# To Dye or Not to Dye (Hair)?



## Patnono (Mar 29, 2019)

I have been looking for employment to supplement my SSI and savings.  I know I've been discriminated against me because of my age.  I have come close didn't get the job because I didn't pass a test on lifting weights.  

I'm being told by my boyfriend n daughter to dye my hair?  I don't think that would make a difference, that's not going to make me younger?  This person hadn't even seen me, we've spoken. 

I haven't heard from anybody else, probably because my application let's them know how old I am?  Home Depot who's suppose to hire seniors application seems to discriminate, it does not allow any date information before 1983.  My graduation date is 1973. I would have to lie (I wouldn't do that) that would be the only way to get  the application though.  Then when they see me, I'd have to tell the truth.  For sure they wouldn't hire me then.  I have tried to call their HR department, no luck.


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## Aunt Bea (Mar 30, 2019)

I doubt that most prospective employers are concerned about the color of your hair or your age.

I would go to a temporary employment agency and take a variety of assignments until I found a good match for my interests and my skills.

A temporary job gives you and the employer a chance to see how well you do over a period of a few days/weeks.  If you really shine a temporary job could result in an offer of a permanent position.

It may not be ideal but at least it will keep a few dollars coming in until you find your dream job.

Good luck.


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## Patnono (Mar 30, 2019)

Thanks, I have been told to my face that they feel I couldn't the job.  Employers hide behind on the application what year did you graduate high school?  Home depot's application won't allow you to put any date before 1983.  It tells you date must before 1983 otherwise you can't submit the application?   I won't lie, for sure they won't hire me then.  And I heard that recently that the government has eased up the laws on discrimination making it easier for employers to discriminate.  For the life of Me? I can't figure out what they have against senior citizens?


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## Ronni (Mar 30, 2019)

Patnono said:


> .  For the life of Me? I can't figure out what they have against senior citizens?



I've heard that it's because of the potential for longevity on the job.  Because we're older, we might die, or get sick and then they'd be out of an employee.  

I see a huge amount of turnover in young employees everywhere.  As a general statement, they're just not reliable and don't take the work seriously.  Older people generally speaking have better responsibility and will tend to stick to the work.  I just don't get it either.


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## Aunt Bea (Mar 30, 2019)

Patnono said:


> Thanks, I have been told to my face that they feel I couldn't the job.  Employers hide behind on the application what year did you graduate high school?  Home depot's application won't allow you to put any date before 1983.  It tells you date must before 1983 otherwise you can't submit the application?   I won't lie, for sure they won't hire me then.  And I heard that recently that the government has eased up the laws on discrimination making it easier for employers to discriminate.  For the life of Me? I can't figure out what they have against senior citizens?



Maybe changing your hair color is the solution. 

Good luck!


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## Patnono (Mar 30, 2019)

I agree, I did hard labor in a factory for 30yrs, I would train a young person they wouldn't last 6 months?  One time one of them went to lunch on their first day and didn't come back?  They know they can run home to their parents no questions asked.  So employers can't count on any age person? Lol


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## Gary O' (Mar 30, 2019)

Patnono said:


> Thanks, I have been told to my face that they feel I couldn't the job.  Employers hide behind on the application what year did you graduate high school?  Home depot's application won't allow you to put any date before 1983.  It tells you date must before 1983 otherwise you can't submit the application?   I won't lie, for sure they won't hire me then.  And I heard that recently that the government has eased up the laws on discrimination making it easier for employers to discriminate.  For the life of Me? I can't figure out what they have against senior citizens?



It maybe isn’t due to your age at all?

Maybe it’s because you filled out the application with question marks????


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## RadishRose (Mar 30, 2019)

> I know I've been discriminated against me because of my age.  I have  come close didn't get the job because I didn't pass a test on lifting  weights.



If you can't lift the weight, they can't hire you. That's not discrimination; you could get hurt. 

Some places like to hire "mothers and others" for light, part time work, like cashiering, fast food and the like.
Good luck with your search.


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## Geezerette (Mar 30, 2019)

If you have a hair stylist that you go to regularly, why not ask him or her what they would think about coloring your hair or even updating the style? Most women I know, myself included, feel happier & more confident if they think their hair is looking its best. In addition to whatever is on applications first impressions are important too, and being well turned out for the type of job shows respect for the company as well as self confidence.


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## fmdog44 (Mar 30, 2019)

I think it is silly for older folks to dye their hair. You can spot it a mile way much like a cheap toupee. There are employment services for retirees and people over certain ages. Good luck.


