Sly Bald Guys Forum
Discussions About Being Bald => General Discussion => Topic started by: Phantom on March 28, 2008, 03:53:04 PM
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Hey all,
I have a question about baldness and employment. I'm in the middle of a career change, as well as a move to New York City. My sister, who lives there, tells me I need to grow my hair out, as my shaved skull will impact my employment status in a negative way. I've also been hearing this from a friend and the rest of my family.
I guess I'm wondering if this is mantra is total bs, or if it might be true in any sense. I like shaving my head, and I would prefer to have this option open to me. I've never lived in a big city, however, and I have no idea what to expect. I will say, that I have had skinhead/political comments aimed at me in the past, but I figured that was because I lived in a smaller town. I'm not a fascist/neo-nazi, of course, so it's kind of annoying.
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Hey bud, I am in the same boat. Due to the economy, I was forced to close my floor covering business in November. Things are rough in Tennessee, I don't know about the rest of the country.... pickings are slim. I have had several interviews but can't seem to get my foot in the door. I am beginning to wonder if it is due to appearance. I love my shaved head, and am confident about it, so lack of confidence would not be an issue, I wouldn't think. Geographically, I am sure there would be difference in perception about the old noggin. Good luck to you.
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I think it exudes more confidence then MPB does, however if you can grow a full head it might be better to go on interviews that way and then shave later..
Bottom line is to go into an interview dressed appropriately and with confidence in yourself.. O0
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I think the line of business your in would determine alot more about this.
I am a firm believer that a clean, well dressed, well groomed and professional appearance is key, the state of your hair (or lack thereof) should be pretty moot if the rest of your game is in good repair.
Personally, I have never been in a hiring / interview situation that hair was a factor on a well dressed / well groomed professional was even brought up in reviewing applicants.
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I would agree that a shaved head will give a guy more confidence and we look better. But asking that question here will not help answer the question. I suspect we will all be very biased with the answer. You need to talk to people who work in human resource departments at very companies.
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Do you shave because you're balding?
Even if you aren't I do not think that shaving your head SHOULD affect your the ability to be hired. Like others mentioned, if everything else is in order the status of your hair should be the last thing on an employer's mind.
Some people will view individuals with completely shaven skulls as "skin-heads" or the like. In fact, I've been teased and called a Skinhead at a good friend's wedding of mine. It was all in good fun, however the implication is still there. Shaving heads completely bare is a relatively new thing; it will take time for some to accept it. I think it looks great and find that many men look great with shaved heads, and ALL men look better with shaved hears if they are balding.
I've been called all sorts of things. Hell, I've been called Mr. Clean before (minus the grey eyebrows!). I think it's my greatest compliment.
I think your sister is absolutely wrong. Rock the baldness. :D
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Hi all,
Thanks for the advice and best wishes. I guess I'll try to find somebody in an HR position and ask him/her. I guess I'm worried because I'm moving from a blue-collar environment to a white-collar environment (accounting), and I'm not sure what to expect.
Jason, I'm not sure if I'm balding or not, if I am, it's not noticable yet, probably have a "mature" hairline or a Norwood/Hamilton Scale of 2. I really like the feeling; there's no itchiness, no worrying about how it looks, and I think it's a look that translates well to any scenario. It works with a suit, for lounging around or going bar hopping, or at least I think it looks good in any scenario... My family hates that I shave, so it could just be a ploy on their part to get me to grow my hair out.
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To the orig. poster, yake a look at the evening buisness news with the camera pans the floor of the NY Stock Exchange or the Chicago Merc. There a LOT of crewcuts and slick heads down in the trading pits.
I worked in business for a number of years after leaving active duty, wore suits and NEVER had an issue with being completely bald. On occasion, I did have some problems with customers who found out that I was connected with the military and told me they had issues with conservatives and the military(no kidding-really happened). I was mistaken a couple of times for an FBI agent.
One observation from my experience(and i know many here will disagree) is that in formal business, goatees and beards, and ear rings on men generally dont cut it . Thats something that you might want to feel out with an employer after you're hired. The business world is a lot like the old military: it has rules, customs, and traditions. Fr example, NEVER wear a short sleeved dress shirt with a tie...
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I've wondered this myself from time to time because I was looking for a new job over a period of 2 years. I would get the jobs I set out to get with no problem. I think mainly because of my clean cut appearance, professional clothing, and confidence. I haven't seen a problem personally but that doesn't mean the thought isn't out there. I've talked with my mom and her close friend who are both in HR and in charge of hiring for their company. They have mentioned to me before that it's just human nature and they do have personal opinions about certain people that come in for interviews. It's not that they have anything against a certain sex, race, etc...It's just that an appearance can give off a big first impression and if it's not within "the norm" than it can throw people off at first. But my mom has also said that once she gets to know the person interviewing as long as their personality is great the initial thought she had about looks goes out the door.
