What you wear to a job interview is important but more importantly is how you present yourself. Which bears the question “Is shaving necessary for an interview?” Ultimately, it’s the confidence within yourself that will help put your best foot forward and make a great first impression.
You should know how you feel when you’re clean shaven vs when you have nice and neat facial hair.
Should I Shave for a Job Interview?
Yes. Shaving for a job interview was always recommended because you don’t want to have a wild uneven beard on your face that looks all patchy. But times have changed from when this was basically the requirement. Now, it’s kind of recognized that a beard or moustache can help to express oneself, thus giving your confidence a boost.
The first thing I would do is check the culture of the organization or company culture. More than likely the company will have a casual dress code, properly shaved neat facial hair will do just fine. Or while you’re in an interview with the employer and they ask if you have any questions for them. One question you can ask is “are having beards acceptable in the workplace?”
Should I shave for video interview?
No, you don’t have to. But it’s a requirement to look nice and neat. Since you’re doing a video interview. Employers may be thinking since you have a beard you may be home all day (which you might be) chilling and doing absolutely nothing. You’re just waiting for your hermit license to come it. So, I would shave a bit, if you don’t want to get rid of the beard, then don’t. But make it look nice
Should I Wear Aftershave to a Job Interview?
Yes, you can. It’s up to you whether or not you want to put on aftershave to an interview. But a touch of your regular scent can help you out a lot and make you feel confident. Don’t go overboard with throwing so much aftershave or any scent on you that it becomes too much.
Interview Appearance
It doesn’t matter if you decide to keep your beard at the moment. Because now you have an actual job interview that can help you get a stable income. So, you must put your best foot forward. You must present yourself as the utmost professional while in an interview. Getting the haircut or shaving if you want before the interview begins should be your top priority.
Reasons why you probably won’t shave for an interview?
Cultural and Religious Issues
Some men will grow beards because they are lazy or it’s a way for them to express themselves. Some beards are for religious reasons and or cultural reasons. For instance, in Islam, the man wears a beard since it represents growth and maturity. And in a few Jewish cultures, older men will beard as well.
Take the Amish for example, the Amish have this long history of wearing beards that for a man represents their maturity. But more and more companies are having diversity training to help shape their understanding of different cultures of the employees that they employ.
This shift is beneficial to a man that doesn’t shave for non-aesthetic reasons.
Nonetheless there are federal laws in place that can help protect you from any employee misjustice because you wear a beard for your religious reasons. But your employer can still find a way around this if they make a case that allowing you to wear a beard can establish undue hardship to their company/organization.
So be careful.
How to keep your beard for a job?
Beside what you believe, not all companies have this straight-line personal appearance requirement you must meet. This is what I like to call a bear friendly job.
Depending on what role you are interviewing, shaving might make it a big deal and could decide your fate in regards to shaving or not. But generally speaking, when you apply for customer service roles or a client facing role, then you most likely will and should shave. Not shaving everything completely off. But making it look nice and neat. Make sure your beard is nice and neat.
Other jobs such as
- Presenting data analysis to your clients
- Conference attendance,
- Business development
- Taking meetings for your company
- Handling of food, working in restaurants
Then you might want to shave your beard before the interview. But once you get the job, now that is a different story. Then you could grow a short stubble. Handling food is a big problem for beard shavers. But they may not allow you to work if it’s an issue with your beard. You probably won’t have to shave either, but you’ll have to wear a hair net over your beard.
Ways you can tell if you can keep a beard for an interview?
Searching up and down across social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. You want to look up the company on LinkedIn search for pictures of the company employees. Take particular interest in the men in the photos. If you notice that 10% of the men have facial hair, then you’re alright to not shave. And pay attention to the type of beard they have.
And ask yourself these questions.
- Is it unkempt?
- Is it neat and clean?
- Is it in a certain style?
Checking the companies Instagram account
This one can be sketchy because a lot of companies take to Instagram and post pictures of their company not on a local scale but on a huge multi-national scale. Meaning the images, you’ll most likely see are in front of the international office. For example, they’ll may have pictures of the workforce in Germany or in Dubai, where the culture is extremely beard friendly. And you’ll be fooled to think you’re okay and not in any problems.
Jobs located in beard friendly regions
The urban areas of NYC Or Austin Texas are beard friendly. But any company that is in a trendy urban area would be more beard friendly than one located in a not so urban area.
I’m not saying that employers located in suburbia or any rural areas hate beards. But the rules of companies there may be more conservative.