Race aside...Hair
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Anonymous
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AA woman here with curly hair. I wear it both natural (like a fro with lots of volume) and straightened (blown out and flat ironed) depending on how I feel. I get compliments either way, but I don't see women of color wear their hair naturally at "the top." That could be totally generational, personal, regional...I don't like to make assumptions.
So, if I am interviewing for a management-level position, assuming that I am qualified, competent and well-dressed, would you prefer to see me with straight hair, curly hair or does it not make a difference at all? Be honest - this is not something I want to argue about (so start another thread for that if you want) but a genuine request for feedback. If you could include your industry and whether or not you actually conduct interviews, that would be great. Also, if you aren't in the DC area, and feel comfortable doing so, please indicate a city/state/region/country etc. |
Anonymous
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Government relations, yes, I would like to see straight hair. And since I recently finished conducting interviews - not at all related to being AA but it was summer and some women came in wearing mint green nail polish or other non-neutral colors. Nails should be short and polished is a pale color. I hate fake nails, long nails, design, etc. Also, eyeliner "wings" - so weird - though this was for an entry level professional positions so candidates were pretty young.
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Anonymous
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For a job interview, always err on the side of being more conservative. I'd go with flat ironed.
Once you have the job, I think it's fine to wear it whichever way you want. |
Anonymous
| Government consulting, I conduct the interview and have significant input into the decision, and I truly would not care which way you wear your hair. I never gave it much thought until this post, but now that you mention it, I can only think of one female AA leader in our organization, and she wears her hair straight/shoulder length |
Anonymous
Same industry and I work in HR and handle recruiting too. As long as a candidate's appearance is neat and clean the style of hair doesn't matter to me (and I don't think it should to others...). In my experience most older AA women seem to wear their hair straight but younger women seem to wear it naturally. I assume it's generational? In a former company one of the senior leaders on the business side wore her hair naturally and her hair was beautiful. From a business perspective the most important thing about her was that she was an amazing consultant and clients LOVED her. |
Anonymous
Definitely agree on the nail color. The trendy colors (green, blue, esp yellow - *shudder*) are not professional. It's so common though that I wouldn't make anything of it. On the hair, I have no preference as to natural vs straightened. I probably would look twice at a real fro, like some 70s throwback type look, with 2+ inches all around or something, as not exactly unprofessional but a little weird. Not a big deal in the end. I interviewed a man with a full and rather bushy beard the other day. Thought that was unusual too. He was great though, so I got over it. I'm white in my 30s. |
Anonymous
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Either a short fro or straightened -- but a longer afro certainly wouldn't be a dealbreaker, just a bit artsier than we are used to.
Most of our higher level AA women are older and straighten their hair. But I can think of one with a very short Afro, who always looks like a million bucks and completely professional. Basically, not a big deal either way. - HR, I don't actually do interviews, scientific research, Baltimore |
Anonymous
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I don't know many AA women who are "older" with natural hair unless it's super short. I think it's more fashionable for younger women, so maybe that's why you don't see it in higher level positions. Honestly, I love it. As long as a person is groomed, I don't think it should matter. |
Anonymous
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Hiring manager in DC.
Honestly, I don't care how anyone wears their hair. As long as you are neat and clean, which projects attention to detail, it is not my place to judge your style. I'm interested in what's in your head, not what's on it. If that makes sense. |
Anonymous
Sadly, I think you're the exception. People judge on looks, sad but true. OP, I'm a fan of the fro--even the big ones when they're done well. So I'm glad you're true to your style. |
Anonymous
Either Ebony or Essence had an issue with female CEOs with natural hair in the past three years. Lots of variation from TWAs to locks. Just keep in mind that your flat-ironed hair could revert mid-commute in rainy weather. What will you do then? Running around with it in an UNSTYLED frizzy state would be less professional looking than an intentional fro. That said, I flat iron for interviews and use a ton of silicone based product to keep it from reverting that day (unhealthy for long term use). After that, it's twists or braids in an updo or a twistout. |
Anonymous
| I work at a university, so our culture is a little bit different. But most of the super-accomplished Black women seem to have braids, and the others have really short cut natural hair (like a half inch tall/long). If I was a young Black woman, I would probably model myself after them. Do there happen to be any prominent Black women in your field, whose style you could emulate? |
Anonymous
| Ursula Burns |
Anonymous
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I find it interesting that so many people think it should be straightened. I couldn't care less. In fact, I think fros are cool and can look awesome. Or the short, almost buzz look -- one of my colleagues wears her hair that way and looks great. Takes a lot of confidence.
I'm a lawyer, and don't do interviews except for interns and entry level positions, so my opinion doesn't count. But I can tell you that if I were interviewing for one of those positions, I would not care if a woman wore her hair straight, in a fro, close-cropped, braided, or whatever. Like another PP said, I care about what's in the head, not on it ... though I do sometimes think younger women wear inappropriate outfits, but that's a different discussion. |
Anonymous
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I absolutely love natural hair and would notice (and silently approve) if I interviewed someone sporting an Afro or curls. (This doesn't mean I would disapprove of straightened hair, in that case I wouldn't even notice the hair.) But I'm a white woman with very curly hair who never straightens, so I love a woman who will rock her curls. So, I'm biased in the other direction lol. I also work in a business casual environment, policy analysis/research.
The AA women in my office mostly wear their hair straight or braided. One woman was straight when hired but went natural soon after. She always looks terrific IMO. |