Should I Shave my Beard for a Job Interview (Reasons & Tips)

The trick to a job interview is making a good first impression.

You sometimes get only a single chance at it so you have to make it count and what you need to do is represent yourself as best as possible.

Our appearance is the first thing that the interviewer will notice.

So, you can’t really go to a job interview looking like you were stranded at sea for 90 days.

You have to look good in order to impress your future employer.

Don’t worry, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have to go clean-shaven.

You can have the best of both worlds, ya know.

Many guys who sport beards often wonder whether they need to shave before a job interview.

That IS a legitimate question and one that deserves a thorough answer.

We decided to help out all our Beardoholic friends with this predicament and give them a genuine piece of advice about shaving before a job interview.

Here you will be able to find out not only how to shave (and IF you should shave in the first place), but also which beard style looks best and gives a corporate and serious look.

Also, we went through some situations where a clean shave is a far better choice.

You’ll see for yourself, so keep reading.

Should You Have a Beard for a Job Interview

In the past, shaving before you go for a job interview was recommended. During those days, a clean-shaven face was seen as the epitome of professionalism in the workplace.

However, times are changing, and walking into an interview room with a beard is no longer considered unprofessional.

In fact, experts believe that having a mustache or a beard during a job interview can help a candidate express themselves better. A corporate beard is a great confidence booster in this case.

Despite the leniency towards beards in the workplace, it still matters what kind of beard you are spotting.  Some beards are considered professional, while others are just weird when worn in the workplace. 

13 Best Beard Styles for Your Next Interview

Designer Stubble

A stubble is one of the easy and smartest beard styles and the safest choice after a clean-shaven face for an upcoming interview. 

The stubble is usually a short beard that is well maintained, making it the perfect beard style for an interview. 

Balbo With Small Goatee

The Balbo is a fashionable beard style that requires extra attention to maintain.  

It is usually a combination of three beard styles and it works well when you are going for an interview. 

Corporate Beard

The corporate beard is usually a full beard that is well maintained. The beard is clean and tidy, creating a corporate vibe.

With a corporate beard, you need to find a way of getting rid of any patches you may have on the beard and shave everything off below Adam’s apple for a clean and crisp look. 

Mustache

A beardstache is a trendy beard style that is great for any work environment. There are, however, limitations to wearing a mustache to a job interview – it can’t cover the lips!

At the same time, you need to make sure that no unruly strands are sticking out. The best way to maintain a mustache is to use mustache balm or wax to deal with unruly hairs. 

Van Dyke

The Van Dyke beard is one of the oldest beard styles and it is a great beard style for the corporate man. 

It’s an intense beard style that makes a man look responsible and serious, making it a great option for an interview. 

Short Beard Style

The short beard style is a full beard that has been trimmed to a short length. It is easy to maintain and it’s usually coupled with a soul patch and a mustache.  

Just like with a corporate beard, you need to shave everything below Adam’s apple for a clean look. 

French Beard

The French beard is a circle beard that is coupled with very light stubble on the sideburn region. 

To maintain the beard for an interview, you need to make sure that no unruly hairs are sticking out of the edges. 

Medium Beard Style

This is a great beard style for any corporate man. It gives off a masculine vibe and may be a little harder to maintain.

You need to use beard products such as beard oil, balm, and wax to maintain the shape, especially when you are going for the interview. 

Full Beard

A full beard is still a great corporate beard style that looks good on any man. With a full beard, you need to make sure that you get rid of any patches if your beard grows in patches.

Circle Beard

The circle beard is clean, stylish and one of the most versatile beard styles. The beard comprises chin hair and a mustache that combine to form a circular shape.

The sides are clean-shaven to maintain the circular shape. It’s easy to maintain as long as you maintain the length and shape. 

Anchor Beard

The anchor beard resembles a circle beard, but the circle never completes. Ideally, it comprises a chin strap with a soul patch and mustache that don’t meet, as is the case with a circle beard or a goatee. 

Chinstrap Beard

The chinstrap is a great beard to rock at an interview, especially for younger men. It’s a great look for men who can’t grow thick and full beards but want facial hair.

Ducktail Beard

The ducktail beard gives an aura of maturity and masculinity and it’s one of the best styles that you can wear to a job interview. The beard style is easy to maintain with the right beard styling products. 

Benefits of Having One

Confidence Booster

There is something about having a beard, especially if you are not used to a clean-shaven face. An interview beard can act as a confidence booster because you end up not feeling too exposed when you are in an interview room. 

Communicates Confidence

A corporate beard tends to be rather masculine and it is an attractive look for any man.

The style communicates confidence to the interviewer in that you are confident in who you are and have nothing to hide. 

Also, not many people have the confidence to rock a beard to an interview, so doing so might send a message that you are an open-minded person. 

Pros and Cons 

Pros

• A beard, especially when well maintained and well-groomed, can be a confidence booster in an interview. 
• A beard or a mustache can help you express yourself better, especially if you are not used to a clean-shaven face. 
• Times are changing and a beard is no longer considered unprofessional. Wearing a beard to an interview can communicate confidence in some way as long as it is well-groomed. To maintain a well-groomed beard, you might want to use a beard comb to maintain the shape of your beard.

Cons

• Sometimes the beard might end up working against you, especially if the company you are interviewing at is conservative. Most large companies that have been around for years tend to lean towards the conservative side and require you to be clean-shaven. Walking with such a beard to an interview room, therefore, could end up ruining your chances.
• A beard can also end up affecting your self-confidence. Take an instance where you walk into an interviewer room and all of the men in the interview room are clean-shaven. That will have a huge effect on your confidence going forth and you will have to work extra hard to win them over, especially if you are dealing with a very conservative group of people. 

