Job-Hunting Hair: Best Hairstyles for Japanese Job Interview Photos – Medium Length

Hair, Makeup & Outfits #Job-Hunting ID Photo #Hairstyle & Hair Color #Job Hunting

March 21, 2022November 8, 2026 Chiharu

A medium-length hairstyle for job hunting

Medium-length hair, which falls somewhere between your shoulders and collarbones, is a very popular length.

It's easy to style for everyday looks, so many students going through job hunting (shūkatsu, Japan's structured recruiting season for new graduates) probably have medium-length hair.

In this article, we introduce recommended styles for people with medium hair who are having their job-hunting ID photos taken.

Choose a Hairstyle With the Interview in Mind

In Japanese job hunting, your ID photo is one way for the company to confirm who you are.
That's why it's best to avoid a big difference between your photo and how you actually look in person.
When deciding on a hairstyle for your photo, it helps to think about how you'll wear your hair at the interview.

First, what interviewers value most is a clean, neat appearance.
Make sure your hair doesn't fall over your face when you bow, and tuck it behind your ears so your expression is clearly visible.

It's also important to get ready calmly on the morning of your interview.

We've heard of people whose hair looked great at the photo shoot, but who couldn't recreate it on their own, panicked, and ended up switching to a different style at the last minute.

If you choose a style that's easy to do yourself from the photo-taking stage, you can wear the same style on interview day and go in with confidence.

Half-Up Styles and Ponytails Are the Classic Job-Hunting Looks

Now let's look at some specific recommended hairstyles.

First, the ponytail.
Since all of your hair is pulled back, it looks clean and neat, and your face and expression are clearly visible.
We recommend tying it at about ear level. Compared with a high ponytail, it gives a calmer, more professional impression, and compared with a low ponytail, it looks more polished.

Using a comb makes it easier to pull your hair back neatly.
Be sure to check that no hair at the nape of your neck has been missed. It's hard to see on your own, so take extra care there.

Next, the half-up style (the top half of your hair pulled back, the rest left down).

It keeps the hair around your face neatly out of the way, and it's a good choice if a ponytail feels too strict for you.

With medium hair, pay attention to the ends of the hair you leave down. Ends that flip out too much can look untidy. It's a good idea to smooth them with a flat iron or blow dryer and apply a styling product.

For extra peace of mind, secure the hair around your face with pins so it doesn't fall forward.

Wearing Your Hair Down

If your medium hair is on the shorter side, some people have their photo taken with their hair down.

In that case, tuck your hair behind your ears or otherwise keep it away from your face to create a clean, neat look. We also recommend using a styling product so that your hair stays smooth and tidy as a whole, even when worn down.

In this article, we introduced recommended medium-length hairstyles for job-hunting ID photos.

At 19Studio, our staff, who have experience interviewing candidates at general companies, support your photo shoot from the interviewer's point of view.

With ID photos you can submit to companies with confidence, we'll help support your job hunt.

Chiharu: Loves writing articles and is studying copywritingI love writing and I'm currently studying copywriting. I turn the questions our guests often ask and the things I notice in the studio into easy-to-read articles about job-hunting and ID photos, so that even first-timers can understand them.