Sly Bald Guys Forum
Discussions About Being Bald => Reactions to being Bald => Topic started by: Ghost1988 on July 01, 2009, 02:29:18 PM
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today i had a job interview at sheetz (for those who dont know what that is its a gas station/store/restaurant). the interview was going well until the employer tells me "are you willing to grow your hair back?" shocked and kind of insaulted i agreed to but i dont really want to. i feel like i HAVE to now that i agreed to though. they considered my shaved head an "extreme hairstyle" and he said people with extreme hairstyles have to change it in order to get the job. what ever happened to not judging someone by there appearance? i hardly consider a shaved head an extreme hairstyle. its not like i have pink hair, or a spiked mohawk? i think theyd rather have me shave my head then show up to work with a horseshoe at 20 yrs old lol.
anyways.......i didnt get the job yet for sure. he said hes gonna do a background check and then hell call me back. i have a clean record but im actually hoping i dont get that job anymore. maybe i just wont answer my phone when he calls back.
is a shaved head not professional? that was always a worry of mine. that i wouldnt get a job based off of my hair. now it seems that that might be the case.
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If you feel strongly about it simply decline if offered and tell him why.
Red
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Sadly Ghost, in such jobs they will ask you to grow back your hair.
I think the places where it will not matter would be those professional jobs like
accountants, lawyers, professors, etc.
I suppose it's because in those professional jobs the work that you do takes over everything else.
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I'm sure there are hip places like Starbucks and that sort of place that don't put emphasis on hair. Everytime I go into a Borders or Starbucks with my shaved head and pierced ears I feel perfectly ordinary.
Listen to your ol' hippy Uncle Red, f-em! >:D
Red
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Ok this might sound as something racist. I hope it is not.
I don't know where the guy at the gas station was from, but I would tend
to think that "white people" accept baldness much more easily than say people
from the Middle East (and yes I come from the Middle East).
So maybe you can look for jobs where the owner/manager comes from a culture
that accepts baldness.
I know family can be a headache even if white, but if it's something like a job I think
they care much less about how much hair you have.
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I am actually shocked by this. Bob Sheetz (owner, founder, ridiculously rich guy, etc) lives about 1 mile from my house and is friends with my parents. I am seriously going to mention this to them. That is out of line, in my opinion. It you had a mohawk or pink hair, like you said, I could understand it. However, I think that it took some kinda balls to ask you to grow your hair back. I wish that I had been there with you. I would not have been able to hold back.
Good luck Ghost. If you don't get the job, you have a serious grievance against the franchise owner. If you do get the job, you have a good fight on your hands.
Just FYI, I am in a very professional business and three out of the four guys in my company have shaved heads. Go figure.
By the way, I am assuming that you're in PA. Which city?
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thanks bem i appreciate it. i could have easily said "no i wont grow my hair back" but then i wouldnt get the job . and with the economy situation how it is, its not certain that ill even find another job. ive been looking for months until i finally got an interview here. so i didnt know what to do. i fell victim to them i guess. so i agreed.
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Personally, I'd have to be really hard up for cash before I'd alter my appearance to work in a gas station.
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Hey Ghost ! Did that Sheetz manager who interviewed you have a comb-over, muttonchop sideburns and wearing polyester shirt and pants from the 1970's? :*)) If this question ever comes up in another job interview just kindly say, "I'm sorry Sir (or Mam) if my shaved head is of an issue, but, I am young with male pattern baldness and this is the best haircut I can wear. Are you then telling me that your Companny discriminates against bald people? I need to write a letter to the editor of our local paper and bring this to the reader's attention." Geez Ghost, you are good looking, no rotten or missing teeth or warts on your nose, and from reading your posts here, you could easily cheer me with your sense of humour ! ;D If the rest of Corporate America and small business use Sheetz Hair Guidelines, WHO WOULD BE WORKING FOR THEM ? --Stan
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Unfortunately, sometimes people have power over us when it comes to employment. You gotta work. So if you need the job bad, you need to decide whether it's worth your principles or not.
On the other hand, if you're in the catbird seat, I'd tell them to f**k off faster than they could possibly imagine.
What if you were naturally bald? Would they make you wear a wig?
Luckily, no employer has ever tried that kind of crap on me -- it would actually be rather unheard of in the software industry -- so I've never had to wrestle with that kind of decision.
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Way out of line. Wayyyyyyy out of line.
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Shows what happens when brainless people get into management positions. :/O
I would bring it to the attention of the area manager or whoever his boss is. I doubt that "no bald heads" is stated in their employee manual.