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What about a dude that walks in for an interview with a very noticeable comb-over? That guy's chances of being hired would be far worse than a headshaver. Comb-over = very insecure. Headshaved + bald =
confidence + success . O0
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Good point.
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Being a headshaver is not looked at like it used to be. It's no longer extreme to shave your head. People are getting more and more used to it, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. The most recent job that I got, I got hired over the phone ,so there was no in person interview. That was one of the things I worried about, that maybe my new boss would ask me to grow my hair out, or shave my gotee off, neither of which I am willing to do. When I show up at his house/office, he comes to the door... BALD with a gotee. His first words too me were "Nice haircut". It was classic awesome.
So yeah, I just babbled a lot, but the point is.. don't worry about it. I don't think most people look that far into it now.
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I think it exudes more confidence then MPB does, however if you can grow a full head it might be better to go on interviews that way and then shave later..
Bottom line is to go into an interview dressed appropriately and with confidence in yourself.. O0
I have wrestled MIGHTILY with this in the last couple months.
I am BBC and have pretty full coverage. I wrote to the mods confessing that I had "chickened out" in regard to my recent interview process and had grown my hair back just a bit (like a "high & tight"). I had to think long and hard about my particular situation. Turns out I made the right decision.
After a bit of a hiatus (like ALL of 2007)---during which I got into noggin scraping---I'm back in the stuffed-shirt, high-profile retirement planning corporate world. That's a GOOD thing...I love where I work. However, being on the front line of working directly with clients, I had to, and have to be careful since I work with a lot of older, old-school folk.
We need to be careful about anything, image-wise, that might cause what we call "background noise." We have one rep in our office who dresses.....let's just say...."progressively" and has a fairly interesting hair-do to match. Nothing freakish, mind you....just a stretch beyond yer conventional business look. He was in contact by phone with a high-profile, older client and things were going fine. When they met in person, the client contacted management and asked that his case be transferred to another associate.
Now that's not an everyday problem, but--bottom line--the dude lost out on a big client by being committed to his "progressive" image.
So if you don't mind the possibility of losing some business by being committed to a certain image, that's up to the individual. While management personally doesn't care, they discourage (notice I didn't say "forbid") anything that might cause distracting "background noise" for the more conservative clientele.
The question arises, “Well, what about those that are MPB?” The protocol there is keep it neatly clipped and avoid the combover. A bad combover (or bad toupe) could cause “background noise” for the younger middle-age clientele.
The bottom line is that, while head shaving is indeed becoming more and more mainstream--and my personal preferrence, unfortunately it's still not a slam dunk in some circles of endeavor.
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It seems as though I'm getting a lot of different answers to my question, both with those I have spoken to online as well as in person. I really, really like shaving. I don't want to give it up.
Skinhead, thanks for the personal account. I guess I always just assumed that head shaving was a neat, crisp look and most employers would like that, and I think your post sort of fit in with my perceptions. I don't have any piercings, tattoos, or anything like that. I think I look pretty clean cut, but I am bothered at times, because every once in a while a teenager will throw a Nazi salute my way, jest or not, it's not something I care for. I guess I worry about that sort of assumption, more than anything else.
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I really don't think in this day and age there is a problem with it. The company I do work for has alot of store level management and home office higher ups that are sly. It is one of the largest home centers in the world.
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The question arises, “Well, what about those that are MPB?” The protocol there is keep it neatly clipped and avoid the combover. A bad combover (or bad toupe) could cause “background noise” for the younger middle-age clientele.
The bottom line is that, while head shaving is indeed becoming more and more mainstream--and my personal preferrence, unfortunately it's still not a slam dunk in some circles of endeavor.
Rob - Are you really recommending that those with MBP "keep it neatly clipped" and not go sly? With all due respect, I have to disagree. I think a "neatly clipped" MBP haircut creates "background noise".
I work with Doctors and Lawyers, as well as very conservative senior management in large corporations, and slyness seems very much so accepted.
I was very apprehensive about going sly, to a large degree due to concerns about work related concerns, but have found that there are sly dudes at all levels of management in very conservative companies.
But, of course since you're BBC it's a different situation, and you probably did the right thing growing out given your situation. But, those that aren't able to grow a full head of hair, I think, should seriously the sly option over "keeping it neatly clipped".
Just my 2 cents ....
Andrew
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phantom... i wouldn't worry about growing your hair out 4 the interview. i work with several doctors, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and nurses at the hospital who rock the slick smoooooth noggin'. besides.... a freshly shaved dome with a business suit looks very professional and clean. O0 keep us posted on your decision.