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## fmdog44 (Mar 30, 2019)

Garry O':goodone:


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## Patnono (Mar 30, 2019)

I didn't get to complete the application because of the date limitations.  They never saw it.


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## Patnono (Mar 30, 2019)

I'm not saying they didn't hire me because I couldn't lift the weights, this lady saw my application so she knew my age never physically ever seeing me, she was the exception, but was unprofessional that she never bothered telling me either way,?  Let's be honest though for the most part people don't want to hire seniors


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## Patnono (Mar 30, 2019)

Not to brag, I have snow white hair, wherever I go I get complements, people even asked how do I get my hair like this.  I feel proud and confident when I go out.


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## Patnono (Mar 30, 2019)

I love your username, I have an Aunt Bea she's 96 the last living sibling on my dad's side of the family.  Anyway I have to disagree with you on dying my hair, it's a beautiful snow white color, it's the age employers don't like.  Young women are doing their hair like mine.


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## Keesha (Mar 31, 2019)

Patnono said:


> Not to brag, I have snow white hair, wherever I go I get complements, people even asked how do I get my hair like this.  I feel proud and confident when I go out.



Hell no!


Patnono. From the posts you make, it appears that you suffer from self confidence. You’re not alone. Many people do. 


I LOVED reading this post of yours. I had to do a double take to make sure it was actually YOU and sure enough it was.


Way to go on loving your hair colour. 
That was such a delight to read. 
If you have a part of you that you really like and are proud of WHY oh why would you change it to suit anyone?
Nooooo!!!


You are going to change a part of yourself to please others. Read that over a few times to really get a feel of it. 
HELL NO! 


I also very much agree with fmdog. Older people with dyed hair look stupid. Maybe not all of them but most of them. Blondes have the easiest time but we aren’t all natural blondes.
As we age our skin lightens and wrinkles. 

Hair naturally lightens with it so it matches . Nature didn’t mess up on this. 
Adding any colour to your white hair is going to be stand out brilliant for the very fact that you have naturally white hair. 
Do you know how many women bleach their hair before dying just so they can get a good brilliant colour? It totally destroys the hair but they do it anyway. The colour does usually look spectacular but these are young kids. Then you’ve got to touch up those roots every few weeks and hope you get a good colour match.


Do you think these people reading your application and reviewing you actually care about this? NO! They don’t care in the least and these are the people you are doing it for. 


I used to henna my hair and before I decided to grow out my coloured hair I tweaked up my henna to make a bright cherry cola red. The colour was to die for but I did notice that it accentuated the lines on my face. Not that I have many, but my hair looked far too radiantly coloured for a mid fifty woman. The only problem was that my natural hair colour was silver and pepper colour so the ‘grow out’ was horrible. Then of course I have 3 feet of it so it REALLY stood out like an eye sore and the first 6 months were brutal. 
That was 3 1/2 years ago. 


Keep your hair as is and wear your best smile and outfit. That’s it. If they don’t like you then you say **** it and move on to the next interview. Someone out there will appreciate you for you. The only person you should ever change for is YOU and only because you want to. 


Good luck Patnono.
You’ve got this.


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## Keesha (Apr 4, 2019)

Soooo how did it go?
Did you colour it or leave it?


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## Patnono (Apr 4, 2019)

Lol, No way, this is me.  Next time it could be my clothing, shoes.  I don't have the energy to be living for others. I have Plenty of criticism about others but won't because that makes them them.  Thanks for writing


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## Linda (Apr 4, 2019)

Considering how some younger people think "the old ones" can't do much or think very well, I would dye my hair if I were you.  A good dye job can look quite natural.  I would say that for job hunting purposes only.


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## Patnono (Apr 4, 2019)

That's not going to change anything, I've been rejected just by my application alone.  My age is my age physically there's no hiding it.


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## Gary O' (Apr 4, 2019)

Patnono said:


> That's not going to change anything, I've been rejected just by my application alone.  My age is my age physically there's no hiding it.



Maybe you should consider a more positive approach.

What can it hurt?

Heh, when you get turned down again, just go;

_* ‘Thank Gawd! Now I can post this in seniors forums!’
*_


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## Patnono (Apr 4, 2019)

Who am I fooling?  I'm doing something out of the box, hand writing a letter to the companies managers a letter accompanied with my resume.  It's worked before.  Maybe they can appreciate my efforts in doing this?  Also made a list of Temp agencies to visit.


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## Keesha (Apr 4, 2019)

Patnono said:


> Lol, No way, this is me.  Next time it could be my clothing, shoes.  I don't have the energy to be living for others. I have Plenty of criticism about others but won't because that makes them them.  Thanks for writing



Good for you!!  :thumbsup:
You’re welcome & good luck to you.