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Sounds to me like that interviewer has reached his "Level of Incompetence"......
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Out of line.
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for the record the guy was balding pretty bad on his crown. maybe he was just jealous of my shaved head haha.no but seriously........i think the reason he had a problem with my shaved head and considered it "an extreme haircut" is because he didnt like me (which he had no reason not to). if you know me in person im an extremely friendly guy whos polite and smiles A LOT. i have manners. for some reason though people still see me as "a tough guy". which is weird considering im only 145 lbs and 5'11" lol. i presented myself nicely too. (even for a gas station job!) i wore a nice polo shirt and khaki pants. right when i walked in though the guy looked at me and rolled his eyes like "is this guy serious?" all because of my shaved head. i dont know what he has against em. hes basically pulling the stereotype card by compairing me to a criminal or something since i shave it.
do you guys think i should explain to him that i shave it because im losing my hair? or should i not say anything because its none of his business? i know its just a gas station job so its easy for people to say "f*** him. hes a d*** you dont need that job". well the thing is i kind of do lol. ive had NO luck with job searching since the economy went downhill. ive been trying for months and that was he FIRST interview ive gotten. thats why its such a dilema.
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Bro...why is the world around you so harsh when it comes to your bald head....seems like everyone is!
man, I feel for ya brutha!
hang in there!
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Ghost, the bottom line is the bottom line. I would want to say that I would tell him to eat **** and die, then go cause a ruckus with the franchise owner or the Sheetz owner (wouldnt hurt to get Bem to pull a few strings). But sometimes its just not that cut and dry.
In this situation, i dont think any of the guys here would hold it against you at all if you grew your hair out for the job. Im finding that part of growing up and maturity is knowing how and when to pick your battles. And I think you are being very mature with this.
Who knows, you could get the job to get some money, find something better in the mean time. Once you find a new job, shave your head, go into his office, pee on his desk and walk out. I think everyone gets what they need then! ;D
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Reading this really makes me mad. Way out of line, without a doubt. I do not care if it is just a "gas station" , it does not give them that right. I would get the job, read the manual and if having a bald head or shaved head is not listed, then I would just shave it off. If they get mad and fire you ...then take further actions bro.
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I read this and I just wanted to punch the guy in the face. Even Disney World, who is very conservative when it comes to appearance, will let you have a shaved head.....(but no facial hair)........but I digress. Just let it go and never walk in there again. Don't give him satisfaction of you"fighting for your job" You don't need anything that makes you change who you are. Yeah we all need cash, but when you look in the mirror and don't see a shaved head, it will make you sick.
On a personal not, not too long ago, Disney on Broadway wanted to hire me for marketing in NYC for a nice raise, but I wouldn't shave my go-t for the job. So I turned them down. Yeah I don't have a shiny new car, but I gots me a SWEET go-t.
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What every body else has already said, especially Timm. I'm amazed, I mean I go into subway locally and there is one young man that works there that I am amazed how many piercings he has. It has to be 20 or better, lip, tongue, eyebrows, 5 or 6 in each ear a couple on his chin. I mean no offence but in food service I'm surprised they let it go.
But what you're going through, is just too controlling! I certainly would have started with some nice cival questions like, "Is that in your employee hand book??? And gone from there. But I do hear ya bro about the need the job part.
Good luck on this one. Whatever happens, don't let it get to ya!!
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What is a legitimate question and qualification for job interviews may often have limitations according to local law. If Bem is willing to advise the owner about this question, does the company have a personal appearance policy that includes whether a shaved head is appropriate, or a beard for that matter, it could bring this issue to a head--no pun intended. If there is a policy, the question and request of the interviewer may be within reasonable bounds. However, if this is a standard of the interviewer without a written policy, the interviewer might have oversteped his bounds unless he can otherwise document this requirement. I would think that the company and its attorneys would be very interested in that instance of clearing the matter up to avoid a claim by an employee or applicant for employment.
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Sounds to me like that interviewer has reached his "Level of Incompetence"......
The Peter Principle strikes again.
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I am sorry dude, but that is shocking! I work in a very high class, very expensive Golf Club and Country Manor hotel! I have a shaved head, 14mm tunnels, tounge peircing, the works, never had anything from compliments from guests!!
I wouldn't change my apperance for no one, least of all a gas (PETROL) station attendent with a power trip!
Reading this post really really enraged me, I was like NO GHOST, DON'T DO IT!!
