Random and probably silly interview question

[JenniferSews]

I will be graduating in December, and there are people from the class before me who graduated in May and are still looking for work. I have been applying (and collecting rejection letters) for a month already. I'm a slightly older student at 35. My maybe dumb question is should I color my hair. I stopped coloring when I started getting REALLY grey. Right now I'd say I am 40% grey and it is coming in as a pleasant salt and pepper look. I hated spending $80 or so dollars I didn't really have every 6 weeks and it was starting to be extremely noticable between colorings. I've tried the DIY store bought boxes but they wash out in 2 weeks or so from my hard to color hair. So anyway I look a bit older. I've had patients remark they thought I was in my 20s when my hair was up but with it down there is no fooling anyone. :chuckle

With the job market this bad, would it matter at all if I colored my hair? Will anyone care? I like it natural but NEED a job like I need to breath oxygen at this point. I've seem a few hints that it's harder for "older" grads. Am I overanalyzing as usual?

[athena55, BSN, RN]

Would coloring your hair make you feel better? Some people - that I know - have had grey hair since their late 20's.

Geez, I sure would hope that Hospital recruiters were not practicing "age-ism" (sic)....And I sure would hope that they wouldn't care one way or the other. But then again, I dye my hair (I like to tell my kids, 3 boys over the age of 19, that I dye my hair because of them, ha ha ha....that all my grey hair is from worrying, sigh....But they don't buy it, ha ha ha)

[diane227, LPN, RN]

No. The trick is to look professional during your interview, come with a smile and be able to list your positive and well as your negative points. Your positives are your life experiences. You can understand the experiences of the patients. As for your negatives, you look at those as opportunities for learning something new as in nursing learning never stops.

Get yourself a nice black or navy suite minimal jewelry. If you have tats, cover them up. Smile, shake hands properly, not that limp handshake that women often do. Tell them about your assets and why you would be a good fit for their organization.

Pull up their web site before you go for your interview and study it. Know what new things are happening in their organization. Other questions, send me an email.