Sit down for this one!

I definitely agree that what this woman said is inappropriate and wrong. But I must admit that I have been on a few interviews and I didn't wear my engagement ring or my wedding band.

The sterotype women face in the corproate world is outdated but if I have to play the games to get in the door, than I am willing to bend the rules slightly to get what I want.

With that said, I wouldn't change the color of my hair or my appearance anyway to impress some suits on an interview. If you are confident in your appearance then you will project that confidence in the interview regardless if you have blonde, blue or purple hair. Just my two cents.

I want the job..

I won't do a rinse but I won't wear the ring...

I won't complain but once I am in there for awhile I will tell them what HR said to me!

Excuse me HR girl, my previous boss (and now friend) went from Admin-to VP by age 35 in less than 10 years and she is BLONDE, YES BLONDE.

Its disgusting that people make judgements based on whatever theyre dreaming up.

I was still jobhunting while I was prego - I still had that ambition to work, and wasnt sure if I was going to continue working. I guess it was also the challenge of getting a job I wanted. I wasnt showing yet, so some places I told and some I didnt tell. Anyway, the employers that I TOLD that I was pregnant, never called me back. (I was advised my the Employment Center here that I SHOULD tell them, because they would NOt like it if 4 months later, I would be going on maternity leave...)...
Also, I went to a free class (to pass time, LOL) on the interview process, and beefing up your resume, etc. One topic was discrimination... and there were alot of middle-aged people saying they couldnt get jobs based on their age, and it wasnt fair. Employers felt that they wouldnt work hard because they would just work a few more years and retire. (thats HORRIBLE !)
Well I mentioned that I had stopped looking altogether because at that point I was SHOWING and there was no hiding it. One 50-60yr old goes, 'well to be honest, I wouldnt hire you if I knew you were pregnant' I wanted to smack him. Dont get a pregnant girl RILED UP
and I argued with him a bit, and said 'well people like YOU are reason that you are out of a job YOURSELF !

When I first moved out here, I went on several interviews and I did get the look at my rings, and the questions 'so youre married ?' and of course if you answer 'this does not pertain to the job', you know youre not going to get a call back anyway. and who would want a boss that has that mentality!

I can go on and on...on this topic.

Theresa, good luck on your interview, and make sure you WAVE HELLO to that girl when you GOT THE JOB !
GOOD LUCK !

Ladies unfortunatley this is still a man's world.

I dont know about the hair. But the engagement ring definitley. Many corps see the ring and think babies, time off, wont be able to give 100%.


Its bull****, but thats life

Especially in Finance. Its a do or die, kill or be killed atmosphere. In finance you have to give 300% and they want nothing less.

T just be yourself, professional and let your resume do the talking

Of course its terrible that someone might be judged based on their appearance but that is the way the world works even if we wish it didnt work that way. If a headhunter is suggesting you should tone down your hair color, she is telling you to HELP YOU even if she shouldnt tell you that.

I am dirty blond but if I really wanted a job and if a dark brown shade was going to give me even the slightest advantage, I would do it. It is your right to refuse to follow the suggestion but it is also human nature to make assessments on factors other than your experience expertise.

Theresa-

Wear your ring proudly. Don't let some jealous person get to you

Anna

Nobody was saying that you can't go anywhere in the corporate world if you are blonde we were all saying that there are stupid people who go by that stereotype. Just like people may judge other people because of their skin color, race or sex. It ****s but I happens. I was a speech language pathology major in college and failed my first speech test in my phonetics class because my 'long Island' accent was too strong. My teacher wanted to know how I would ever get a job with that accent. How quickly I learned to fix that.

I have to agree with Stef. This is how the world works. As for your prego issue with finding a job That is unfortunate as well. But from a company's point of view they have a position which means they need someone to do the work. If you had 2 canidates and one was going to be going on maternity in 3 months you would most likely pick the one who isn't pregnant. Otherwise in 4 months they would have the same situation they had before the pregnant person started. Again it is not right but I can see how the thought process works on that one. Same applies to older people looking for work. For one they know these people are closer to retirement and can often pay younger people less to do the same job. Again it ****s.

