It depends who you are trying to attract. Generally I noticed that people seem more attracted to a smooth face, and in common it seems more professional, but I feel people are even more attracted to a clean cut face, and it often not only can look professional, but can also make you as a person seem superior, more adult like, masculine, etc. A clean cut beard can be hard to achieve and even harder to maintain. Based on your old photo with you having a beard, you were not so clean cut, so that may be why you got a positive response. People are also more likely to respond to change than they are to something that is the same. Even if it did not look good, someone will likely notice a change. If something looks good, but it was not suddenly changed, you may not get a response as quickly, so don't let not getting a positive response about your beard take you down. It all comes down to what you prefer.
