DISCUSSIONS

I'm 48 and searching for an executive role.

Anonymous Image

Anonymous

Welcome to Fairygodboss!

We’re the largest online career community helping women achieve their career goals. Gain access to articles, jobs, events, and a supportive network of women and allies. Membership is free, always.

I'm 48 and searching for an executive role. I've gotten quite gray in the past years, but have always kind of liked the way it looked. But I'm not really hung up on it either way... However, I'm reading all these articles about ageism, especially for women in the workplace and the fear of trying to get hired around 50. I hate to even ask, but should I dye my hair to increase my chances during interviews???

Why women love us:

  • Daily articles on career topics
  • Jobs at companies dedicated to hiring more women
  • Advice and support from an authentic community
  • Events that help you level up in your career
  • Free membership, always

Like

70 comments

Share

Share your insight

Join an authentic community that helps women support each other at work. Share your professional experience or ask for advice — you can even post anonymously.

70 Comments

Join the conversation
  1. Anonymous

    Unfortunately, I think women are judged more for having gray hair than are men; it seems kind of shallow. It is a personal decision, but if it were me, I would dye it in a way that doesn't look unnatural.

  2. Anonymous

    I am just over 50 and have been interviewing as well. In preparation, I ensured my hair was colored, and I straightened my hair (I have naturally tight curly hair). I found people responded differently to me. Unfortunately, there are years of "unconscience" basis we contend with even with people who claim these physical attributes do not matter.

  3. Barb Hansen

    I had the same conversation with myself a few days ago - do I keep my grey or do I cave after about 10 years of not coloring my hair.

    I love my grey hair but a few times a year, I still wonder, is today the day that I choose to color my hair again?

    FYI, my avatar is me, and it looks like I have medium blond hair with light blond highlights, but that's not blond it's silver grey mixed in medium brown hair.

    I'm a technical co-founder in startup land, where I'm not looking for an executive role (I have one of those), but I am looking for funding mostly from VC partners who are the same age as my children. Although I wonder if my grey hair is holding me back, but I generally think, it's not. I have no more grey hair than men at my age.

    For me, for today, I have chosen to keep my grey but I tomorrow, there is a slight chance that tomorrow, I will try some semi-permanent/temporary color to see how I feel about.

    There are plenty of younger people who are dying their hair silver/grey, so choose what works for you. Grey hair, not grey hair - choose what makes you feel good about yourself.

  4. Lara Ivey Kauchak

    Good luck! VC funding is tough for anyone, but the stats for women are really tough.

  5. Anonymous

    Rather than focus on the negative, focus on what you can bring to the exec role. In the area of where you want to be an executive, do you already have several years of mgt and leadership experience? If so spend more time on developing strategic ways to market yourself. Not only through your application package, but also strategic networking with the decision makers, ensuring that you have discovered their key focus areas of interest and you are able to align your leadership approach with theirs and clearly articulate the how and why you can help solve the problems in your area of interest. Unless you are seeking to become an exec in entertainment, you dyeing your hair is not a #1 deciding factor unless who you are applying to work for has a sexist pig mentality. If you are going to dye your hair, do it because YOU feel like it, not bc of a punk of a company, too scared of a few strands of gray hairs on a woman to accept into leadership, especially in 2022

  6. Anonymous

    Depends on your resume. Do you have dates listed over 15 years prior? If so, they can pretty much figure out your age before you walk in the door.

  7. Kristie White

    I did.
    But it’s a personal choice. I know from research that humans make 90% of their decisions emotionally. And I know from experience- because I’ve witnessed it - we assign positive attributes to a person based on appearance whether those attributes have any evidence at all. So how you look DOES impact how other humans interact with you. It’s instinct. In todays job market however a lot happens virtually in the beginning. So you may experience positive interactions until you get to the interview. Then the hiring manager may assign a higher age to you with all of those connotations.

  8. Heather Cutler

    Excellent and frank advice.

  9. Terry Campbell

    Excellent advice

  10. Anonymous

    If you're highly recruited and known in executive circles, you're coming in with built in cache. Hair color won't be on anyone's mind.

