate on pay. I told them to pay me what my resume tells you I'm worth and in 6 months we will meet again to renegotiate. I don't ask for value without providing proof of value first. We met and I got the pay I was looking for. This was for a business casual-business formal kind of job.

That Amish or Mennonite style beard without a mustache makes you look like a trustworthy employee.

Lol i will say this, i worked for a very large investment firm for 3 years. i had a mustache (lol i mean what i could grow) and knew a lot of people with facial hair that i also worked with. as long as its clean and does not look like slapped ass or a soup sandwich i think its perfectly acceptable.

IMO go to every interview as clean shaving and squared away as possible. You never know what the guy doing the interviews disposition towards grooming standards is going to be unless you do which then it probably doesn't matter. This is how i would do it and then if hired conform to grooming standards which usually allows beards.

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Originally Posted by MonkeyShuttle

IMO go to every interview as clean shaving and squared away as possible. You never know what the guy doing the interviews disposition towards grooming standards is going to be unless you do which then it probably doesn't matter. This is how i would do it and then if hired conform to grooming standards which usually allows beards.

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REP. well Spoken Sir.

I'd say go clean shaven.... Then as MonkeyShuttle said, conform to what you see and /or slowly grow it back out. This way you are safe if any interviewer has a weird thing against beards.

I work at a school and some of our teachers do have beards, but always short and neatly groomed. I think longer / scraggly beards can look sloppy or unprofessional sometimes, but again, it depends on the field you're in.

Slapped ass or a soup sandwich? What the heck does that mean? LOL

It depends on the job and your age in my opinion. For my current job I interviewed when I was 27 and knew I would be one of the youngest people at the company. I kept my beard but trimmed it well and shaved the extended areas (high on my cheek, neck, etc.) This is a job where I have to wear a collar, shiny shoes, no jeans, etc. every day though. For a different job it wouldn't have mattered as much. If I were a bit older and stepping into an environment where everyone was the same age I probably would have been clean shaven and then earned the respect before growing it back out again. If I was in a job where I was client-facing or customer-facing regularly I would definitely keep it short trimmed or clean shaven all the time.

Like it or not, people make assumptions about a 6 inch beard. You listen to metal, you like snakes, you have smoked the marijuana plant like a cigarette at some point or another, you may have been in a fight at some point, you have a dislike for authority, you play World of Warcraft, you wake up at noon on weekends, and the list goes on and on. Your goal at an interview is to make people see you differently from that. Once you get the job, you show your abilities and earn respect and THEN you can have a beard because you're past the initial judgement stage. If my boss saw my huge tattoos at my interview I wouldn't have gotten the job. Now he makes all kinds of jokes about how I look like George Clooney in Dusk Till Dawn - because he knows I am a hard worker and take pride in what I do and don't let my personal interests affect my work.
/2cents

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Originally Posted by MrLang

Like it or not, people make assumptions about a 6 inch beard. You listen to metal, you like snakes, you have smoked the marijuana plant like a cigarette at some point or another, you may have been in a fight at some point, you have a dislike for authority, you play World of Warcraft, you wake up at noon on weekends, and the list goes on and on. Your goal at an interview is to make people see you differently from that. Once you get the job, you show your abilities and earn respect and THEN you can have a beard because you're past the initial judgement stage. If my boss saw my huge tattoos at my interview I wouldn't have gotten the job. Now he makes all kinds of jokes about how I look like George Clooney in Dusk Till Dawn - because he knows I am a hard worker and take pride in what I do and don't let my personal interests affect my work.
/2cents

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Best thing I have read all day!!! too funny but true

We have enough of a problem getting qualified applicants that beards, tats, and piercings don't matter as long as you have the skills, certifications, and clearance.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

We have enough of a problem getting qualified applicants that beards, tats, and piercings don't matter as long as you have the skills, certifications, and clearance.

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What kind of position?

I have had a beard for two years at my job where I am a Purchasing agent. Beards can look professional if kept up with and we'll manicured

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On some level, I feel like if you have to change who you are to get a job, you're applying for the wrong job. On the other hand, jobs can be hard to come by, so I'd say that while most configurations of facial hair are fine, you probably ought to avoid multi-inch beards that some might classify as "shaggy." I think it should be evenly trimmed and not super long. Basically, try to look professional.

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Originally Posted by MonkeyShuttle

What kind of position?

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Oracle SQL/Forms/DBA. Unfortunately we're not bleeding edge and you also have to get real into the nitty gritty of government accounting algorithms (guaranteed cure for insomnia).