How to Prepare Your Beard

While the changing times seem to be leaning towards the bearded man in the corporate world, you still need to consider the kind of beard you are wearing to an interview. 

The company in question may be all about supporting bearded men, but that doesn’t mean spotting just any kind of beard to an interview. So, how do you prepare your beard for a job interview?

Avoid the Lumberjack

A scraggly beard can make you look unprofessional. So, unless you are going out to cut down many trees, the mountain man beard look is not what you want when you are going for an interview. 

Professionalism is everything when you are attending an interview. As such, the last thing you want is to walk into an interview room with an unkempt beard. 

Scraggly and long beards are therefore a big no. If you have a long beard and the company allows it, try to use styling products like beard balm or beard butter to maintain the shape. 

Remove Patches

Patches on your beard don’t look good and will therefore give an untidy and unprofessional vibe. If your beard always grows in patches before you attend an interview, it would be best if you find a way to try to fix your bad beard. 

Patches on the beard can be a result of genetics or other factors. For instance, blow-drying can damage your beard in the long run, making it grow in patches. 

To address the issue, you might have to find a style that helps accommodate the patchy growth. Some people also apply beard growth oil thoroughly to help the patches fill up. You could also use a derma roll to stimulate hair growth in the patches.

Groom

You may have the best beard that grows thick and full, but consider doing some grooming when you are going for an interview. 

Use beard shampoo and conditioner, especially right before you go for the interview, to ensure that your beard is clean. 

The last thing you want is beard dandruff falling or sticking to the edges of your beard during an interview.  

Besides cleaning the beard, you also need to make sure that there is no unruly hair sticking out of the edges of your beard. 

Therefore, use a beard trimmer to clean up the edges. While at it, you also want to make sure that the rest of you is well-groomed, from your fingernails to the clothes you are wearing. 

A premium smelling men’s cologne will also come in handy in completing the well-groomed look that you are going for. 

Shave

While the corporate world is more lenient towards men growing beards, you want the safest option when you are going for the interview. 

In that case, a clean-shaven face is still okay, so there is no harm in shaving your beard, especially if you know nothing about the company culture. 

When you shave, you might also want to consider working on your face; therefore, using the world’s best concealer for men would be okay. 

How to Make Your Beard Look Good

Step 1 – Choose the right beard style

When it comes to a professional beard, not all styles will work for your face shape. You want to give a lasting first impression, therefore choose a style that brings out your best features, and luckily, there are so many beard styles to choose from. 

Step 2 – Clean the beard

No employer is going to be okay with a candidate who walks into the interview room looking unkempt.

No matter how much you think your beard looks good, your first impression will be ruined if it’s not clean. 

Step 3 – Shape the beard

Once you have a style that you believe will work for you, you need to use a beard shaping template to shape the beard on the neckline and the cheek line for a crisp and clean look.

Step 4 – Get rid of patches

If your facial hair grows in patches, it will make you look unkempt in an interview. Find a way of filling the patches, whether it means using beard growth products.

The easiest way, however, would be to choose a beard style that helps hide the patches.  

Step 5 – Use beard products

The last thing you want when you attend an interview is a beard that is full of dandruff. Beard oil can help get rid of beardruff and it also helps a beard appear healthy and gives it a little bit of shine. 

Styling products like beard balm and wax can also help maintain longer beard styles when you are going for an interview. Such products also help tame unruly hairs.

How to Maintain a Professional Beard

Step 1 – Clean up the edges 

While you can get away with an unruly beard any other time, a professional beard needs to be clean.

Therefore, regardless of the style you have chosen, you need to clean the edges now and then remove unruly hairs. 

Step 2 – Use beard oil

A professional beard needs to look good and well kept. Beard oil helps give the beard a healthy appearance and makes it look shiny, which you need in the workplace.

Step 3 – Use styling products

Beard and mustache wax and balms are great products for styling your beard, especially if you are going for a longer beard style.

While you have a mustache, you might also want to use mustache wax and balm to maintain the shape. 

Do’s and Don’ts With a Beard for a Job Interview

• Do ensure that you clean up the edges of your beard when you are going for an interview for a clean and crisp look. 
• Do use beard styling products like beard wax and beard balm for a professionally looking beard.
• Do go for a beard style that accentuates your facial features rather than exaggerating the imperfect areas.
• Do consider shaving if your beard grows in patches. You could also go for a style that helps hide the patches if you don’t want to shave.
• Do consider using beard oil to make your beard appear healthy and shiny during the interview.
• Do ensure that you research the company first to find out where they stand when it comes to beards in the workplace. Some companies are still conservative and may require you to be clean-shaven during an interview. 
• Don’t allow any stray hairs on the beard if you are to maintain a professional look.

FAQ

Is it OK to have a beard for a job interview?

In the past, the norm was to have men shave in the office and when attending interviews. Today, things are different and it’s okay to have a beard during an interview as long as it’s well-groomed. 

Is having a beard unprofessional?

While this could have been the case years ago, it’s not so much today. The only time a beard would be unprofessional is if it is unkempt. 

Does having a beard affect getting a job?

This will depend on the company. Some companies are still conservative and having a beard during an interview might affect your chances of getting a job. Try and research the company before you go for the interview. If 10% of the male employees have beards, it might be okay for you to have one during the interview. 

How do I make my beard look professional?

The best way to make a beard professional is to trim it short and to clean it. You also need to use beard products such as beard oil, wax and balm to maintain a clean look. 

Do beards make you look smarter?

Most intelligent people in the world always rock a beard and as such having a beard especially a well-groomed one can make you appear intelligent as well. 

Conclusion

Long gone are when having a beard in a workplace or during an interview was considered unprofessional. Today, walking into an interview room with a full beard or a stubble is no longer frowned upon. As long as the beard is well-groomed and clean, there is no reason why you should have to clean-shave when you are going for an interview.