  11. Anonymous

    It's a choice yes, but reality is mask your age and color. Gender inequity remains real.

  12. CJ

    No. If they judge you based on age and hair color and not time and knowledge within your skill set then their not worth working for.

  13. Donna Renee DuBose

    As a woman who found herself looking for a job at 51, and with a full head of grey hair, I chose to stay natural. I believe that being yourself, and being proud of who you are and what you’ve accomplished in life exudes a confidence that is beyond what a box of color can do for your self esteem.

    I know I’ma minority in this belief, but it has always helped me. Hair doesn’t make the person, but it’s who you are, your abilities, and your accomplishments that should be front and center. Besides, do you really want to work for a place that puts so much stock in hair?

    A person who is 50 still has a good 15-17 years that they can work. They bring experience as well.

  14. Anonymous

    NO. Do you think a man would dye their hair? I have seen quite a few women who look fabulous in their silver/grey locks, and I think you should embrace it. If it is something that you have considering doing for you, not to consider being hired for anything, then do you, and enjoy that part of the process. But for a job, I would just say no.

  15. Anonymous

    Actually, I've known several C suite men who dye their hair to minimize gray.

  16. Anonymous

    I believe it depends on the industry/sector.
    I’ve witnessed ageism, unfortunately this is something women may encounter.

    I’m in my mid/late 40’s. I color my hair religiously, always have. I also chose to get Botox - I don’t want wrinkles. Doing these things make me feel my best. When I feel confident and at my best, I do my best work.

    Late last year I found myself looking for a new role in tech, mid level management. I decided to remove dates from my resume. I listed the last 15 years of experience b/c that was the last company I worked for.

    I did fantastic in all of my 5 interviews and received and accepted a great offer.

    I believe I landed the role because I felt confident in the way I looked and I was confident with my skillset and experience. My point is, it is important to feel your best. When you are feeling your best and confident, you will exude this through everything you do!

    If you feel your best with gray hair, ROCK IT!!

  17. Terry Campbell

    Maryann, excellent perspective and advice! I totally agree. Thanks for sharing.

  18. Carol Sardinha

    YES!!!! Don't ever let them get a hint of what your age is. If you are asked when you graduated high school or college, DO NOT give the answer. If you HAVE to give an answer for college, you can give them last year, for high achool graduation give them 4 years ago. (In my state, (Connecticut), it is an illegal question to ask.

  19. Shelby C

    No, men don't do it. Twenties dye their hair to look like ours. Just make sure it isn't yellowed. You EARNED those wisdom highlights! Be proud of them. Besides, standards have changed due to Covid. Every hair color is acceptable - even unnatural ones.

  20. Carol Sardinha

    Until you are past the one year milestone with the company, I would continue to dye it. They could still find a "reason" to let you go...

  21. Anonymous

    The reality is you will likely be interviewing with managers who are younger than you and my personal experience has been while they rave about my experience, I don’t get a second interview or offer from the younger women I have interviewed with. I have been looking for 9 months and have gotten dozens of interviews. No offers. You can try not coloring your hair to see if that makes a difference and in a few months if you aren’t getting offers, you can always experiment then to see if that helps. I decided to get some fillers to try and look a little younger as I do believe age has been a factor in why my search has gone on so long. Unfortunately, those articles you’ve read are true. While it’s great to stand on your principles and want to be hired for you, and not want to work for a company that would hold age against you, it’s really the preference of the hiring manager that will be the determining factor and your search may be a long one. Good luck!

  22. Bosslady256431

    I believe a nice, chic, complimentary hairstyle would be better than a dye job.

  23. Anonymous

    You can stand on Principle and make a statement with your naturally graying hair, or you can face reality, and that is ageism is alive and thriving in the workplace and your appearance is usually one of the first things a prospective employer sees. Your choice . . .

