Job seekers know the old adage “it takes money to make money” all too well. Eager to give interviewers the perception that they are reliable and professional, interviewees often feel pressured to spend money they’ve not yet earned on suits, make-up and haircuts in order to look the part.

Anderson Boyce wanted to help with that. The own of East London’s Hair Force 1, Boyce has partnered with the YMCA and Romford Jobcentre Plus to give free haircuts to men about to sit down for interviews.

“We surmised that youth unemployment in our community is a huge issue and asked ourselves what we could offer to assist in getting them into work,” Boyce told Modern Barber, “Interviews are the first step and not everyone has the ways and means to make themselves presentable for interview purposes.”

Boyce is a big believer in what he calls “the ‘look good — feel good’ factor,” saying that when men look “their best they feel confident to give their best.” And in giving their best, hopefully land themselves a new job.

In addition to providing those in his chair with a free haircut, Boyce tries his best “to coach them and give them some of the necessary skills needed in interview scenarios.”

Although there currently are no plans to expand the program outside of London, let’s hope that other barbershops take a civic cue from Boyce and start similar programs of their own.

East London

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