Maybe I should have been a punk....f*** the system
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I agree with SaintC. Some companies have a certain concept they are selling and they have the right to make requirements of their employees. It sometimes is called being and "employee at will". If you will abide by the company policies, they will employ you. If you won't, they won't.
Do I think it's fair? No. HOwever, if I run my own company I have the right to determine the rules as long as they are not per se discriminatory. Would I grow my hair for a job? I don't know. Depends on how much I needed or wanted the job.
Good luck Ghose
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If you get the job, here's what I would say:
"Thank you for the offer. I am bothered by the request to grow my hair. I suffer from early onset baldness, and by shaving what's left I have gotten over the depression of losing my hair at such an early age. May I have until tomorrow to let you know if I will accept the offer? I need to decide if I will be ok with myself if what's left is grown back out."
See what he says. If nothing, then call him the next day and just ask if he would reconsider the request. If he refuses, then KINDLY ask if there are any written policies.
I would also be curious if he would hold the same standard to black applicants, since bald heads seem to be more prevalent and accepted with black men.
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although they are wrong;l they have the power to decide whether or not to hire you. Its your call and we wont be offended if u let it grow.
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Here is what I dont understand is a hat is part of the uniform.. The hat is going to cover the head whether its got hair on it or not! :Xo!
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Just out of curiosity, I wonder what the minimum acceptable length for hair is.
I'm amazed, given the nature of the job, that they're being this particular about something so trivial.
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guys its not JUST a gas station. in fact......a gas stations only 25% of the place. its a store as well and they have food. go to the website. www.sheetz.com
its not like its just some dirty place lol.
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I also applied at sheetz last fall and never got hired for some reason....
now I work at KFC/Taco Bell to pay for my college expenses....
I have (against much advise) dated alot of the young ladies I work with... sheetz does pay more, but it hardly seems worth it.
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its not like its just some dirty place lol.
No one's suggesting that it's "some dirty place", it's just that they're hardly going to be paying you a six-figure salary, are they? I just wouldn't be inclined to make that sort of a concession unless I was really strapped for cash and had no other options. If you want the job that badly, then do what you have to do. Find out what an acceptable hair length is for them.
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Gee, working around food, a shaved head should be a plus! No hairnet required.
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Gee, working around food, a shaved head should be a plus! No hairnet required.
exactly! lol
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I could see this growing your hair out as a request 10 or 15 years ago. I am really surprised that this is still happening. I have seen fairly conservative folks sporting shaved heads from Amway salesmen to pastors of conservative evangelical churches. While it may be good to pick your battles, I think this guy is out to lunch!
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bang out of order. I can't believe a place could ask you to grow your hair or else! :Xo!
To me it's really no different than refusing to employ someone who's black, or a different religion, or wears certain clothes due to their religion, or is over-weight or has a disability. In this day and age a shaved head is certainly NOT an extreme hairstyle. :/O
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Gee, working around food, a shaved head should be a plus! No hairnet required.
I was shaving my head years ago when I had surgery on my eyes, and I had to wear a hairnet.
Ain't it great living in a litigious society? :/O
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Ultimately it's Sheetz' job and therefore Sheetz can make whatever stupid rules they want. And, yes, I think this is an incredibly stupid rule.
I know employment is difficult to get, but it can't possibly be difficult to get a job in a convenience store. I lived in the boondocks of PA and even I had several stores like that to choose from. I ended up working in a Turkey Hill with its own stupid dress rule: men had to wear a shirt and tie. This was the early 90s and I have had a few professional positions since that time, but my job at Turkey Hill was the only one that required wearing one of those asinine things. It was also the only place where I had to operate a whirling blade which even created a dangerous working environment! Oh, and the icing on the cake was that women could wear anything they wanted. Yup, one day I remember I, as a meager clerk, worked with an assistant manager who was wearing an inside-out sweatshirt. Fair? Nope, but no one ever said we were entitled to a fair life.
The dirty truth about unskilled, minimum wage jobs like these is that even the most short-sighted idiots are capable of obtaining them, but their own self-created inadequacies result in their being unable to maintain them. Places like these attract lots of post-high school mouth breathers who can barely spell their names let alone maintain even the simplest of jobs, and therefore the turnover rate is very high. So even if this is the only convenience store in your area with an open position, just be patient. Within a couple weeks one of those stores is bound to fire some lazy, worthless bum - a fact that's even more truthful in an era of high unemployment since employers no longer have to tolerate poor performance. I can't even begin to count the number of utter idiots I worked with when I worked in a convenience store... Wow. I wonder where they are now?
