To Beard or not to Beard? That is the question…

[Thomas J. Johnson]

Does having a well maintained beard make a difference in a companies hiring/firing decisions? I hate shaving (my face is always irritated), enjoy having a beard and frankly, think I look better with a beard than without… It seems like there are companies out there who have an anti-facial hair policy, at least for the grunts… principals and presidents can grow as much hair as they want… I’ve even been asked, “If offered the job, would you be willing to shave?” during an interview. I answered “yes” but didn’t get the job. Maybe I should have said, “Hell no, I’m not shaving my beard. It’s a part of me. Take it or leave it.”

How important is being clean shaven vs having a well maintained beard? I trim it every few days and keep it between a #2 and #3 out of like, 8 settings. I’m not a communist or muslim or even a big fat hippie. I’m just a man with a beard. Some men wouldn’t even acknowledge it as a beard… although it is nice and thick… not some patchy-boy-beard.

What do YOU think? To Beard or not to Beard? That is the question…

[Jonathan Smith, RLA]

Just be yourself…but no mustache!

[Theodore Tegen]

Wow an employer asked you if you would shave your beard if offered the job?  It sounds like they may have had their priorities mixed up.  However, by making light of the subject, you yourself have some idea that it might be a point of contention for some employers.  If you have an inkling that it might be frowned upon, then it makes sense to eliminate any chance that it could count against you; i.e. shave it.  Though I am speaking only of the interview/hiring phase.  Once you’re in the door, and as long as it meets the companies grooming/personal hygiene standards, there should be no problem.

[Thomas J. Johnson]

lol You know it! The hair on my head can’t handle my elevated testosterone levels so it migrated to safer grounds. By allowing it to flourish on my face it creates a balance, a follicle harmony, if you will. That, and being 33 years old and sedentary, the chin has somehow multiplied. The beard enables me to hide that second chin and redraw my jawline where it once existed. The beard is really a multifunctional facial accessory. In addition to the above benefits it keeps me warm in the winter and cool in the summer, it gives me something to play with when I want to look like I’m thinking and it really cuts down on the cost of razors. You can shape it anyway you want, as often as you want. It’s like landscape for your face. Truly, I can not say enough good things about the beard… I’ve had one, more or less full time, since I was 17… about the same time I started going bald, er, building my cranial solar panel…

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

That seems weird to me. I could see if you had some weird beard pattern, but clearly you don’t. Maybe there was a problem with others having a particular look and rather than singling anyone out they just made a no beard policy? Could it have been a setup to see if you say yes to everything in a job interview?  … or maybe it is for real.

 

I also have a beard. 

[mauiBob]

Thomas, dude you sure have plenty of free time on your hands!! The employer doesn’t want someone who is a pushover and can’t stand on their own belief. What about the question, Do we hire the short or the tall guy?

 

FYI: Unfortunately, you didn’t get the job because of the beard thing. They thought you didn’t fit in with the group…because you were trying to make yourself look like one of the principals.

[Trace One]

appearance is everything, all the time, in my humble..shave the beard, get hair implants, and then go out and sell yourself, or what is left of ‘it’..

for me, beard ok – earring NO..didn’t hire a guy becuase of his earring..hired the cute girl instead who proceeded to charm the boss (she was much younger and cuter than me, plus no need to make decisions in her job) backstab me, screw me over, and take my job when I resigned..

the more i know  people the more i like my dog..

so who really cares, TJ? The beard will not move the universe one hair in any direction …

[Thomas J. Johnson]

MauiBob – Yeah, I sure do… too much time… know anyone who’s hiring? I don’t know if the pushover thing is true. Some companies do have a no facial hair policy. Shaving you can control. Your stature you cannot… fortunately, I don’t have any issues with my height… Do you?

FYI: What are you talking about? I didn’t fit in with the group…? “Fitting in” has never been my strong suit nor has it been my aim. Fitting in is for followers… I was trying to look like one of the principals? I’ve had a beard since I was 17. I guess I’ve been trying for a while now… The longest I’ve ever been clean shaven in the last 16 years has been a couple of months. If “they” bothered to do their homework, “they” would know that… There were two principals with beards. Which one was I trying to look like? Or maybe I was trying to look like the president or one of the other bearded principles from another office… Please tell me MauiBob, oh, insightful one…

 

[Douglas M. Rooney]

Thomas…your question makes me laugh. I have a goatee myself and with an important interview coming soon, I will be shaving it off. I look better with the goatee because I do not have a particularly strong chin and it gives my lower face some definition. The reason I am shaving though is not what you think. In recent years my facial hair has been turning gray. I believe that I have not been getting many interviews because of my age. I intend to go into that interview looking absolutely as young as I possibly can, so the facial hair comes off.

[Steve_White]

Maybe it is the east coast in me, but personally I would not have a beard if I was job hunting.  I think having a beard is a bigger mark on your character(good or bad it is noted) than not having a beard.

 

but if done well, it can give a dignified look.

[Thomas J. Johnson]

Have you seen my beard? 🙂

[Thomas J. Johnson]

Yeah, my brother’s wife thinks that guys with beards “are hiding something”. I guess all guys prior to the invention of the safety razor were hiding something, based on that logic… perception is a funny thing… so if I take a razor to my face every day I’m “clean-cut” and an upstanding citizen but if I allow my facial hair to grow to a reasonable length and maintain it, I’m a fringe lunatic, not to be trusted, cult-member, child abusing, felon, drug addict who likes to wear neon-speed-suits and go rollerskating on the weekend… makes perfect sense…

Like most beliefs, the ritual of daily shaving is motivated by corporate profit and enforced through clever branding. Glorify the clean shaven and demonize the bearded. Women didn’t used to shave their legs or armpits until companies realized they were missing out on a huge market segment of the population. Then, through a printed media campaign, they made women shaving de rigueur. The same thing happened with women smoking cigarettes or any number of our ingrained behaviors that we do automatically without a second thought…

Much like wearing ties (leashes), I’m just not sure I can bring myself to shave… maybe I should go be ski-patrol…

[Thomas J. Johnson]

Good News! Land8Lounge has had two new bearded members join within the last 3 hours! One of them is a “gardener” and the other one is Canadian… Is somebody trying to tell me something?

[Steve_White]

haha.  Dam you Madison Ave!!

what do they say?  Don’t hate the player hate the game.

 

And I agree with what you say.  But is there nothing to the fact that when you dress sharp, comb your hair(seriously no pun here), get a nice shave it makes you feel good and more confident. Even if you have been sold that image, I still feel it.  If i were to where a t-shirt to work everyday I would think my behavior and attitude would be wearing a t-shirt as well.  

[Andrew Garulay, RLA]

About 8 years ago I was working for a design/build.One day I had jury duty and got dismissed early. I had nice clothes on and a good pair of shoes. On the way back to the shop/office I stopped at a nursery to check the inventory as I often did. This time I had two “yard guys” going around with me, moving plants out of my way, making sure I did not break a finger nail, …. It took me a few minutes to realize that they were reacting to how I dressed. I definitely changed the way I dressed from that day forward. Now I notice when I don’t get dressed.

Having said all of that – a beard is not necessarilly a holey tee shirt equivalent. There are all kinds of beards with attitude that could be negative, but Tom’s is definitely not one of them. A beard is just like a pair of shoes – it can be a pair of Berkenstocks, combat boots, or Armani’s.

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