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## Keesha (Apr 4, 2019)

Gary O' said:


> Maybe you should consider a more positive approach.
> 
> What can it hurt?
> 
> ...



Thats right. :laugh:


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## Rosemarie (Apr 4, 2019)

Employers don't like young women because they tend to have kids....don't like older women because they might drop dead...so who's left? To answer the question, dying your hair won't make any difference to your suitability for the job and, once you start, you have to keep getting your roots done...Perhaps they turned you down for some other reason?


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## Patnono (Apr 5, 2019)

I think it's my age?  I was told to my face that they didn't think I could do the job?  The job I retired from was in a paper factory of 30yrs, hard work.  I've applied for different kinds of jobs that I have experience in.  For instance Home Depots employment application doesn't allow you to do one if your graduation date is before 1983?  My graduation date was 1973, in red it said it couldn't accept the date I entered.  So there for I couldn't submit my application.


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## Keesha (Apr 5, 2019)

This is very unfortunate as there are many qualified senior citizens and clearly they don’t allow them to even apply. 
I can understand your frustration.


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## Butterfly (Apr 7, 2019)

Odd about Home Depot.  Here there are many older people working there.  Maybe it depends on the department or something?


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## Gary O' (Apr 7, 2019)

Butterfly said:


> Odd about Home Depot.  Here there are many older people working there.  Maybe it depends on the department or something?



Yeah, I was gonna mention that
Several folks at ours that came out of retirement and went back to work


…of course they know what they’re doing


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## Patnono (Apr 7, 2019)

I kept looking and looking don't remember how I found it,?  But I was able to send my resume to them. Bso let's see.


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## Keesha (Apr 7, 2019)

Patnono said:


> I kept looking and looking don't remember how I found it,?  But I was able to send my resume to them. Bso let's see.


Good news. Our Home Depot has plenty of retired people and I’d rather deal with them than kids who have no knowledge or experience regarding most things


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## ClassicRockr (Apr 7, 2019)

Just wondering, WHY are we so against the younger generation on how they work??? It's no wonder that many of the younger generation don't like Seniors! Just remember, many of these "younger generation" kids have Bachelors and Masters Degrees and even PhD. Many are CEO's, CFO's, Company Presidents, Engineers and on and on. Some are nearly as devoted on the job as we were, but "Welcome to 2019".


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## Keesha (Apr 7, 2019)

ClassicRockr said:


> Just wondering, WHY are we so against the younger generation on how they work??? It's no wonder that many of the younger generation don't like Seniors! Just remember, many of these "younger generation" kids have Bachelors and Masters Degrees and even PhD. Many are CEO's, CFO's, Company Presidents, Engineers and on and on. Some are nearly as devoted on the job as we were, but "Welcome to 2019".


ClassicRockr, I’m not against any younger people. I’m specifically talking about homedepot here and education doesn’t replace experience and know how. A person can have 2 master degrees and be a CEO but if they don’t have a clue how to properly tile a floor or help with a sump pump then their education is useless to me. I’d much rather have someone with grade 8 education who has experience and can understand what I’m discussing.


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## Keesha (Apr 7, 2019)

Welcome to reality!!!:shrug:


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## ClassicRockr (Apr 7, 2019)

Wife and I both color our hair. I use Just For Men on my mustache and sideburns, whereas the rest of my hair is fine and brown. There are those that can't believe that I'm going to be 70 years old in a few months. My wife colors her hair as well and get's the same "I can't believe your 71". 

Most online applications ask for age or date of birth, like that or not. Not legal to ask, but right there it is!  Don't answer it and the application process will automatically stop online! 

As for me, actually I had to take my Navy experience off of my resume. When filling out an online application, which is done today, military experience may be asked for, but then they want to know the years in (dates, not number of years) and which war/conflict you were in. Most people know the ages of folks that were involved with Vietnam. It's bad when your military experience somewhat-to-fully matches a civilian job and that can't be shown. And, I don't have a college degree. 

As far as Seniors go, many jobs can be just too physical for them. I definitely couldn't stand at a register for any period of time or even be a Greeter at a store. Put me in an office, with a computer, possibly doing some Purchasing or Inventory Control and I'll be fine. My keyboard/data entry skills are still top-notch! 
​
My wife has a Bachelors Degree in Business/Accounting, she got it when she was 49. She has two AA Degrees as well. But, she was told that her Degrees are just too old and won't be acknowledged nearly as much now as it was years ago. She got the Bachelors in 1997 at 49 years old. But, she does have Certificates she got at jobs for seminars she attended thru work. She has lots and lots of finance and accounting experience within the manufacturing, banking and now insurance industry. But, like all of us, her age of 71, would definitely hurt her in getting another job...…...even a part-time one. Age discrimination is very much "alive and well" within the Senior community of people looking for part-time work. And, I don't mean at Walmart or Home Depot.


