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Professional Work and Long Hair?

post #1 of 34
5/1/07 at 2:39am
Thread Starter 
I'll be starting work in a couple months and I just graduated from college and my hair is the way the girls here like it - long and shaggy. Freshman year here (4 years ago) I had my hair really short, military style, buzz size 1 on the sides, 2 or 3 on top - and I basically looked like shit.

Now I look more like this:






My question is, and opinions of bankers, consultants (although as a former mgmt consultant, I'm weary of anything y'all say) and other PE guys much appreciated, how can I keep my long hair and yet still stay looking somewhat professional? I've looked at the sites that a lot of you have recommended in response to these types of questions but most of the guys with longer hair just look like long-haired guidos or fabio's...neither of which describes me.

I was thinking cutting the sides pretty short and keeping the top longer to sort of fall over the shorter areas around the hairline. It also peeves me when the back is long, so I'd probably cut that shorter as well.

Anyway, recommendations, opinions etc welcome.

And I was kidding about the consultants...and people of any occupation are welome as well
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post #2 of 34
5/1/07 at 3:55am
I assume you have a job... what is it? If not, what are you trying to go into? How do the people in your company/potential industry look?
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post #3 of 34
5/1/07 at 12:20pm
Thread Starter 
I actually haven't started yet. Right now I work fixing people's computers at the business school because my contract (finance stuff - real estate private equity) doesn't start until July (after graduation ceremonies and such). Most people look professional - i.e. they wear suits every day and most of them have fairly short hair, as would be the norm in the industry. However, I'm wondering if there might be a middle ground I could balance on where I could keep my long hair while still looking, at the most extreme, a bit wild.
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post #4 of 34
5/1/07 at 12:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dhc905 View Post
I actually haven't started yet. Right now I work fixing people's computers at the business school because my contract (finance stuff - real estate private equity) doesn't start until July (after graduation ceremonies and such).

Most people look professional - i.e. they wear suits every day and most of them have fairly short hair, as would be the norm in the industry. However, I'm wondering if there might be a middle ground I could balance on where I could keep my long hair while still looking, at the most extreme, a bit wild.

My advice would be to cut it short until you are established at the company. Once you are comfortable there and people know you then you can grow it back out. Otherwise their first impressions of you will be shaded by your hair.
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post #5 of 34
5/1/07 at 1:39pm
Thread Starter 
That's probably a good idea. I just think that I look like such a dufus with short hair. I should probably start experimenting now, just in case come July I'm shit out of luck with a crappy haircut and 2 months to go before it's long enough to cut again.
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post #6 of 34
5/1/07 at 1:51pm
I don't think you need to do too much outside of some gel and a trim. I think longer hair is fine but it needs to be neat and cleaned up (while at work).

There are some good pics on Hart Schaffner and marx's website of guys with haircuts similar to yours but cleaned up a bit. Check out the slide show of the "Travelor" line.
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post #7 of 34
5/1/07 at 1:59pm
Thread Starter 
Awesome, thanks for that link. Last time I was in NYC (touring) I noticed a lot of people in suits sporting long hair. However, it was almost always greased back in that American Psycho kind of way...something that is both distasteful to me & I find with my relatively dark features makes me look like a guido. I hate to say it, but probably the best I could do is something Christian bale: http://www.independentcritics.com/im...o%20SPLASH.jpg Not too much product, yet still relatively long and wavy (like my hair). I think the only edit I'd make is cropping the back short so I don't have a mini-mullet.
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post #8 of 34
5/1/07 at 3:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dhc905 View Post
Awesome, thanks for that link. Last time I was in NYC (touring) I noticed a lot of people in suits sporting long hair. However, it was almost always greased back in that American Psycho kind of way...something that is both distasteful to me & I find with my relatively dark features makes me look like a guido. I hate to say it, but probably the best I could do is something Christian bale: http://www.independentcritics.com/im...o%20SPLASH.jpg Not too much product, yet still relatively long and wavy (like my hair). I think the only edit I'd make is cropping the back short so I don't have a mini-mullet.
I was going to suggest that, here's another view http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/1...screen3js9.jpg Or something like this(which is what I'm aiming for) http://img185.imageshack.us/my.php?i...aircut1ry1.jpg
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post #9 of 34
5/1/07 at 3:34pm
That doesn't look long.
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post #10 of 34
5/1/07 at 4:37pm
Thread Starter 
Hey geegee, those links didn't work for me unforetunately, but I'm assuming they're something like the one I posted or the one on your avatar. LK, are you referring to my pictures or the posted ones? I realize I need a cut, but I want to cut it short enough to be professional while long enough to not look like a marine (for some reason my facial structure and marine haircuts don't mix).
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post #11 of 34
5/1/07 at 5:25pm
I hosted it somewhere else, tell me if it works.
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post #12 of 34
5/1/07 at 5:37pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah imageshack works. Thanks for that. Actually I might print that out and when I go to the barber I'll tell them I want something like that. It looks really good & there's very little/no product (the way I like it) and yet it's not short. I think you've found me a solution mr. geegee.
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post #13 of 34
5/1/07 at 6:04pm
No problem.

That's how I'm cutting mine, too. My hair is relatively short right now compared to that, it's taking forever to grow. But good luck
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post #14 of 34
5/1/07 at 7:44pm
You can keep a similar look, but keep it out of your face, over your ears (mostly), and above the collar of a dress shirt. You should cut it shorter in the summer.
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post #15 of 34
5/1/07 at 7:47pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, basically if I cut my hair such that it was maybe an inch shorter on top, and then clean around the ears and front I'd look like bateman above (pics geegee posted), which I think can qualify as professional. I'd definitely cut the back closer, however, as it appears to be a mini mullet growing out back and I hate it when hair goes over collars of shirts/suits.
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