The Job Interview by Shant

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THE JOB INTERVIEW
Shant

I had been busy all morning and things finally slowed down after lunch. The afternoon was a little slow and as it approached closing time I hoped that no one would show up at the last minute and that I could get out right on time. It was about 15 minutes till closing and I was sitting in my barber chair reading the paper, just waiting for it to be time to close. All of a sudden I heard the door to the shop open. Reluctantly I put down the paper thinking so much for getting out early and to my surprise saw the most striking young man standing before me. He was around 24 I guessed, about 6 feet tall with an athletic, muscular build. He had a square jaw with a very handsome face and the most piercing blue eyes.

What was most striking about him however, was his hair. It was beautiful. The kind of hair that every man wished he could have. it was blond with even blonder highlights. It was extremely thick and had great body with a slight wave to it. The sides were about 3-4 inches long and were brushed back behind his ears and met together in the back, about 2 inches below his collar. The top was his crowning glory. It had to be at least 6 inches long and it looked like he just brushed it straight back and let it fall into place. If he brushed it all back he would have the most incredible pompadour. I couldn't believe that I was going to get to cut this awesome mane!

He seemed a little nervous, like he had never been in a traditional barber shop before. I wanted to make him feel comfortable and was determined that I was going to get him in my chair. "You picked a great time to stop by. I've been swamped all day and just got caught up so the chair is all yours. My name is Mike by the way" I replied. He hesitated a little but then stepped forward and sat in the chair. As he sat down he told me that his name was Adam. I immediately wasted no time in caping him up so that he would have no chance to escape.

I took a wide tooth comb and proceeded to comb his hair. I combed it straight back and then combed it to one side and then the other. It had such incredible body and was even longer than I expected. No matter which way I combed his hair it looked great. I combed the front straight down and it nearly reached his lips. It had to be at least 8 inches long. I was so stoked that I was going to cut his hair and wondered what kind of haircut he was thinking of getting.

He seemed to enjoy having his hair combed so I switched to a brush and brushed his hair back into an incredible pomp. "Are you new in town or just passing through?" I asked. Adam said that he had just graduated from college and had job interviews with two companies here at the end of the week. "I'm hoping one of the companies will hire me because I really think I would like to live here," he added.

"What companies are you interviewing with?" I asked while I continued combing his beautiful hair. "Brock, Turner and Lowell is one of the companies and the other is Hunter and Hawthorne," he replied. "Both are great companies," I said. "I know probably all the guys that work at both places. I probably cut almost everyone's hair that works there. You won't go wrong with either one."

I could tell Adam was feeling more relaxed especially after I said that I cut almost everyone's hair at both places. "This morning I went down to both offices and walked through their lobbies just to check them out. I just wondered what the atmosphere would be like and if I would like one over the other. The first thing I noticed was that at both companies all the men had very short haircuts. Not just buzzcuts but haircuts that looked really sharp. There were even two guys with the most awesome flat tops that I've ever seen. I was so glad that my interview was not right then because I really felt self-conscious about my hair and felt that I stood out and not in a positive way. No one had hair anywhere near the length of mine."

"I went to lunch and decided that if I really wanted to move here that I needed to make the best first impression that I could at my interviews. I was thinking that maybe it would be a good idea to get my hair cut in a style that was more in line with the other guys that worked there. I really don't want to cut my hair but I'd hate to lose a job because my hair was too long. Maybe I'm just worrying about nothing but I'm not sure. What do you think?"

"I think that would be a good idea. You want to look like you will just fit right in and be part of the team. That's what they are looking for. I read a while back that when a person meets someone for the first time that it takes only 45 seconds for them to form their first impression and that one of the major factors was the person's hair style. Seeing that I know most of those guys, I think you would be smart to have a look that's more like theirs."

"You will definitely make a better first impression if you have shorter hair like the guys that work there. You mentioned that you saw two guys with awesome flat tops. Have you ever worn a flat top? You have the perfect hair for one," I said, hoping I might be able to encourage him to take the plunge."

"A couple of times I've thought about getting a flat top but never got up the nerve. To be honest, I really like my hair the way it is now and I just got a lot cut off for these interviews. This is the shortest my hair has been in years. I get a lot of compliments from women and even men. To be honest, it's unusual for me to walk into any room and see another guy that has better hair than I do. I know I'm really lucky to have it, but I guess I should go ahead and have you cut it if I want a better chance of getting a job."

As I continued brushing his hair I said, "So, you're thinking of getting a haircut that will fit in with the other guys in the office. Any idea about how you want it cut?" "I probably haven't had my hair short since eighth grade," Adam said. "I was always trying to grow it longer. Every once in a while I'd get the urge to cut it short but always talked myself out of it. I've never seriously thought about cutting it really short. I don't have a clue as to what would look best."

"You mentioned that you cut most of the guys hair at both companies? I don't want anything extreme, no shaved sides or skin showing, but seeing that you know most of those guys, how about I just have you give me the haircut that you think will help me make the best first impression that I can? Would you be willing to do that?"

Would I be willing to cut one of the best head's of hair that I had ever seen sit in my chair and get to cut it however I wanted? I was practically salivating at the thought. This was a barber's fantasy and did not come along that often. I had a hard time containing by excitement because I knew what a turn on it was going to be to cut his hair short. And I knew exactly the haircut he was going to get!

"I know you really don't want to cut your hair and I understand because it really is great hair, but you are making the right decision and your hair will look great however you cut it. After you've had it short for a while I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up really liking it and you will not miss your long hair. I've had a lot of guys come in here with long hair and once they cut it short, they continue keeping it that way."

