Long haired man vs. employment

[iforgotmylogin]

So, I want to change jobs. I've been performing a management role simultaneously with a laboring role ever since our middle manager left almost 2 years ago. Despite promises, my compensation for taking it all on when nobody else would has not been forthcoming. Time to stop having my generous nature exploited.

This is the first time I've sought a job whilst having long hair. In the past I've actually cut my hair off twice just in case a potential employer was a bit backward again a man with long hair. But I no longer receive free cuts and I've grown quite fond of my hair. Being that I've been turning silver for years (despite being only mid 30's) and that it is way more obvious since my hair has grown I think it looks like distinguished. But that may be wishful thinking on my part.

Putting aside our collective appreciation of lengthy hair, would you hold it against a bloke looking to work for you? Please be honest, people here are gentle, considerate & honest so I believe I can rely on the community to give it to me straight.

[Aredhel]

I wouldn't. As long as a person is well groomed and well spoken, I will see them as such. Hair length is irrelevant.

One of my best friends is a guy with TBL hair. Whenever he's at work or at any formal event, he combs his hair into a neat bun and he blends right in. Nobody even looks twice at his hair. I do live in Canada though, so things might not be like that everywhere?

[my2cats1]

I agree. Just keep it neat and contained (bun or ponytail) and it should be a non-issue.
good luck with the job search!

[-Fern]

I agree--the biggest issue for most employers will be whether you look neatly groomed, professional and whether you interact well with customers/clients/coworkers.

[akurah]

What industry are you in? That determines a lot. If you stated it with "laboring", I apologize, I'm not sure what that means. Is that akin to what Americans call "blue collar" (predominantly manual labor and non-degree work, such as landscaping, construction, many transit/bus/train related roles, mechanic, etc)?

[iforgotmylogin]

Pardon me, it would be blue collar in American parlance, yes.

[akurah]

I would gauge it depending on if it would be a safety risk in that case, to be quite honest. Even contained hair can get loose, and caught in, say, a drill bit, and next thing you know...

Insofar as getting a job--if you can, scope out the workplace, the other employees. Are tattoos or piercings shown visibly (blatantly so)? Alternately, are men wearing long hair? If any of those three are true (it does not have to be all three) AND it's not a safety concern, you are probably safe keeping your hair long if you can secure it in a way to be tidy (low ponytail, braid, etc).

[Aunt Rapunzel]

It can partly depend on the area in which you live, too. My youngest brother had long hair, but to get into management in the factory that he's currently working in, he had to cut his hair. It's a small town, the factory owner didn't want long hair on the men because he thinks it looks unprofessional. He allowed the men who were hourly workers to have long hair if they kept it tied back, or if it was very long, in a net or bun, but if you wanted to move up in the company, your hair had to be short if you were a guy. I think akurah's advice is very good. If you're able to kind of get an idea of whether the workplace you're trying to hire into would be okay with long hair on a man, then you'd probably be safe to keep it long. As much as we all admire long, healthy, amazing hair around here, you're right...not everybody does.

Best wishes to you in your job search!

[spidermom]

It wouldn't bother me as long as it was clean and neat. We have a doctor at our local hospital with a tailbone-length braid. He is native American, and the long braid absolutely suits him.

[lapushka]

If it is neatly ponytailed, obviously cared for, so "contained", then no. If it's just hanging loose and floating about, I might make a mental note of, hmm... maybe not. I'm just honest; these are my feelings. Having it neatly contained shows that you take safety on the floor into consideration and that is a plus!