My advice is to look around and even checkout places that seem fully employed because someday soon they're bound to boot someone. It sounds like you haven't been officially offered anything anyway, so you ought to be prepared for not getting this one anyway!
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Sorry to go off topic slightly, but Marsh, awesome new Avatar....you look about 20 years younger!!
Oh and back on topic, Ghost as a fellow young dude, this is just the first of a long line of people on power trips that will try to bring you down, the only thing that you can do to defend yourself is to fight for your right to be who you wanna be! Its the little things like people standing up for what they believe in that have made the UK and I am sure the US the countries they are today, I am not saying this is a history defining moment, but there are so few people in the world that are who they actually wanna be, persona wise, and it seemed to me you where actually getting to grips with your awesome bald head and for some ass to shoot you down is just yet another example of a small amount of power going to someones head, he was probably compensating for something 8)
I have been thinking about this alot, because it really enraged me. I asked my boss what he thought of my look (bald, peirced dude) and he said "I couldn't care if you had two head as long as you do a good job."
Hair does not make the man, the man makes the man! Let your work ethic do the talking, let your character shine through and I am sure the right job for you will come along!!
And after that epic rant, i will try and put this to bed in my mind haha :*))
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To me this is terms for a lawsuit for discrimination and all the places sheetz? go figure .
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So, Ghost, what's the outcome of all this?
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So, Ghost, what's the outcome of all this?
ditto. hope U got the job while keeping your head smoooooth. O0
WARHAWK O0
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I would have simply answered : "There's nothing to grow back".
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Unfortunately customer service jobs (retail) don’t take to kindly to a shaved head, well form my experience they don't, I work part time in a liquor store & when I first fully went sly about 6 weeks ago the reaction for work mates weren’t the nicest & old people were given me dirty looks even though I’m the nicest person ever but i will say that head shavers were really nice about it. Now I’m sadly back a #2 because of interviews. It sucks we have to go bald very young get payedout or shave or heads & get called skinheads or racist. some people are just narrow minded.
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IMHO, this has nothing to do with a shaved head. This is the hiring manager seeing how far he can push you, and in your case, it was pretty obvious what he could challenge you on. Insecure managers like to see how far they can go. Agreeing to grow back your hair showed him that he can go pretty far with you. That may make you more desirable for him to hire than someone who argues back.
The worst managers I have had were in jobs like that when I was a teenager, but I have certainly watched bullies in action in professional jobs, too. (Anyone who asks a brain teaser question in a tech job interview is putting you in your place, not measuring your abilities by a statistically valid metric and surely they know that.) Sometimes putting up with a bad boss is what you have to put up with to pay the bills. It doesn't say anything about you, especially in times like these. At least you know what kind of person he is.
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dude that is so bad of them to juge one because of a shaved head. As mentioned before, if it is for you then tell the manager.
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Any update on this ?? After your medical situation I would think that it is time for something good to happen for you.
~Gary
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What happened Ghost????
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God! The suspense is killing me! Obviously Ghost made the manager feel inadequate becasue he was also unable to grow a full head of hair. If I am ever in an area where there is a Sheetz, I certainly don't think I would go shopping there after reading this discussion. If I did take the job, I might consider getting a bar code tattoo for the back of my head and continue to refuse to grow hair.
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Jobs are so hard to find I understand your situation. I'm not sure what this guy said is even legal. Personally, for that particular job I'd tell him to kiss my hairy white butt! D@^^
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What can I say Ghost, I was in a similar situation August 23, 2009 when I apply for a job. I walked into the office and I was greeted by this Bald guy who smiled enthusiasticly when I arrived. Now I know why that smile. We'll get to that later. The interview was lenghtly and went well. He was happy with my resume but had alot of questions. A letter would be sent me if I would get a second and final interview. That letter come in pretty quick. At the final interview, I was greeted by three bald men happy as hell to see me and treated me as if they had known me all their lifes. After some questioning, one said, "The job is yours, with one rule". I looked at him, he looked at me and smile with a long pause and said, "You will need to shave your head bald and keep it that way during your employment here with us, that is the most important rule". Now I know why they all smiled and were happy when they saw me. I had a sharp looking high & tight as hell horseshoe flatop and they probably say to themself we should have no trouble with him shaving his head. Shocked and froozen solid I say yes sir. Why I agreed I will never know. Going home, I was nervous as hell. I couldn't imagine why I would say yes to a shaved head when I had never imagine myself completely bald. I am not loosing my hair at all. I have a head full of hair. I've seen many bald guy, but never in my life would I have thought about shaving my head. I would start September 5, 2009 and would not have to worry about the head shave until I came in to work that day at 7 am. I never imagine I would be working in an all bald male environment. I wa shave completely bald that morning in the company barbershop right next to the office. This barbershop is also opened to the public. I felt embarrassed, humilitated and very nervous becuase I had not told a soul about this. I know my wife loved my horseshoe and she never wanted me to grow out my hair, but bald? Quickly that day I notice the top of my head become very oily and it's been that way since. Shadows were discourage so we had to shave our head often. It took me about three week to get used to it but i eventually did. Now I could be happier with my head shaved and my wife loved it from the very beginning. My daughter was shocked and said, "what did you do daddy". I get noting but compliments and everybody want to touch it and say it feel good and look sexy. Wow, I never imagine myself bald, but I am bald and I'm loving it. Now I tell my wife, I will be bald forever. I have even begun to recruit other guys to the bald look, and I just had my first victim. Good luck Ghost and I truly hope it will be in your favor. Keep it bald.
