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No Beard Day falls on October 31st every year, right before No Shave November kicks off.

We know this can be a bit confusing, considering that World Beard Day in 2017 falls on the first Saturday of September, National Beard week is around the end of June and National Shave Day is somewhere at the end of July. So basically, the national calendar wants your face as versatile Jim Thorpe.

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The National Holiday Shave Guide

However, we know jobs in the 21st century have never been this versatile. Since the 2000s hit, many studies have shown that jobs have positive biases toward clean shaven men. A day in the life of a millennial – here’s another hard choice: be the man’s man and have a beard that touches your knees or get a job and look like a 12-year-old.

What’s a grown man to do? Well, that’s easy, take advice from this women’s mag.

What Is No Beard Day?

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Since No Beard Day comes right before No Shave November, many believe the day is just prep for the hairiest month of the year. It’s honestly the only explanation for this day’s creation. No one can trace who created this day, nevertheless why it was created. Maybe someone really just wants you to get a fresh start for November, so you can grow out a healthy mustache in the winter months. Or maybe someone wants you to get that extra part-time job, so you can avoid going bankrupt from your family’s ridiculously expensive Christmas list. Trying to find logic in some of these holidays will just give you a headache.

However, just because there was no logic in its creation, doesn’t mean there isn’t logic in what it promotes.

Why No Beard Day Will Get You the Job

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No Beard Day actually does you a favor. It’s one of the very few days in the year that lets you marry social and professional status together. Social trends currently suggest that beards make you sexy. Articles left and right are calling beards the new black or explaining why beards remain in style throughout time.

But what about jobs? You know, the thing that keeps you off your parents’ sofa and paying your own bills?

Clean Shaven Faces Get the Job

Multiple studies suggest that men without facial hair have higher chances of getting the job. This article written by psychologists conclude from their experimental study that jobs prefer men with clean shaven faces. In this study, they showed 228 managerial subjects photos of men with varying degrees of facial hair. Although men with more facial hair were seen as more competent and composed, they still showed a greater desire to hire clean-shaven men.

Although they don’t discuss why this is in great detail, it could be the meaning behind clean-shaven men. When you show more of your face, you seem more honest. And when you look like an innocent little kid, why would customers or bosses have cause to doubt you? The ugly truth says jobs that involve presenting, selling or buying goods simply prefer clean-shaven men.

The Science Behind This Conclusion
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Aggression and dominance are associated with facial hair.  Moreover, social skills, health and cleanliness are associated with clean-shaven men.

A study done by the University of Central Lancashire’s School of Psychology, which was also published in the Behavioral and Brain Sciences Journal in 2009, supports this idea. In this interdisciplinary study, Archer cites that college students “rated bearded men significantly higher than beardless men on aggressiveness, dominance, masculinity and strength.”

Additionally, a study of evolution and human behavior conducted their own experiment to see how men and women viewed men with beards vs. no beards. They concluded that both men and women viewed men with full beards as more “masculine.” Based on their findings, they also assert that people viewed men with clean-shaven faces as more sociable.

So, it makes sense that most jobs that are dependent on a certain amount of communication – whether it’s with your bosses, in your division or with customers – prefer clean-shaven men that look more sociable and less aggressive. On the other hand, this same study also noticed a positive trend with women and how they viewed men with full beards. They were most likely to believe our bearded buddies would make for better life partners, short-term and long term.

Here lies the conundrum: beard it up and live with your parents or shave it off and get the job?

What You Should Do: Women or Career?

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Well, as a global rule of thumb, just listen to the women. Especially in this case, because the answer leads to a happy compromise.

According to a study done by Psychologists at Northumbria University, women prefer men with light stubble. This means ditch the full-on beard, but don’t go completely babyfaced either. This way, you can get the best of both worlds.

Women will love the stubble and jobs won’t find you as aggressive or intimidating. It leaves more room for your resume and personality to do all the talking in the interview. Yes, first impressions are very important. However, if you have a more neutral physical appearance, it leaves the ball in the court of your actual credentials and personality to land you the job.

The ladies have your back. So, listen to them and get the girl and the job.

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