Jobs open to baldies?

[s.a.f]

I think Boondocks right they would prefer someone younger just because they think that by your age you should have had a well established career and the fact that you are at novice level could be percieved that you are not a a 'go getter' orthat you've struggled to get to this level.
When I was 22 I went for an interview as an insurance clerk trainee, and the interviewer totally dismissed me saying "I've got guys your age who are already in managment".

 

[Boondock]

When I was 22 I went for an interview as an insurance clerk trainee, and the interviewer totally dismissed me saying "I've got guys your age who are already in managment".

You were already visibly Norwooded by then though, right? Coincidence??? :shock:

 

[karl_h]

I agree that if you want to work in sales your physical appearance might be a factor in getting hired and also in getting promoted.

I have, however, seen individuals in sales departments at several companies get promoted despite having a considerable amount of hair loss.

They were well-liked by their colleagues and their clients.

I think this shows you that hair loss is not going to prevent you from being promoted in a sales environment if you do excellent work.

 

[s.a.f]

When I was 22 I went for an interview as an insurance clerk trainee, and the interviewer totally dismissed me saying "I've got guys your age who are already in managment".

You were already visibly Norwooded by then though, right? Coincidence??? :shock:

Damn!! :freaked: I never thought of it like that!! :shock:

 

[Boondock]

I still think you're being ridiculous on the appearance side. The reason your friend in his 50s has got rejections is most likely not because of his NW7, but because he's in his 50s.

I really think your taking the importance these guys place on appearance to absurd levels. They're accounting firms; this isn't sales, and it definitely isn't modelling. Their main focus is on making money, not on having a great looking team.

Having good looks helps, because it puts the interviewers on your side, and makes them more likely to instinctively like you. But it is a secondary factor.

I also know these firms you're applying to fairly well, and I can tell you that they have absolutely huge recruiting departments, which are largely separate from the front offices. At the interview stage you will be screened by the front office employees, but at the resume rejection stage you will be getting screened by HR.

Networking works in the positive sense here, i.e. someone from a smooze fest can "bat" for you and get your resume forwarded to the interview stage. But it does not work in the negative way: the HR girls are not calling these guys in to screen the hundreds of thousands of applications they've got in.

HR have no idea about your hair. They can, however, see if you graduated high school 20 years ago rather than 5 years ago. That's going to be the reason you were rejected, if anything. Same goes for your friend.

 

[Boondock]

^ To add a bit to that, I would say that attributing your job rejections to age is in a way more painful than attributing them to hair loss. The reason for this is that in some sense age is your own fault. You can't help being older; but you could have made an effort to go to college younger.

I do think it's a pretty tough break you've got right now, but I think you're looking at things in an extremely all-or-nothing way. Even if you don't get a job at a big firm, there are plenty of small accounting practices around which you can apply to. You may even be able to tie your car experience into things: are there any car manufacturers that need accountants right now, I wonder?

If I was in your shoes, and all other options had failed, I would just go for a different career entirely. There's no need to go back to being a car mechanic. Find something else you like - even if accounting doesn't directly tie into it - and start working there. Save up some money, get some good hair transplant repair work done, get a girlfriend or a wife and live your life.

In the end the problem is not going to be that you had this botched hair transplant work, or even that you didn't get a job with a big firm. It's going to be that you let it take over your life, and let it leave you in a job you hate and with a life you don't want. You've clearly put in a lot of effort to get out there and do this college course. You've just gotta maintain that effort for a little while longer. If you've got any fight left in you at all, you have to keep pushing on to get to somewhere better.

 

[Thickandthin]

dudemon, you have such an enormously pessimistic view of life.

Everything you think is a generalization. Yeah, employers might place an emphasis on looks and youth, but it's not like that equals a death sentence in the job market for older people.

In some cases age might even be a bonus, as you might be considered more serious about the job. It just all depends on the employer. But saying that no one will hire you because you are 40 and have a hair transplant is just self-defeating.

 

[Boondock]

Of course, being the shallow person that I am I would choose the shiny new Norwood 1s knocking at the door.

As it happens, I wasn't insinuating that you were lazy. What I was saying is that you seem to have a very absolutist attitude towards your situation. If you can't get into a top 4 firm, then you have to go back to the grease pit - that seems to be your point of view. What I'm saying is that it's not as simple as that, and there are several other options open to you. That could be a non-top 4 firm, it could be a related area of work, or it could be something else. Failure with KPMG/E+Y etc does not mean the mechanic job is beckoning again.