"You said that you are interviewing with Hunter and Hawthorne? Jim Hunter will be the guy interviewing you. He's a great guy. Around 35. You'll feel really comfortable around him. I've been cutting his hair for over 5 years. He's got a great head of hair, just like you, and he likes to be constantly changing his hair style. He'll cut it short in the spring and then start growing it out in the fall and over the winter and then cut it short again in the spring. He changes his look all the time. He's really into his hair."

"I just had a great idea. I'm going to give you Jim's favorite haircut. You walk into his office with that thick blond hair of yours cut the way he likes it most and I am 100% certain that you could not make a better first impression. Sound like a good idea? Shall we go for it?" To my surprise Adam actually seemed excited about getting a short haircut and said, "If that's what you think will really impress the guy, then let's go for it."

I asked Adam if he wanted to face the mirror and watch the transformation. I thought he would certainly want to watch, but to my surprise he said that he would rather not. "I know it's vain, but I like my hair so much that I don't think I can bear to watch it all come off. I dread the thought of getting it cut short and yet I'm excited about seeing how it will look. It's time for a change but I think I would rather just see it when it is finished."

That sounded great to me. This way I could have some fun and do whatever I wanted to his hair. I turned him facing away from the mirror and picked up my brush and proceeded to brush his hair some more. I worked on brushing it straight back and made it stand up as high as it could. He seemed to really enjoy having his hair brushed so I continued to play with it for a while, brushing it from one side to the other and then running my hands through it. I definitely heard a slight moan come from Adam while I was running my hands through his hair and noticed that he had quite a boner showing under the cape. He obviously enjoyed having someone pamper his treasured locks, which only made me even more excited to start his haircut. I picked up my scissors and grabbed the longest lock at the back of his neck and snipped it off. I was definitely going to take my time and enjoy this. Slowly, but surely I lifted the long beautiful locks from the back of his head and cut them off and placed them in his lap. I continued to cut off about 2 inch locks from all over his head, not worrying about how it looked because I knew that the clippers were going to be used next.

I put a number 2 guard on the clippers, placed my hand on the top of his head and firmly pushed it down, almost to his chin. I started at the back and ran the clippers almost all the way to the crown. Thick, beautiful masses of hair were falling everywhere. I made certain that most of the hair I was cutting was falling on to the cape on his lap so he could see all the hair that he was losing. This stoked me even more and I decided to clip him down even shorter and put a number 1 guard on the clippers. I again ran the clippers up the back of his neck. I then started working on the sides and ran the clippers up to about three fingers above his ears and then left the remaining sides and back long enough so that I could square them up. Adam was definitely going to get his first flat top and it was going to look fantastic!

After I finished squaring up the back and the sides it was time to take down the top. Adam had no idea what he was in for. "Remember when you first sat down you said that you saw two guys with awesome flat tops? And when I asked you if you had ever worn a flat top you said you had thought about it but never had the nerve? Well, do you remember the guy at Hunter and Hawthorne that had coal black hair and had a flat top?" Adam replied that he had noticed the guy and said "When I saw the guy I really admired his hair. The first thing I thought was how sharp he looked with that haircut and I wondered if I ever got up the nerve to get a flat top if it would look as good as his. It would be an amazing change but I don't know if I'll ever have the nerve to actually go ahead and do it."

"Well today is your lucky day. The guy you saw is Jim Hunter and he is the guy that will be interviewing you. You're going to get your first flat top. It's the perfect time for you to get one seeing that no one here knows you. When you walk into his office with your hair cut just like his, he won't be able to keep his eyes off it. With his thick black hair and your thick blond hair it's going to look fantastic. You'll hit it off instantly. This is definitely going to be a new look for you but I think you're really going to be surprised wiith how much you'll like it. If you really liked his haircut just think how great yours is going to look with your thick blond hair cut like his.

Without another word I combed his forelock which actually reached his lips straight up and with my scissors I chopped off more than 6 inches. It was so beautiful seeing that thick blond hair fall into his lap. His lap was loaded with hair and I still had not taken down the top. I continued cutting the top with scissors, taking a section at a time and chopping off between 5 and 6 inches.

I then went back to the clippers and used a wide tooth comb and worked on cutting the top down flat. I was right. His hair was so thick that it stood up without using any kind of product. I worked slowly and cut his hair on top as flat as a board. The front was about an inch long and was shorter as it went back to the crown. I then wet his hair, applied a small amount of hair gel and then used my blow dryer and brushed his hair straight back. The sides were perfectly square and blended perfectly into the top. I felt that it was probably one of the best flat tops I had ever cut but when you have such great hair to work with it certainly helps.

"All ready to turn around and see the new you? I know it will be a shock at first. You look entirely different from when you first came in but I really think you are going to like it."

I swung the chair around and Adam saw his new look for the first time. "Oh my God! I can't believe how different I look, but you're right, I think I really like it. It actually shows off my hair even better than when it was long. I really love the square back and sides. It's so different from how it's ever been."

"If you get a job from either firm I hope you'll come back and be a regular customer. It would be great if you got an offer from Jim Hunter and I get you and Jim in here at the same time and cut both your hair. We can create several different looks throughout the year and you will certainly be able to wear your hair the same length as your boss."

Adam paid for his haircut and out the door he went. I wondered if I would ever see him again. The thought of cutting his hair all the time was a real turn on.

The remainder of the week went by like usual. No exciting haircuts. Saturday morning as I opened the shop Adam walked in with a big smile on his face. "I really want to thank you. You were absolutely right about the haircut. Jim even brought it up about how great my haircut was. I could tell that he really liked it because he couldn't keep his eyes off it. When I told him that you had cut my hair and how long it had been he told me how much he liked having you cut his hair. He offered me the job right on the spot. I've already found an apartment and I'm heading home to get my things and I start work next week. Jim even said that when it was time to get our flat tops trimmed up we should come into the shop together for our next haircut. I think I'm going to be wearing this look for a long time!

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