  24. GirlBossanova934974

    Ageism is alive and well regardless if you are male or female. It really all depends on the hiring manager and their experience. I spent the first 10-15 years of my career surrounded by much older workers. I learned a lot from these folks and walked away much the better and much the wiser. And it would not have mattered anyways. It was 'Bring Your A Game on a routine basis OR Go Home '. Today? It is about "cultural fit" in many organizations. We hire people who look and sound like US. Thankfully due to tougher economic times coming, this is changing rapidly in some places. Companies have seen the error of 'cultural fit' theatrics and the inevitable mass layoffs that have followed. My take? Keep your hair as is BUT remove anything having to do with age on your resume. Let your knowledge do the talking, not dates on a shred of paper.

  25. Anonymous

    I hear you.
    Ageism is an issue, on all kinds of levels (systemic and even internalized). Many of the executives I know are over 50 and it makes sense because it takes time to get the kind of life and work experience that makes a person a good candidate for an executive role.
    For your question, you are 48 with or without gray hair. You are allowed to change your appearance as you see fit. If dying your hair makes you feel more confident then do it. It doesn't make you less principled. It's the same as painting your nails, wearing makeup, etc. Whatever you need to feel ready to interview and show what you have to offer.

  26. Anonymous

    For me, it’s the other way around. I’m 42 and I’ve been told, not on interviews of course, but quite often that I look at least 10 years younger than my age. Which is not a bad problem to have, lol! However, I’ve interviewed with women, from late 20s to 50s, and it’s a real challenge how to present myself in interviews. Should I wear my beautiful dark out down or pull it back? No matter what I do, appearance has always been a challenge because I do look much younger, even though my resume shows I have 15+ years of corporate marketing communications experience in Tech. I feel like they think I may be too young or inexperienced based on my appearance and I how young I look. And unfortunately, women can still be very catty and territorial in the workplace, especially when they are interviewing another women who has a wealth of qualifications and experience plus looks a lot younger. It’s a double-edge sword, lol! I definitely recommend just being yourself. Definitely present yourself as professional and poised. Mainly research companies and their culture. Look at chic workplace professional hairstyles, fashion and accessories. Silver and gray hair are so in now! Ralph Lauren has a new fashion rental service called The Lauren Look and I love getting different high-end workplace fashion looks that will definitely make you look chic and professional. It’s actually fun! Good luck ?

  27. Anonymous

    Once you get to interview stage, you’re competing with people that have fairly similar backgrounds and experiences. After this, a lot of hiring decisions are based on ‘clicking’ with the interviewee. Hence why hiring can be so biased towards or against a particular demographic. Even though an interviewer would swear up and down that they’re unbiased, they often click with someone who is more like them in the end. As women in higher level positions, we’re already often at a disadvantage as so few execs are female.

    So you can take various approaches during the interview process. One option is to be yourself completely, and don’t fret about your appearance/personality/etc. (which I personally think will get you a job where you’ll be happiest). Alternatively, you could become as neutral as possible (ie dye your hair, wear a navy blue suit, a white top and black shoes, get your nails done with short nails and a neutral shade) and modify your personality to be as generic as possible and make yourself fit in with the people you’re interviewing with, which in my opinion, gives you the best chance at getting a given job, but may well not be a good fit in the long term. I’ve taken different approaches myself, depending on how badly I have needed a job. My most successful jobs were definitely the ones where I decided to be completely myself, but I got jobs much more easily when I modified myself to be generic.

    Fwiw, I am not too far off your age and have a bit of grey around the edges, and always go to my hair colorist mainly because I don’t feel any older than when I was 30 and don’t want to look it, but that’s just me!

    Best wishes with your job search - I hope you find an organization that likes and respects you for who you are!

  28. Anonymous

    No. ❤️

  29. Anonymous

    I'm closer to 60 and keep dyeing. There is a lot of ageism, but is changing. The the next generation, or even the next, women in their 40s now can let their natural hair be. My opinion only. Good luck! And Madison Reed is decent but I mostly get my roots done every other week! It should be a business expense!!!

  30. Anonymous

    If it helps, my org has hired multiple executives in recent years with plenty of grey.
    Men and women both.