 

[treeshrew]

yes, of course it matters for public facing jobs like retail, sales, etc.

but hair/bladness in my experience does not matter AT ALL for office jobs, consulting, corporate stuff etc. i think you are very wrong that hiring managers factor in "amount of hair" when hiring a candidate. they want the best person for the job.

plus, think about if the hiring people/managers are older and bald themselves? maybe they take pity on a newly balding young man, remembering themselves in that position, and it actually INCREASES your chances of landing a job.

and as everyone has also said baldness is much, much more acceptable as a style today then it was in the 90s, 80s, etc.

 

[Nene]

yes, of course it matters for public facing jobs like retail, sales, etc.

but hair/bladness in my experience does not matter AT ALL for office jobs, consulting, corporate stuff etc. i think you are very wrong that hiring managers factor in "amount of hair" when hiring a candidate. they want the best person for the job.

plus, think about if the hiring people/managers are older and bald themselves? maybe they take pity on a newly balding young man, remembering themselves in that position, and it actually INCREASES your chances of landing a job.

and as everyone has also said baldness is much, much more acceptable as a style today then it was in the 90s, 80s, etc.

I agree with treeshrew. Studies have shown that bald men, while perceived as less attractive, can be perceived as more intelligent and older. So if you're trying to get a job as an actor or model, then obviously balding hurts. But if you're a businessman, lawyer etc, it can actually be a boon.

 

[twinturboGT]

Hi Dudemon,

I've been a long time reader of this forum , probably for at least 5 years, and your situation has motivated me enough to actually register in an attempt to offer up some advice. Definitely look into hair transplant surgeons in Thailand. I'm sure you can find at least a couple of highly qualified surgeons over there that would be able to help you with your situation and probably at 1/4 or 1/5 of the cost that you would pay in the US or Canada. You can have that dermabrasion done in Bangkok for probably less than $1000 US or even significantly cheaper. I actually have a couple of friends that are here doing interviews for residency that are from Thailand. All of them have scored above 240 on their USMLE Step 1 exam and did equally well on Step 2. For reference I have attached the following stats;

Overall, U.S. senior applicants in 2007 had mean USMLE Step 1 scores of 220.4 (s.d. = 20.3)

For U.S. seniors who matched in 2007:
1. Plastic Surgery 243
2. Dermatology 240
3. Otolaryngology 239
4. Radiation Oncology 236
5. Radiology – Diagnostic 235
6. Orthopaedic Surgery 234
7. Transitional Year 233
8. Internal Medicine 222
8. Pathology 222
8. General Surgery 222
11. Emergency Medicine 221
11. Internal Medicine / Pediatrics 221
13. Anesthesiology 220
14. Neurology 218
15. Pediatrics 217


The point I'm trying to make is that there are highly qualified surgeons in Thailand that in some cases are just as good or better than those that you will find here. The difference is that you can have the procedures you need done overseas in Thailand (or perhaps even China or Korea) for a significantly lower amount of money without a sacrifice in quality. I'm not implying that all surgeons in Asia are talented, there are of course good and bad just like anywhere else, but if you do the research I'm pretty sure you can find someone that can help you. I know that Thailand has some of the most skilled, if not most skilled SRS surgeons in the world; not that that would apply to you, I'm just illustrating that the talent is there if you look.
After 10 years of medications I am planning on finally taking the hair transplant plunge next year and I will most likely be having it done overseas in Thailand. If you have any questions or need any pointers feel free to message me. I don't have any conflicts of interest in the way of arrangements with overseas physicians, however I do have a number of friends from Thailand that are doing their residencies or interviewing here in the US. I myself work in commercial real estate at the moment but hope to break into finance after I finish up my CFA next year. I was considering medical school as well but I'm getting a bit old, I'm almost 30. I'd probably be one of the first MBA, CFA, MDs =) Anyhow, stay positive and keep at it.

Regards

 

[End_Game]

yes, of course it matters for public facing jobs like retail, sales, etc.

but hair/bladness in my experience does not matter AT ALL for office jobs, consulting, corporate stuff etc. i think you are very wrong that hiring managers factor in "amount of hair" when hiring a candidate. they want the best person for the job.

plus, think about if the hiring people/managers are older and bald themselves? maybe they take pity on a newly balding young man, remembering themselves in that position, and it actually INCREASES your chances of landing a job.

and as everyone has also said baldness is much, much more acceptable as a style today then it was in the 90s, 80s, etc.

I agree with treeshrew. Studies have shown that bald men, while perceived as less attractive, can be perceived as more intelligent and older. So if you're trying to get a job as an actor or model, then obviously balding hurts. But if you're a businessman, lawyer etc, it can actually be a boon.

agree 100%. the wisdom/intelligence/maturity stereotype doesn't fly with most women, but it can work wonders in the corporate world. I'm familiar with the studies you are referring to.

balding also helps in education jobs. My uncle has a top senior position at one of the best universities in my state--makes well over 130,000 a year, plus benefits--and used to joke that his perceived 'lenin like' stature is what got him the job