Facial Hair

The first one, but common sense doesn't always win.

 

How you appear goes to self-respect. And no self-respecting person would ever want to be a journalist. ;D

 

the guy who has shown he can do the fucking job.

 

Amen. If the person smells like the Senator Craig stall, that's one thing, otherwise, who cares?

 

Seriously, if you dress like a professional, management thinks you will act like a professional. You dress like a loser and management thinks they would be hiring a loser, or at least someone who doesn't care enough to look his/her very best.

 

But who shows up to work 5 days a week in a suit and tie.
Don't look sloppy is all, let your work speak for itself.

 

amen, brother marv.

 

i think you're barking up the wrong tree, harley.

 

In no means is a suit necesary, but if you've got one, use it. It doesn't make you the better hire, but dressing as nicely as possible and being as well-groomed as possible conveys enthusiasm for the job. If you get hired, then you can fall into suit (no pun intended) with the rest of the newsroom.

And as for facial hair, it'll grow back. I 86ed my beard and got a crew cut for my last round of interviews six months ago. I've never been good with styling, so I take no chances. After all that, I ended up taking a job across the country that interviewed me by phone and never saw me until I showed up a month later.

 

Too late now, but I figure it couldn't hurt to ask the person you will be interviewing with how they feel about facial hair or if the paper has any rules about it. I have a friend who has pretty long hair and he asked during a phone interview if his editor had any problems with long hair. He was willing to get a haircut, but the paper didn't care, so he didn't cut it.

I'm years away from being in a hiring position, but I don't think it would matter as long as it was trimmed and clean cut for the interview. It also depends on how long you've had it and how willing you are to part with it. What's the point of shaving facial hair for an interview if after a week or so on the job you are going to grow it back? Especially when you'll have to take a week or so of not shaving to grow it back. It might look bad to have it during the interview, but it's better than looking like a bum and not shaving your first few weeks on the job to grow it back.

 

you don't have facial hair, do you jeremy?

 

I do not. I grew a few different things in college, but it was mostly when I was working the desk. I also look like an idiot with facial hair, or so friends and family have said.