Shave for interview???

[metalmd06]

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I was wondering if I should shave my facial hair for my upcoming NYCOM interview. I understand that professionalism is a must, but can the two go together? The most consistent and important advice I am recieving in preparation for my interview is "be yourself." A clean-shaven me is not really myself, since I always have a beard or some style of facial hair. Right now I have a tightly trimmed chin-strap style. Is it possible to keep the facial hair as long as it is neat and trim?

 

[Mochajonz]

You can keep your facial hair, just make sure it's well groomed i.e. trimmed neatly.

 

[deleted92121]

If you have a beard, goatee, etc...just make sure they are neat and tidy

If you normally wear the stubble/five o' clock shadow...shave it

dxu

 

[Kateb4]

If you have a beard, goatee, etc...just make sure they are neat and tidy

If you normally wear the stubble/five o' clock shadow...shave it

dxu

agreed, if you are getting yourself spiffed up in a suit, which I presume is not your daily attire, I can't see any reason why you should feel the need to be yourself in the stubble area. If you have established facial hair, trim and clean. If you are just shaggy, shave it!

 

[Bond8204]

I have a tightly trimmed chin-strap style. Is it possible to keep the facial hair as long as it is neat and trim?

If it's a tightly trimmed chin-strap style, it won't be that big a deal to grow back, would it?

I'm not saying that you must shave for your interview, but if it's easy to grow back I think it's a no-brainer just to go ahead and shave it for your interview and avoid any possible sub-conscious judgment on behalf of the interviewers. I had a friend who always has a neat amount of hair on his chin. He simply shaved it for every interview he had and it would always grow back within 3 weeks or so. It was no big deal.

As a generaly point, I warn you to be careful about the "be yourself" mentality when it comes to interviews. While you should remain comfortable and show who you are on interview days, you'll also be judged by mostly-conservative older men. You need to put your best foot forward--as you continue to interview, you'll start to realize that interviewing is a bit of a game that you just need to play along with.

People will counter this with "I really don't think the inteviewers would care." And they're probably right. But is it that big a deal to risk somebody who might?

 

[JWE27]

I was wondering if I should shave my facial hair for my upcoming NYCOM interview. I understand that professionalism is a must, but can the two go together? The most consistent and important advice I am recieving in preparation for my interview is "be yourself." A clean-shaven me is not really myself, since I always have a beard or some style of facial hair. Right now I have a tightly trimmed chin-strap style. Is it possible to keep the facial hair as long as it is neat and trim?

Definitely shave. It's just more conservative, more professional, and makes you look less "right out of college" (even if you are). Besides, a suit is by nature conservative. Also, statistically people in sales are signficantly more successful clean shaven vs. with facial hair - and an interviw IS a type of sales. I usually have facial hair as well, but shaved it for every interview (and got accepted to or waitlisted at every school I applied). Growing it back is easy.

My $0.02

 

[EEL08]

Maybe you should post a pic. 🙂

 

[slim78]

This guy didn't shave.

But unless your name is Andrew Taylor Still, I would recommend making the sacrifice.

 

[Seneca20]

I would say it depends on how conservative your beard is. I'm not familiar with "Chin strap" beards, but it you're referring to that 1/4 inch line of hair following the jaw line that's become so popular with the Hip & Trendy lately, I would say shave it. Now if it is a more traditional, professional cut, and it is really a part of who you are, then I say wear it trimmed and wear it well.

I'm a facial hair guy myself, beard in the winter months, go-tee in the summer. I had a beard for all four of my DO interviews and got accepted at all of them. I think confidence goes a lot more towards selling an interviewer on why you should be accepted than the cut of your suit and hair style (yes I'm bald so I can call the cut of my beard/go-tee a hair style..........it's all I've got to work with).

 

[HanginInThere]

I was wondering if I should shave my facial hair for my upcoming NYCOM interview. I understand that professionalism is a must, but can the two go together? The most consistent and important advice I am recieving in preparation for my interview is "be yourself." A clean-shaven me is not really myself, since I always have a beard or some style of facial hair. Right now I have a tightly trimmed chin-strap style. Is it possible to keep the facial hair as long as it is neat and trim?

See this thread for more opinions: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=495028&highlight=chin+strap+shave

The consensus was that a clean-shaven face is the safest/best look; a well-groomed beard or goatee might be okay for some people (but not everybody can pull of the look); and a chin strap looks unprofessional and generally stupid, and should be shaved off immediately.

 

[bluemonkey]

I figured during my interviews that I should appeal to the most conservative people that I could possibly encounter. This translated into shaving my goatee and taking out my ear and tongue piercings. I don't think that facial hair would keep you out, but it will grow back, right?

Besides, this was the only dude who could really sport the chin strap:

 

[MossPoh]

When they say "be yourself" they mean with your personality. If you define yourself with chinstrap then you have some issues. Why stop there? Why not just wear jeans and a tshirt? If it is a simple goatee or well groomed doctor-esque beard then I think you'll be fine. I don't think the chinstrap style really fits into that. I think I'd just deal with it and shave. My philosophy is that if you have to debate about it and ask, then it is safer to just bite the bullet and go with what you know works. (In this case clean shaven)

 

[metalmd06]

I wouldn't say that I define myself by my facial hair. That actually seems pretty ridiculous. I just feel it is an important part of my normal appearance. I guess it's really not a big deal at all. I think I look better with it, but if I am going to look more apt and professional, then I guess it's time to take out the ol' mach 5.

 

[Miggs86]

I trimmed and made my goatee nice and neat.
I am putting a picture, lol.

I don't look well in this photo - I had a 103-104 fever on my interview day. 😱

 

[MossPoh]

a goatee like above is fine. You'll meet hundreds of docs with the above.

Mach 5? Next up the zwanzig.

I used the quatro once and had difficulty actually shave certain parts of my face because the thing was so damn big. I think the mach 3 is my upper limits on size/# blades and price of blades.

 

[Miggs86]

i used to love the mach 3, but a couple of times it was completely pinching my skin...i use the 3 blade disposable and it is so much better. 😀

 

[spazzz]

Definitely shave. It's just more conservative, more professional, and makes you look less "right out of college" (even if you are). Besides, a suit is by nature conservative. Also, statistically people in sales are signficantly more successful clean shaven vs. with facial hair - and an interviw IS a type of sales. I usually have facial hair as well, but shaved it for every interview (and got accepted to or waitlisted at every school I applied). Growing it back is easy.

My $0.02

agreed. Its not like anyone wouldn't wear a suit. I had to cut my ponytail.

 

[TheLegendofEdel]

To tell you the truth, I really don't think it will make too much of a difference as long as your facial hair is trimmed. I shaved for all my interviews because when I tried to walk out the door with mine, my dear sweet mother yelled at me and forced me to shave. However, at many of my interviews, there have been people with neatly trimmed facial hair, including my NYCOM interview (yet I might add that this was a small minority in comparison to the men without facial hair [and women as well]). Do whatever you think the admissions people want to see; remember, as sad as this may sound, you're pretty much trying to sell yourself to the school.