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## ClassicRockr (Apr 7, 2019)

Keesha said:


> ClassicRockr, I’m not against any younger people. I’m specifically talking about homedepot here and education doesn’t replace experience and know how. A person can have 2 master degrees and be a CEO but if they don’t have a clue how to properly tile a floor or help with a sump pump then their education is useless to me. I’d much rather have someone with grade 8 education who has experience and can understand what I’m discussing.



This is VERY true! When at Home Depot, Lowe's or some other hardware store, you'd think the employee would definitely KNOW the area they are working in. Nobody wants to hear the "well, I'm not sure how that goes". A customer reaction should be "you work in this area, you should know!" and then walk out of the store. 

But, then again, there are Apprenticeships where men and women learn how to do tile floors or repair/use a sump pump for construction jobs. As far as I know, all plumbers and electricians have to go thru an Apprenticeship in their respective job area, concerning construction.


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## OneEyedDiva (Apr 7, 2019)

If employers are truly discriminating against you because of your age (readily available via your application and resume), I doubt changing your hair color will do any good. It would be better to consider how well you present yourself in other ways...knowledge about the place and vacant position where you seek employment, self confidence and pleasant yet business like demeanor.


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## win231 (Apr 7, 2019)

An employer who includes medical coverage will not want an older employee due to higher medical costs.  In fact, their insurer will suggest not hiring older employees and those with medical conditions for that reason.  Even if an employer doesn't provide medical benefits he will be hesitant due to the higher likelihood of injury (statistically).  How do I know that?  My sister was hired at an employment agency.  After a few weeks, a co-worker saw her giving herself insulin & told her boss, "That new girl is giving herself some sort of injection."

Her boss asked her what it was.  She said, "Insulin; I'm diabetic."

Her boss got angry & said, "Why didn't you tell me you were diabetic before I hired you?"

She said, "You didn't ask me & it has nothing to do with my job; I'm not driving a bus or flying a passenger plane."

The only reason he asked was because he wouldn't have hired her if he knew she had a chronic condition.

She's been working there for 20 years now.  Her boss' attorney probably warned him what would happen if he fired her; he'd face a big lawsuit for discrimination...and he'd lose, big time.

In many situations, honesty = unemployment.  I know a guy who was successfully treated for cancer.  That caused a gap of several months in his employment history.  During his interviews, the employer asked about that gap & he was honest, telling him he was treated for cancer.  After many interviews without being hired, I suggested he not be so honest & say the gap was due to him caring for his sick mother who had since died.  He was hired within a week.

Yeah...sure, there are laws protecting job applicants from age discrimination, but employers know how to get around them.  They're not allowed to ask how old you are, but it's easy to figure out by asking on the application when you graduated from high school.  Or, when you fill out that W-2 form & it asks for your birth date.  Sure, they're not supposed to have you fill it out until they offer you a job, but they frequently do.  If you voice objections, even though the law is on your side, your application will be "accepted" & thrown in the trash when you leave.  They'll consider you to be a "troublemaker."   And even if they have you fill it out after they offer you a job, if they think you're too old, they can come up with a reason to terminate you, because your employment is usually "At Will," which means they can terminate your employment without a reason.


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## Patnono (Apr 7, 2019)

I agree, I did get hired, I believe like you said how you present you're self.  I spoke with confidence and professionalism. I hadn't dyed my either.  Most people who dye their hair look ridiculous.


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## Keesha (Apr 7, 2019)

Way to go Patnono! I KNEW you had this. :yes:
Your confidence HAS improved greatly. 
Im so proud of you. :grin:
Congratulations!


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## Patnono (Apr 7, 2019)

Thank you


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## Keesha (Apr 7, 2019)

You are most welcome  and I’m so glad you didn’t dye your hair for many reasons.


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## RadishRose (Apr 7, 2019)

Good for you Patnono!


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## Knight (Apr 8, 2019)

Patnono said:


> I agree, I did get hired, I believe like you said how you present you're self.  I spoke with confidence and professionalism. I hadn't dyed my either.  Most people who dye their hair look ridiculous.


Hired doing what?


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## Patnono (Apr 8, 2019)

Retail


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