to think that turning up to a job interview with waist-length hair (as a man)

[EdgarAllenSnow]

is tantamount to walking in and saying plainly 'I do not want the job?'

I ask because my brother, reasonably well qualified, reasonably charming though he is, has not cut his hair to get a job, and despite having several interviews, has had no offers. He attends interviews otherwise tidy, suited and booted and with his manly locks tied back in a pony tail.

I don't see why he should cut his hair to be honest, if it is tied back and tidy then that should suffice.

Personally, not that keen on men with long locks, but wouldn't expect him to cut it to conform.

So yes yabu.

Is his hair in good condition, or is it that awful, stringy at the ends sort of hair that some people have when their hair is too long.

If it's in good condition, and neatly tied back (and he's not going for a job working with dangerous machinery), then I don't see why he should have it cut.

However, if it's stringy, with a receeding hairline, then he should cut it, whether he's got a job interview or not!

If it's clean and tidy, not a problem.

I wouldn't want to work for any company that thought it was a problem.

why? is he going for jobs with heavy machinery?

I have no problem with it - lots of meeja/rock roadie/artistic jobs have blokes with long hair.

I find the job market (apart from city high finance) is quite a lot more liberal with hairstyle now.

Sorry but I agree

There are very few industries where this doesn't make you look barking

So long as it is tidy, clean and tied back, it really, really shouldn't be a problem. Agree about the stringiness though - if it is stringy, he should have a few inches cut off.

It will surely depend on what field he hopes to get a job in. In some workplaces, long hair would be fine but not in others (as a rule).

I am also not a huge fan of long hair in men although some clearly manage to carry it off successfully, managing to come over as endearingly eccentric or boldly stylish even when, on paper, it ought to be inappropriate.

He clearly doesn't want to be one of the mundanes, man.

DH is convinced it would be unacceptable to have a beard at work. He grows one every holiday. So yes, I do think long hair may hinder his chances. It is a shame.

Does he wear a suit for interviews?
Sorry, but I would struggle to keep a straight face.

I dont see why he should cut it off as long as he looks neat and tidy tbh.
My Dh has long hair (not waist length but about twice as long as mine!) and works in the city in a very good job for a Lloyds syndicate, having got that job (and others) with long hair.

What kind of job is he looking for? If it's a technology role, no-one would care. If it's customer facing it might be a bit unusual...

DH has this hair in the summer

and huge curly hair and beard in the winter

I don't think people are really bothered as long as it is clean do they?

Customer care manager at the local council office has waist long dreads

he was going for roles in publishing. All the people I know in publishing (admittedly not many) are very neatly presented indeed.

i asked my husband, dad, brother in law and other brother what the first word they would think upon meeting a young man in a suit with his hair in a pony tail, and to a man they replied 'tosser'.

brother is currently working in a telemarketing call centre.

mii have to ask, DH isn't 50 plus is he???

As long he is presentable and wears his hair back, I don't see that this woul be a problem.

I work in a very conservative indusrty and one of the engineering managers is a biker - has piercings galore and looks like a hells angel type off duty, however scrubs upo and dresses normally for his day job.

I don't think any of the managers where I work would discount a bloke with long hair, either blue or white collar.

lol no he is 27

his hair is fairly tousled, and approaches the appearance of dreads even when brushed and conditioned. he does not do 'corporate' well.

Oh thank God!

Waist length seems excessive. Could he not just cut to shoulder length and see if that helps?

It shouldn't be a problem, but realistically it probably is in an industry where most people are clean cut. People do judge on appearances, however unfortunate that is.

Ye-es, publishing - quite traditional, I'd think! Your male relatives' reaction made me laugh. Men are so unforgiving of other men sometimes - just like women can be.

IF that is true, it's piss poor. IMO as long as you make an effort for an interview - ie you look your best by your standards why does it matter.

I remember once getting a lecture from an older friend who told me that me 6yr old DS wouldn't get anywhere in life (careers-wise) if he continued to use the wrong hand for his knife when eating. She is a fule. And so are those who judge according to the length of a man's hair. Sheer twattery.

Publishing covers a big range of jobs. Long hair on a man probably wouldn't matter if he was the kind of magazine editorial job I used to have. Ad-sales would be different.

"he does not do 'corporate' well"

Well hurrah for him! Corporate is dull. Thousands of men in suits with short hair or (even worse) hair that is short and trendy with gel and the like. Bleuch!

Sad that so few men look good in suits.