Hair Loss and Job Interviews

Keep Your Focus on You, Not on Your Hair Loss!

Realize that nobody else is focusing on your hair loss.

 

Of course your hair loss is a main focus in YOUR life but not in your interviewer�s life.  �What you�ve got to realize is that you�re having a bigger issue about it than anybody else is,� advises Melissa Galt, life and career mentor. Actually the interviewer is looking for someone with the right experience and the right mix of ingenuity and skills to get the job done. They�ll see that in the way you present yourself, in your work samples, and in what you say. They�ll see your personality in your smile.

 

�What I�ve found,� says life mentor Leyla Hur, �confidence is the biggest �lack� that interviewees have. It�s not a lack of hair.  It does not matter what area you have �issues� with, it will definitely present itself in any interview situation.�   Judi Perkins, the How-To Job Coach agrees and advises, �You�re simply selling a product and the product is you � if your hair loss is on your mind during the interview then you�re only selling your insecurity. And recruiters can smell that a mile away!�

So, how can you rise above your hair loss and let the real you show through?

1. First of all, decide whether some sort of hair loss treatment is necessary. For men, buzzing down to bald is all the rage, according to the big screen actors like Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Tyler Perry and many more.  Some women opt for head wraps and hats of all sorts; some opt for bald like Sheila Bridges, named �America's Best Interior Designer� by CNN and Time Magazine. Then there are hair systems, hair extensions, and finally wigs � which nowadays are so intricately designed that they look totally natural. �Once you make your choice, stick to it � become it, feel good about it, then forget about it,� exclaims Galt.
   
2. Realize your worth. Galt has come up with this great exercise to help anyone realize their true worth beyond their physical appearance. �Create a larger picture of yourself:  Make a list of everything about you without using any physical descriptions. You will shortly see that you are so much more than your hair!�
   
3. Smile!  �A smile is worth 1000 hearts,� says Galt who advises that people are attracted to others who smile. Your personality shows through that way and the interviewer will also see someone who loves what they do and has the confidence to show it.
   
4. Focus on others, not yourself. What skills is the interviewer looking for? What can you bring to the position? How will you fit in to the company? �When I worked as a Head-Hunter in Hong Kong, what we looked for was the way an individual carried themselves, the confidence they exuded, and their expertise for the job,� says Hur.
   
5. Add a picture to your online profiles and your printed cards and resumes. This way, there will be no surprises when you show up at the interviews and you won�t have to worry about how you look � the interviewer already knows how you look, has called you in, and wants to hear about how you can benefit the position!
   

RESUME BUILDER/INTERVIEW PRIMER:  The How-To Job Coach Judi Perkins says a great thing to do is focus on your skills and what you have done for the companies you have worked for in the past.  Make a two-sided list:  On one side, write down everything you have done positively in your career. On the other side write down how each specifically benefitted the company you worked for.  This will boost your confidence and help you sell yourself as a contributor of value to your prospective employer.
If you�ve accomplished this � you will forget all about your hair loss!