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Usmcpelon,
What kind of job do you have? That story sounds so unusual? A requirement to be bald? Hmmmm
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This thread hit a nerve with a few people! I was recently hired for a security job where I had to grow my hair back and shave the goat. I let the hair grow to about an inch and the guy who hired me told me I looked so much better. I hated having hair again. The job didnt last long. Now I'm back to slick and the goat. I am self employed and I told myself that I don't want to have to work for an employer again. Im comfortable in my skin and I don't plan to be anything but bald. If people dont like it, dont look at me! I think such people are proly jealous that they don't have to confidence to do bald.
(https://www.slybaldguys.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slybalddude.com%2FPicture%252022.JPG&hash=bbf075ae3eabf524ac1ccc8f9d2fd4c5de3528a7)
www.slybalddude.com
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I know this is a very old thread,,, but what if you were a cancer survivor, and lost your hair through treatment, or there is a condition, ( I can't remember its name, but a friends wife has it, and quite honestly she is pretty damn hot bald) where you don't grow any hair. I think that would fall into the realm on job discrimination.
Tom
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I know this is a very old thread,,, but what if you were a cancer survivor, and lost your hair through treatment, or there is a condition, ( I can't remember its name, but a friends wife has it, and quite honestly she is pretty damn hot bald) where you don't grow any hair. I think that would fall into the realm on job discrimination.
Tom
I guess one of the nice things about laser hair removal is that if you ever find yourself in one of these situations you can always worm out of it by saying that it's impossible for your scalp to grow hair.
I'm torn on this debate. Take SlyBaldDude's example as an example. His employer told him that he must grow hair and shave his goat. I can't imagine how scalp hair and a smooth chin would improve the performance of a security guard (or any other job for that matter), especially when both are completely mainstream. Of course I'm biased, but shaved heads and goatees are incredibly normal to a boring degree. I find it unprofessional to even waste the time to create and enforce such a pointless policy. But like I said, I'm torn. Jobs are the property of the employer and not the employee. Therefore I believe the employer should have the right to make dumb policy decisions like this.
Sometimes it's not fun being me because I often find myself taking positions I disagree with. :(
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I wonder if not getting a job because you could not grow hair would be a violation of the American's with Disabilities Act. Hmmm.
As for jobs where they make you shave your head, any branch of the military comes to mind. :) I remember crying when I looked in a mirror the first time after getting my head shaved the first day of Basic. It had been shoulder length just a day before. At the time, that was the most depressing thing about Basic.
Digressing into reminiscence here, but I had one friend whose buddies took him out drinking the night before he left for the military. After drinking excessively and passing out, they dyed his hair blue. He ended up shaving his head and stuck with the look. But he was forever known to all of us simply as "Blue".
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I once had a supervisor mention that the employee manual prohibits "extreme hair styles". I simply replied that we could ask Mr. S if he thought it was "extreme". Mr S, being an executive vice president who was sly when he was hired. Nothing more was ever said.
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I understand your anguish. I just recently decided to make the transition from being a stay at home dad to getting back in the workforce. Today, I just received a phone call for an interview after buzzing my hair down with a clippers with no gaurd. Granted this job is a mechandise stocker for a big box store, so I am slightly concerned about the reaction of my velcro hair.
Ironicly, my wife is a nurse and I have seen male doctors, nurses, and various other medical professionals and support staff (at all levels) with shaved heads. Go Figure.
Go luck on the job hunt.