    You should decide what feels authentic to you and what makes you feel most confident. That could be going boldly grey and asserting the wisdom and experience it signifies. It could also mean adding some color back to represent how you feel about yourself. I don’t think there’s a wrong answer; but if you dye your hair out of insecurity, that’s not the mind space you want to be in, and it’s not the energy you want to have.

  31. Anonymous

    I am nearly 60 and started a new job about a year ago.
    I took all the dates off my resume and updated it with current lingo (key metrics, data driven, etc). I sent out hundreds of applications and resumes and had several interviews. Most over Zoom, where I don’t feel as confident as I do in person. But I practiced and got better. Every person I interviewed with was 20-30 years younger than me. Some were younger than my kids! But I did what made me feel confident - fresh color in my hair, professional clothes that weren’t too frumpy or too young.
    I think do whatever makes you feel most confident - whatever that is. I am the oldest person at my new job. My manager is 25 years younger than me. But I have worked hard to learn the new software and be up to date with the latest tech. No one thinks of me as the old lady in the group (unless maybe when they are talking music and I’ve never heard of that group! Lol).
    My philosophy is stay relevant by always learning and always being teachable!
    PS lots of men dye their hair, lots of men don’t. I think however you feel most confident will help you be most successful!

  32. Anonymous

    Perfection. I love what you’ve done with your resume, and I, going to use that as inspiration for mine (not that I am actively seeking a new job).

    When I was interviewing, it was 2020 and we all know what happened that year. I felt that Zoom gave me a teeny advantage, as I could hide my lockdown tummy. I interviewed with a lot of people….and even had one scheduled with (get this!) the daughter of an acquaintance. That was a heavy dose of reality!

    I’m 17 years older than my current boss and 5 years older than their boss. Nobody knows exactly how old I am, but they know I can’t be in my 40s when they hear how old my kids are (I have GOT to stop revealing that). I also try to learn as many new things as possible, and I’m open to feedback and growth. But, as long as I’m working, I’ll be dyeing my hair. I’m obsessive about skincare and I wear funky shoes. No need at all to be the old lady in the group, even if my actual age says otherwise.

  33. Audrey Kirsch

    During the pandemic I let my hair go gray and it hasn’t made a difference in how I’m treated at work. Now I have purple highlights and everyone loves it. It’s more about confidence and keeping your skills relevant than the color of your hair. Do whatever will make you more comfortable when interviewing. If dying your hair will do that, go for it.

  34. JJ

    I am 50 and I’m happy to humble brag that I don’t look anywhere close to my age.
    Because of that, I have heard behind closed doors what people say and based on what I’ve heard when they think they’re talking to a young person, I will never be grey in the workplace and I will never admit to my age. I hope this double standard changes in our lifetime but right now I need money and job security, so I deal with the reality, regardless of how unfair it is because I know how not nice things can be behind the scenes. I am not an executive so possibly it would be seen as a badge of honor from a long career.

  35. Queens Speak

    Your honesty is appreciated.

  36. Anonymous

    I have to say that I have seen ageism in action. I will continue to dye my hair right up until the end of my career. Being authentic is great, but not even being given a chance because of the color of my hair sucks. There's no downside to coloring my hair, but plenty of potential downside to let it go gray.

  37. Pebbles

    Perfectly stated.

  38. Michele Chambers

    It's really up to you as to what you can live with in order to change your appearance. For me, I no longer dye my hair or use a chemical relaxer so I go out confidently with my salt and pepper afro. The way I see it, if I have to hide my authentic self to make the cut with a company then that's somewhere I don't need to be. And I say that as someone who recently got a job after an extended stretch of unemployment.

    Follow your gut on this.