I have worked hard to make VP in my current company. I am only 28 years old and am all about people (especially women) making their way up the corporate ladder. unfortunately you need to be willing to play the game to get there.

The ring thing I can totally understand. Most of us former brides can testify that we were distracted as our weddings approached, and that it did interfere with concentration in addition to the added time off required. People know that brides can become flakey on the job, so it not surprising they are less likely to pick the engaged person all else being equal. Perhaps you are the type of person who can stay focused, but theres no way to convince them of that. So in the end, I think you should not wear the ring. It gives them information about you that they have no right to know.

I do however believe that you should inform them of the wedding if it is within a year to discuss the time off needs before starting the job -- I just think that should be a part of the negotiating salary stage, and not the first impression.

If I remember correctly, your wedding is over a year away. In that case, I don't think its wrong to hide it in the least.

I wear a suit Mon - Thurs..

When I worked for Enron .. WOAH now that was SUITS..

This is a bit better...

I always look neat. Sometimes I wear my glasses..

Why Jen?

I'm probably in the minority here but I would not change my haircolor or omit wearing my wedding ring for ANY JOB.

Maybe I have lost my edge,but my identity is more important than a job

some companies base you upon the way you dress.

When I was with Amex, my first year was corporate, business suit all the time. Then they gave us corporate casual during the summer and everyone really liked it. It then went to business casual which a lot of companies are doing (though some are going back to corporate dress) and business casual stuck

when i was with blackrock it was business casual year round.

i went to one place for an interview and it was corporate casual and they were going back to suits everyday. casual just wasnt working for them.

some companies feel if you were a suit all the time it shows you are cut throat and not afraid of anything, where casual shows laid back, relaxed.

its like wearing red is a power color, or green as a money color, etc...

the corporate world is based on appearance and not what is in the head.

I don't agree with her at all, BUT you are judged within 10 seconds of you walking through the door on appearance alone.

Before I was married I didn't wear my E-ring for fear of them discriminating about god knows what! I also have long 'SEXY' hair and I would pin it back like a nerd and I wore my glasses instead of contacts. BOTTOM LINE...I PLAYED DOWN MY LOOKS. It ****s but everytime I've done it I've have gotten called back or got the job.

The time I didn't play anything down, was the times when the women interview me and I never heard from them again!!!!!

P.S> AFTER YOU GET THE JOB...ALL BETS ARE OFF!

i do the same thing, my best suit, pull my hair back, wear my glasses and not my contacts, smile, and basically play by there rules.

its a very tough and competitive field and its true you are based on the first 10 seconds.

it truely SU##S but thats just how it is.

I hate job interviews so much.

THAT IS UNBELIEVEABLE.
I work for a very large financial firm and can not imagine hearing the HR person say that!

I can not believe they actually tried to tell you what color your hair should be and to not wear your ring.

I REALLY hope you get this job and then shove it her face....

Hope everything works out!

PS - I am a natural blonde and have NEVER had anyone ask me to change, darken or alter the color of my hair in ANY WAY! And I consider myself to be fairly successful in a competeive industry...

i've worn my ring and have actually turned it around so all you see is the band.

its just the world we live in. woman are not looked as big wigs. corporate america is a mans world.

in my old financial firm we had 3 woman on the trading floor, 1 woman that was a big wig (she was also with the company for 13 years) and the other woman that were there were admins.

if you are an admin an even harder time finding a job and moving up because once an admin always an admin. its very hard to break the admin mold and its very hard to be a woman in corporate america.

corporate america is a mans world and men want to keep it that way. it ****s, its unfair, but thats just how it is.

just do your best, be confident and if they are intimaded by that its there loss not yours