WARHAWK O0
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I work in the business world and deal with C-level execs (CEO, CTO, CFO, etc) everyday and not once has it affected my ability to do business. At the last trade show I was at I was speaking to 3 CEOs at the same time, all who shaved their heads. As someone who also goes to NYC quite often for business, I can tell you that it should not be a factor at all. They'll worry more about your ability to do your job than the fact that you shave your head.
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Tyler, Warhawk, thanks for the information, particularly about New York. This is good news for me, as I'm on day three without a shave, and my head is starting to itch already.
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Tyler, Warhawk, thanks for the information, particularly about New York. This is good news for me, as I'm on day three without a shave, and my head is starting to itch already.
phantom...no problem brah. now...go get a quality razor and scrape that noggin' smoooooth. don't make it day #4 without a shave.
WARHAWK O0
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Rob - Are you really recommending that those with MBP "keep it neatly clipped" and not go sly?
NOPE.....don't read too much into or out of this....this has to do ONLY WITH MY PARTICULAR SITUATION, bro.....MY PARTICULAR FIRM....THAT'S IT !!!
I agree with my bro's above that there's most likely nothing to worry about. My post was not to disagree or argue to the contrary....I was just pointing out the unfortunate exception I'm facing.
Let's not start getting this spun out of context. This is just what I'm faced with right now and it just so happens to be REAL in my particular, peculiar, personal situation....not imagined...not theorized.....not speculated.....just damn REAL.
I TOTALLY AGREE that the slick noggin in a sharp suit looks WAY COOL, man.....My point was simply that while head shaving is 99.999999% accepted.....there are apparently still stubborn quarters where people need to pull the cork out. Like our friend--I forget where I read it, maybe this thread--where someone shot him the "Heil Hitler" salute. There are still folks out there who don't shave, aren't curious about shaving, don't "have to" shave that ain't movin' forward with the look.
Have I made myself clear? I LOVE THE SLY LOOK....THE SLY LOOK GOES GREAT WITH A NICE SUIT......THE SLY LOOK WORKS IN 99.99999% OF CORPORATE CIRCLES.....I'M NOT GETTING RID OF MY FUSION
I'm a smart feller just proceeding with caution....wish I didn't have to....but POLLYANNA is a whore, man!
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Tyler, Warhawk, thanks for the information, particularly about New York. This is good news for me, as I'm on day three without a shave, and my head is starting to itch already.
You're welcome bro!
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I'm late on this one, but I am in total agreement with Tyler.
Being from NY and working in the financial district for many years, I can attest to the shaved or buzzed head being a very accepted look in business. You should have no problem finding employment, especially if well qualified.
NY and other big cities are way above the curve in regards to the way a person is perceived. Luckily, the skinhead thing is slowly sinking into the horizon, as is the horrible combover.
As more and more men take control and embrace their masculinity and just go with nature, it should eventually be a non-issue. Shave, put on your best suit, and get out there!
Good Luck, and keep us posted. O0
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Keep your head slick smooth brutha...
most people will think you do it because you're balding anyways....even if your full on BBC!
Except of course if your like our friend Jdog...
dude has some serious hair under neath that shiny slick dome! ;)
BTW...a bald head and a suit...nothin' tighter lookin' bro!
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The key in an interview is to exude confidence and look sharp. People who take the time to shave their clearly take the time to take care of themselves. Keep it slick, we are in hard times right now, if anything that is what will make it difficult to find a job. Agree with baldandre!!!
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Keep it slick, it is a clean look.
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Thanks guys, I appreciate the help. It's good to be sly and free feeling.
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The last guy I interviewed with said I looked like an asian Mr Clean....
???
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The last guy I interviewed with said I looked like an asian Mr Clean....
Not without the hoop earrings! ;)
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Depends on where you live. I would think in NYC it wouldn't be an issue like it would be in a small town. In my case, I thing it contributed to my loosing my job in some way. After I went BBC my boss told me I looked like a gay forest ranger ..whatever that is. He was constantly making cracks. Sooo, I definitely think it can have an impact at an interview .. depending on how it looks on you. As for me .. I became self employed so I would have to deal with that crap any more.
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I think it exudes more confidence then MPB does, however if you can grow a full head it might be better to go on interviews that way and then shave later..
Bottom line is to go into an interview dressed appropriately and with confidence in yourself.. O0
I have wrestled MIGHTILY with this in the last couple months.
I am BBC and have pretty full coverage. I wrote to the mods confessing that I had "chickened out" in regard to my recent interview process and had grown my hair back just a bit (like a "high & tight"). I had to think long and hard about my particular situation. Turns out I made the right decision.
After a bit of a hiatus (like ALL of 2007)---during which I got into noggin scraping---I'm back in the stuffed-shirt, high-profile retirement planning corporate world. That's a GOOD thing...I love where I work. However, being on the front line of working directly with clients, I had to, and have to be careful since I work with a lot of older, old-school folk.