  39. Susan Grant-Suttie

    Deep breath here.
    During the first three months of our Covid lockdown in Calgary, Alberta, my hair went from sparkly natural strawberry blonde to creamy pearl white. I had barely three hours sleep a night for a month because I head to learn a lot in a short time to be able to teach on line to the students who were showing up. We had to keep the momentum going and engage our students in a new way that no one had experience doing before. By the end of that three month period I had streaks of brilliant white weaving through the cream white. I was in my late 50s. I asked my doctor what the heck of going on - he said stress accelerated my "graying" hair. So I sat with white and cream hair deciding what to do. Last week, at age 62, I decided to shave a design into the back part of my head from the ears down, and dye my under hair peacock purple and turquoise. From the front I still have that natural white and cream colour hair, from the back my hair (which extends past my shoulder blades) has peacock blue and turquoise rippling through the back part depending on how I do my hair. I have been stopped and told my hair is beautiful, very updated, I am trendy, I am very modern by other adults, but my youngest most conservative child said, "Oh mother you look like a wanna be teen!" Of course teens judge everything. So, I would say, do as you wish, embrace it now. Show that you are confident. The bottom line is: do what makes you comfortable, what make the best of your world.

  40. Anonymous

    Interesting to read all the comments here - and unsurprising (to me at least) that there seems to be a fairly equal divide to the "yes, dye" and "no, don't dye" answers. I'm in a similar predicament -- except I'm more than a few years past 50. Like others here I've heard my whole adult life that I look at least 10 yrs younger than my age (go, us!), and I do know that my personality plays into that (pls understand it's actually hard for me to speak so overtly about these attributes, just trying to get all info into this convo). I don't want to be best friends w/my 15-30 yrs' younger co-workers, but I do want to be able to communicate effectively with them, and sadly, breaking through the bias of "if you're (way) older than us, you don't get us / the tech world" is a thing, at least in my experience. -- -- My added Q would be, I've been silver (again, complimented on it, but silver is silver is gray.....) for a # of years, partly due to genes & partly due to intense personal stress right before I turned 50, which accelerated the turn to silver -- so I tried to keep dying but btw the damage to my hair and then unemployment/pandemic, I just let it go full-on silver -- thus, if I again dyed it, it'd be a complete step-back and for those who've known me professionally the past few years, would look odd, I guess. Thus: is it worth returning to dye in that case, for those of you who already think coloring hair is OK? Again, I get the "you do you" argument, and I have actually come to love the silver -- but I've also seen ridiculous ageism, not the least from our younger sisters, so I've considered it. PS - my LinkedIn photo still shows the darker hair, not least b/c I can't afford another pro headshot right now.

  41. Anonymous

    PS - like the OP, I'm looking for an exec role as the NGO I'm at is low on funds and can't offer me f/t work; I'm concerned going back out on market is tenuous proposition at best so yes, looking for any edge. OP -- best of luck to you and pls share any wisdom you garner!

  42. Anonymous

    As these responses show, there is a lot of division about dye/do not dye.

    It seems that you are comfortable with silver hair. If so, I’d keep it. I would, however, ensure that your cut is impeccable and your clothing very well-styled.

    With or without silver hair, you want your look to resonate.

  43. Anonymous

    You should be yourself and there's several studies that show it causes cancer. Don't.

  44. Anonymous

    Looking your best has nothing to do with not being yourself! How a woman dresses, conducts herself, speaks and body language all contribute to success! There are safe hair coloring products - some are vegan. Many things in the workplace are unfair, but, dealing with reality head-on is necessary

  45. Anonymous

    You can look your best with grey hair. Lol.

  46. Glo

    I don't dye my hair because taking after my Mom, I have extremely few grey hairs. I'm in my late 50s. Your question reminds me of what my Dad would do before some interviews - dye his hair w/semi permanent dye, gone in 6 wks! Once he snagged the job, he'd stop dyeing. What're they going to do then? LoL

  47. Anonymous

    I have a friend who was consistently not getting the jobs he was highly qualified and interviewing for. He colored his hair and got the next job he interviewed for.

  48. Anonymous

    This is an interesting conversation and I can't help but wonder how much more it adds to other areas of biases and discrimination. I'm 46 and I have streaks of white hair against dark brown hair that some people have said look like highlights. Genetics could be one reason but my grays were also accelerated over the last few years from personal difficulties. I don't color my hair because I feel like my grays are a sign of what I've overcome.

