2 colors in hair as a new graduated during interviews

[Michelle Nicole]

Hiii ! I'm going to be graduating this May of 2011 with a BSN degree from Felician College. I just recently went to AC with my friends for a night and put my friends black extensions in my hair and i really liked them. my hair is medium/dark brown and now i'm thinking about adding a soft black hair color, but underneath the majority of my hair.

I am first gonna do a wash out color (which lasts through 28 shampoos) to my hair to see how i like it and if i do i would really wanna do a permanent color. Although my mom is for doing the wash out color, she doesn't think it is a good idea to add the black color before i go on interviews as a new RN grad. My friend from school also has 2 colors in her hair; she is a blonde and she has a brown/auburn color underneath and she already works as a PCA and obviously has not encountered any problems from working there.

My mom thinks it will be like a "tough" look but it really did look nice and blended nicely with my hair, so i disagree with her and a lot of my friends think it will look nice as well. But, i don't want this to affect me from getting a job in a hospital. From doing my clinicals in many hospitals i've seen so many different hairstyles so i don't think it would be a big deal because it's not a drastic change to my hair color. I just wanted to do something different with my hair.

So, my question is... do you think having medium/dark brown hair with a soft black color underneath would be unprofessional and cause biases when going on interviews for a job as a new grad? or do you think it would fine and not be a problem?

Thanks ! :)

[CuriousMe]

I would try and look as conservative as possible for interviews. You have the rest of your life to try something new with your hair....the timing right now might not be ideal.

[aem31]

I have a small purple streak on the underside of my hair toward the back. It just sort of peeks out. I haven't had a bit of trouble at clinicals yet which is odd because we aren't even allowed more than one set of earrings. However, I will not have it for much longer. I'll let it fade and dye over it with my natural color. It's not professional. Once you've worked on a unit for a while you'll have a better feel for if it is acceptable. Until then, imo, it is better to be more conservative rather than less.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Its a more subtle skunk hair (Which I might add is :drool: ) But you might just want to wait a little bit

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

If it's "underneath" the rest of your hair, won't it be pretty well-hidden if you have your hair in a bun?

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I don't think it will be a problem. You aren't talking about neon pink and brown. I have brown hair with blond highlights, I only get partial foils done, so underneath is still my natural brown. I have received many compliments on my hair, and it is 2 different colors, actually more than that because it's a few shades of brown and I have it done ever 6-8 weeks so it's kept up on.

If we were talking about doing two "funky" colors, I would say to wait, but you are talking about natural colors, so I don't think it would be a problem at all. I have seen tons of people in the hospital with crazy hair. Just wear it nice for your interviews.

[tokyoROSE, BSN, RN]

I would keep it conservative. I used to have two colors as you described; it was very cute. But was it professional? Probably not, that's why I went back to one color when I started nursing school.

[Moogie]

OP, your hair sounds adorable, but I would wait until you have a job before you do anything with your hair color. Even though it sounds very subtle and pretty, the job market is so tight right now that you want to give yourself every advantage. You want to look as professional as possible just to give you a little bit of an edge.

When you get the job, unless there are prohibitions against doing anything fun with one's hair, then do it.

My friend Vida has a good point, though. Really, what is the difference between you having two colors of hair (dark brunette and black) and someone else having blonde highlights in brunette hair? I've seen some highlights that have been pretty aggressive and funky. But again, it's better to be as conservative as possible in the interview and when you're hired, you can let a little more of your personality shine (as long as it doesn't violate policy.)

I hope you find something! Good luck!

[MrsMig, BSN, RN]

I would try and look as conservative as possible for interviews. You have the rest of your life to try something new with your hair....the timing right now might not be ideal.

I couldn't agree more! Wait, it won't hurt you to wait - but it could hurt your chances if you did it! Think of it that way!

GL!!

[cmw6v8]

I would either find a way to wear it up so it won't be too noticeable for the interview, or wait until you have a job. When it comes to interviews, Conservative=Professional. Don't give your potential employer a single reason to think that you're not professional, even if it is something as trivial as hair color.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

I dont think it will be a problem, what has hair color got to do with job interviews? I have always played with my hair color and i have been a nurse for over 22 yrs and never had an issue.

I am a nurse manager now and I couldnt care less about hair color I am only interested in if they can do the job?

[Christal Parker, ADN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP]

You should either wait or maybe put your hair in a ponytail off your face since thats how youll have to wear it at work most days anyways!