We need to be careful about anything, image-wise, that might cause what we call "background noise." We have one rep in our office who dresses.....let's just say...."progressively" and has a fairly interesting hair-do to match. Nothing freakish, mind you....just a stretch beyond yer conventional business look. He was in contact by phone with a high-profile, older client and things were going fine. When they met in person, the client contacted management and asked that his case be transferred to another associate.
Now that's not an everyday problem, but--bottom line--the dude lost out on a big client by being committed to his "progressive" image.
So if you don't mind the possibility of losing some business by being committed to a certain image, that's up to the individual. While management personally doesn't care, they discourage (notice I didn't say "forbid") anything that might cause distracting "background noise" for the more conservative clientele.
The question arises, “Well, what about those that are MPB?” The protocol there is keep it neatly clipped and avoid the combover. A bad combover (or bad toupe) could cause “background noise” for the younger middle-age clientele.
The bottom line is that, while head shaving is indeed becoming more and more mainstream--and my personal preferrence, unfortunately it's still not a slam dunk in some circles of endeavor.
Very well stated!! I went Sly when I was already employed...If I had to get back out in the job market, I am not sure what I would do...I mean I have MPB, so would it be better looking like that....Tough question, but your answer was very good... O0
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I wouldn't think it would be a problem if you have a professional image and are well qualified for the job. I have worked for an engineering firm for the last 2 years and there are several sly guys there, and they are the best engineers in the company.
If you look good are well qualified and don't get the job because you have a shaved head, do you want to work for them anyways?
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....Tough question, but your answer was very good... O0
Well, thanks....the "stuff" I brought up is a touchy thing to "advance" around here without folks getting uncomfortable.
I wouldn't think it would be a problem if you have a professional image and are well qualified for the job.
That's why I mentioned MY particular situation is not speculative...not theorized. I would go even FURTHER to say that a shiny, well-kept shaved head AND a pierced ear with a small, unassuming diamond stud looks good in a nice professional suit and shouldn't take away from the fact that someone is well qualified for a particular position.
But for certain people that tiny 2-millimeter-in-diameter, barely-visible "thing" in yer ear lobe makes a "statement" they're not sure how to "interpret," and could cause "background noise" in a situation you may not want it to......same thing with headshaving....albeit in fewer and fewer...and ever diminishing circumstances, thankfully.
Hence, my granting that, while in 99.9999% of situations probably don't pose a problem these days in corporate circles, there's still a little way ta go before it's a 100% slam dunk in every and any situation.
If it WAS a 100% slam dunk in any and all corporate situations......a foregone conclusion not warranting any concern or consideration in ANY employment circles....then there wouldn't be questions arising in threads like this. This is probably the 3rd or 4th thread on this subject......not to mention the threads on "Reactions From Family.....Friends....Kids....(etc...)"
If there wasn't some sort of awesome uniqueness and individuality......even edginess to being SLY, this website wouldn't mean any more than starting a website for men who part their hair on the right instead of the left.......***YAWN***
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In theory, if you do your job well it really shouldn't matter what you're appearance is.
Sadly, theory isn't always reality. Carrying yourself in a professional manner, treating others with respect, and doing your job to the best of your abilities should be enough. It's funny, you can tie this question into a ton of other topics on this board. There are times people have posted their experiences of people being intimidated by their sly look, until they speak with them and find it's a nice guy that just happens to be bald. You can say the same things about different walks of life...
A nice guy that just happens to be gay
A nice guy that just happens to be black
A nice guy that just happens to be a Raider fan (had to throw that one in).
You could fill in the blanks for anything like this. It just goes back to generalizations that (frankly) are bullsh*t. I know some gays, blacks, democrats, republicans, jewish, catholics, that are extremely cool and I know some of the same that are some of the biggest jerks walking the face of this earth.
Good & Bad Eggs come from all walks of life.
Sorry for the Sunday Morning Sermon. The events of the past week have been thought provoking for this humbled snob.
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My two cents: as others have said, appearance does matter on job interviews and in the workplace. But by and large, a shaved head is considered to be pretty mainstream these days. Schro, SlyInKC and I are in what is arguably one of the most conservative professions and it hasn't been a problem for any of us, nor has it been a problem for countless others.
That being said, you never know what kind of prejudices you're going to run into based on your appearance. Job interviewers will judge you on your height, weight, tone of voice, any number of things. In an ideal world, none of these things should matter, but the truth is we're all affected by other people's biases.
In this day and age, someone who has a shaved head, is well dressed and behaves professionally shouldn't have any problem the vast majority of the time. Anyone who discriminates against someone with a shaved head is probably just biased against bald heads,whether they are shaved or just MPB. Visible piercings and tattoos are still considered taboos in most professional environments, but I really wouldn't worry about the shaved head at all.
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YEP !!!
yer both gorgeous, by the way, and I love yas....humbled snobbery and all :@`