    In regards to the workplace, people can't really see my hair color on video. it's when I'm in person that they see my natural hair color. All are initially surprised, but for the most part, people don't make me feel uncomfortable or "old" about it. I know who in the office has ageist views but honestly, if it's not the gray hair then it'll be something else that disqualifies me in their eyes. I've recently put in a request to move into a managing-level role and was told I don't have the qualified skills or experience to work at the same level as everyone else in the office. I don't know how much of it has to do with my age versus the fact that I'm also a minority and all of the managers in my office are white men. I know that a recent college graduate will have a better shot at getting promoted than I will at this company. So is dying my hair going to help me, I think in this environment that is highly unlikely.

  49. Anonymous

    great insights here. i've always been told i look/seem too young to be in certain roles. so at times i'm ok with a stray gray hair here or there or age me up. but now that i'm getting to the latter half of my 40s i'm becoming more concerned with my looks, got my makeup redone, color. my hair. i use harmful chemical-free dye fwiw. i've also seen how showing the graduate dates of your degrees on your resume/linkedin can share your age also and have been trying to avoid sharing that when i can. i'm pretty authentic when i get into my job, but i'm actively job hunting so any little bit helps.

  50. Lynda Booth

    Be yourself! If a company doesn't hire you based on ageism or any other bias, it is not a company you want to work for. I always say represent your true self!

  51. Anonymous

    Unfortunately, I would recommend coloring your hair. There is still age discrimination, and it hurts women more than men, in my opinion. Recruiters and hiring managers still use appearances as one of the factors (I have personally experienced at 51) for giving job offers. I have a lot of skills, experiences and credentials that I should been hired simply with phone interviews and yet companies still insist on using video interviews. Why Videos? The only reason I could think of is that they STILL WANT TO KNOW WHAT I LOOK LIKE.

  52. Anonymous

    Bad advice. I have been hired with grey hair.

  53. Anonymous

    It is not bad advice! Your experience is not the norm. But, good for you! You found a good company!

  54. garbo

    Been through this conundrum myself, tried dying for a bit but good dye jobs are expensive to maintain and home kits can fry your hair and don't look so great. On me it felt fake so I gave it up. But I do worry about getting back into the job market with my silver streaks. Have you considered a good wig that mimics your current style and natural color (minus the gray)? Throw it on for interviews and zooms if you think there's a chance at hidden or not-so-hidden bias. Once you're hired what are they going to do, fire you for being gray? That would be a lawsuit waiting to happen.

  55. LORI-ANN BURLINGAME

    No, a man would not dye his hair and neither should you.

    Wear colors that are flattering to you and be proud of all of your assets -- including your gray hair -- and rock it!

  56. Anonymous

    Men are dying their hair and having cosmetic surgery! Ageism is real and is far worse for women. A lot of wishful thinking posted in this thread. Fact is, packaging is very important!

  57. LORI-ANN BURLINGAME

    Unfortunately, what you say is true.

    However, confidence and believing in yourself is more important then trying to compete with what social media dictates to us. You can come in a nice package and have litle or no substance.

  58. Anonymous

    I believe that each strand tells a story of your experience and wisdom. Don't be too quick to cover it unless it makes you feel better.

    While some companies might judge, do you want to work for them? if they are going to judge regarding hair color, what's next you'll face as an employee.

    The important thing is confidence and competency. We often forget during interviews that it's a two-way street. While we want to drove down one that leads straight to go, sometimes we need to veer in a new direction as their is caution ahead.

  59. Anonymous

    I’d have to say so what you feel most comfortable doing. There’s no shame in dying hair, especially given the level of ageism women in particular experience in the workplace. But if you don’t, it’s great that you’re being yourself.

    Among executives, though, it seems the focus is on looking great however you do it. Of course, your competence and presence is so important it’s hard to say what to do.

    It’s hard to know what to do these days. anyway. Historically older men have been viewed as being more confident and knowledgeable while older women get viewed the opposite. And there are plenty of stories of ageism and sexism despite progress

    We are trying to form an Employee Resource Group in our workplace focused on ageism against all generations, but starting with the folks over age 50. The women in the leadership group have definitely discussed feeling like we have to dye our hair to get new jobs and feel accepted as competent in our current ones. All of us dye our hair. I use a henna-based natural dye because I am chemically sensitive. It’s annoying to feel we have to do this.

