curls & job interviews

[Icecreamqueen88]

my hair is very similat to this

Have a a few interviews for office/admin jobs coming up. I always wear my hair open. My hair gets noticed (random people comment on it - usually positive ).

Just met some friends who said I should collect it/put it up or - shudder - straightenit for a jon interview. Really? This never crossed my mind.

what doea the MN jury say? Please tell me my friends are utterly ridiculous. My last interview was 10 years ago so not too up to date anymore.

[MyMeMy]

Yes, your friend are utterly ridiculous. I have curly, very messy hair despite my best efforts to control it, and I've never had an issue getting jobs.

I currently have a senior position and am client facing, as long as you're suitably qualified and experienced for the role your hair is very unlikely to be the deciding factor. Embrace the curls

[Icecreamqueen88]

Sounds good. I usually rock my curls

[AWholeLottaNosy]

It's incredible really that your competence could be deduced by your hair! However maybe your friends are hinting that you would project a more professional image if you tamed it a bit. I have curly/wavy hair and actually bought a Babyliss wand to straighten my hair for interviews. Hate it but think there is still definitely some prejudice against curly hair.

[jackstini]

I don't think you should straighten it but if it is very like the photo then I would find it distracting that I could not see your face.
I like to see the facial expressions of the person I am interviewing and I want to know their hair won't be in their eyes when they are working!
Maybe just pin the sides back slightly?

[KneesOfTheBee]

What about a hairnet?

(I think your hair is fab)

[HazleNutt]

Nothing against curly hair, but first impressions matter. So if it's just the first round of interviews with a lot of competition, I would put the hair up for that kind of jobs, to look more polished and neat. I did the same when I had very long hair, even though it obviously did not affect my abilities.

[Icecreamqueen88]

awhole - I think this is what they tried to say.

and no, my hair is not in my face/eyes.

[ZaraW]

My hair is similar to yours and I wear it down I wouldn't change it for a job interview but then again I'm not a high flyer or work in a corporate environment.

[Delphine31]

I have only in the past couple of years embraced my curly hair. Now I won't straighten it for anything/anyone!

But I might put a couple of pins in it to tame any particularly unruly bits for a work event/interview if I feel neatness is important.

I'd be interested to know how any curly girls who put their hair up for work go about doing this. It would be nice to put it up occasionally just for a bit of variety.

[BikeRunSki]

I have the same hair in Mouse. I usually tie in a curly pony tail gir interviews etc, but otherwise loose at work. I strsightened it once, hated it, never again.

I have a fairly senior professional job with a government body, so my hair must be doing ok

[ZaraW]

I do this sometimes really easy.

[Amarena]

I am Head of HR and have long curly hair. Very curly and ringletty. Not only do i recruit at all levels (and would never discriminate because of someone's hair...wtf??) but I was obviously recruited into this senior role in the first place, with my long curly hair.

Your friends are talking tosh. You can tell them that from me. Go rock your curls.

[Spybot]

If your hair is like that, then please don't change it! I wish more people wore their hair curly these days!

[AWholeLottaNosy]

It's interesting in the Curly Girl Handbook, there are a number of stories from famous/ successful women who felt discriminated against because of their hair. Including the author who once worked in a fashionable Los Angeles salon. Didn't Nicole Kidman have naturally very curly hair?

[Ememem84]

So jealous of your hair.

Mine seems to be naturally wavy on one side and straight on the other.

I would love to have super curls like the picture. Sigh.

[Icecreamqueen88]

She had gorgeous curls....

[irregularegular]

My hair is like yours - on a good day!

I've never felt a need to change it for professional interviews. I'm a university lecturer and have also worked as a management consultant. I think so long as it is tidy there is absolutely no reason for it to be striaght or tied back!

[skrumle]

I have a (new) career coach and I raised with her that in a work-related capacity a couple of people had mentioned my lovely blonde curls. Which sounds like a compliment but at work I'm not sure that's really the key fact about me I want people to remember.

Anyway, she basically said something along the lines of "I suppose you just need to consider whether doing something like tying your hair up will help you get your message across"... I'm not prepared to cut my hair and I don't have the energy to straighten it but I have put it up (with pins rather than a bobble) a couple of times recently and I think people do react to me slightly differently.

Which is really annoying but I think may be the reality nowadays - partly because so many women with curly/wavy hair straighten it so curls stand out more than they should.

I think it does depend though as well whether or not you are bucking the trend in the area you want to work in - I'm younger and more female than most folk doing my job!

[AliMonkey]

I have similar hair. In my one and only interview 3 years ago I left it down (with my usual curl defining stuff which actually makes it look more curly but less messy). I got the job (number 2 in the small professional company). My theory would be that if they don't employ you because of your hair then you don't want to work there anyway! But if you were desperately in need of a job you might not be in a position to take that attitude.

[acatcalledjohn]

Rock them! I have naturally wavy/curly hair. Not like yours, but I certainly wouldn't straighten it for an interview. If they can't see past the curly hair, they don't deserve your expertise!

What is this obsession with straight hair anyway? Straightening is bad for your hair, and if done badly it looks awful and fake. To be frank, your friends need to come back down to planet earth if they think curls could have an impact during an interview.

To be fair, most straight haired people are jealous of us curly haired goddesses and rightfully so

[Dorisdolalee]

I think Victoria BeckhAm and Jennifer Anniston both have naturally curly hair...
It's such a shame naturally curtly hair is seen as something messy or unruly and also frizz: what the hell is wrong with a bit of a frizz -it's what curly hair does.
Anyway - sorry- don't worry about straightening it I really don't think anyone would discriminate in a job interview. If you're natural hair us like that link your friends are clearly going to be extremely jealous!

Also, just imagine walking into an interview with your flat straight hair and seeing someone interviewing you with a fantastic mane of hair like yours in its natural state. You'd be gutted!

[Andcake]

Ridiculous - how awful of your friends! I have v curly hair - have never straightened it in my life - have done senior client facing jobs. Have spoken on my profession and at other senior level events- like local government with no one doubting my skills.

Curly hair does not make you look unprofessional or un groomed.

Go in with confidence, a firm handshake and a warm smile, wearing smart clothes and show them you're right for the job.
Good luck!

[Andcake]

Ps Also I think looking a bit different can make you more memorable.