    None of us are executives, though. As far as I can tell the female executives do dye their hair, but I’m not sure how the Executive circles work these days.

    I honestly have to say I started dying my hair in my 40s because I kept getting mistaken for my kids’ grandma (I had kids late) and didn’t like it. Also my gray hair is unevenly mixed with dark brown and doesnt look nice in its natural state.

    When I was looking for a job on 2012 at age 46 I immediately dyed my hair. I was partially gray and knew my chances were better to get hired if I dyed it, and I desperately needed a job. It was sad, but that was my situation. And I quickly got a job when I did.

    I don’t know if any of this is helpful but hope it is.

  60. Crystal Howell

    You are under the 50 mark, look fabulous as you are.

    You need a good recruiter or agency for executive roles, like Robert Half and company, The Ladders, Executive Search, the experience is needed and don't settle on salary, You are Worth it! Head Up High, and Smile. You got This!

  61. Chris Rohr Kopka

    I found it much harder to get a job after 50 than I did before it - and this was with a blond head full of highlights. Several males I know with "grey beards" had the same issue recently. Ageism is real. Every interviewer goes in with their own bias. If a younger interviewer looks at you and sees their "mother or their grandmother" - that may not be helpful to you.

    I would say be you and do what makes you most confident - with an understanding that agesim is real and that you may have to pivot.

  62. Jennifer Blum

    Nope! Gray/silver/natural hair shows a strong level of confidence. It communicates that you trust in your abilities and competence enough not to have to try to appease anyone on a superficial level. It shows leadership qualities. I say just get a nice cut/style and go for it!

  63. Anonymous

    Love all the sharing. And I would love to let my grey live but the reality is that where I work it would be a weakness, and I do not need any challenges if I can avoid them. Yes it is unfair and more unfair that women arr affected more than men but men are also impacted by ageism.

  64. Rosa Goes

    I think it depends on the position. You mentioned an executive role. I've seen women with gray hair but they have a smart and/or trendy haircut.

  65. Ayian

    If my hair ever goes all white, I'm dying it bright, fun colors, STAT. Teal, lime green, magenta, dandelion yellow... appearance of age is a frame of mind. Before you get to saying "But Ayian, that's not professional", let me remind you that beehive hair and gogo boots was "professional" in the 70's. Professional is the person, not the look. If you're streaky, adding a bright color to that can be striking and bold. The right job choice for everyone should be the place that doesn't care what color your hair is, just your experience, skill, and the job that gets done correctly.

  66. Anonymous

    I'm sure if you asked a group of men, they would say who cares.

  67. Martha Marin

    It really is a shame that we have to think about these things.

  68. Martha Marin

    Confidence is really what will make it work or not.
    If you love your grey hair, I say wear it without apology. We just hired two women in their 50’s because we were impressed with their past work experience, their drive, and the many things they brought to the table. One has grey/salt and pepper hair and one has blondish/auburn hair. The hair had no bearing on our decision.

  69. Anonymous

    Yes, especially in the trendy colors of blue, red, and purple. They'll think you're a genius who's very up to date.

  70. Karen Bernal 'student'

    Age is a high pressure tactic. When an older man keep asking my age, it's because he wants me to feel less than so that I'll consider marrying him. Younger men simply tell me their age and ask me to date them.

    If an employer wants to know your age, it's because he wants to date you, or he wants you to feel threatened by younger employees who might replace you.

    Intimidation and fear is their game.

Browse recent posts

Netwroking Event: Treating Interviews as Sales Conversations and Communicating Your Value 11/13 11AM ET
Networking Event: Treating Interviews as Sales Conversations and Communicating Your Value 11/13 11AM ET
When you role ends your experience goes with you....
Ready to land your next sales or marketing role? 🚀💜
Hiii everyone!
I'm. Current looking for remote jobs
See more
Fairygodboss VIP
Achieve your career goals.
Be part of the largest online career community for women to find jobs, advice, and support — for free.
Fairygodboss members