Are your Beauty Therapy qualifications serving your career prospects?

Graduates stepping out with a Beauty Therapy qualifications nowadays are finding that it’s just not enough to guarantee them a position in a salon or spa.

Hours of dedicated study and practical assessment is just not cutting it with salon owners, who are looking for experienced therapists who also possess skills that are not taught at College, or if they are taught, it’s at such a basic level and there is no method of assessment to them.

I call them interpersonal skills and it’s a big reason why I wrote Business4Beauty Professional program.

Unlike other programs that say they will develop you personally, there is no program other than Business4Beauty Professional that will educate you on these vitally important skills.

That’s because there is no-one else in the industry who is an accredited image, etiquette, and personal branding specialist, and who also knows the industry.

Discussions with Salon Owners highlight their dilemma of trying to find good therapists who also have good communication and presentation skills, can talk to customers and convert them into loyal clients and, of course, who can sell.

Even if they do invest in graduates just out of Beauty College, their experience is not good, with girls leaving after having been trained in other important salon procedures, leaving them high and dry with the cost of training and having to go through the whole process and cost of rehiring.

It’s so damaging to their business.

Graduates, on the other hand, are in despair because they feel they are not even being given a chance and wonder why they even bothered to enter the industry in the first place. Some even turn their hand to starting up fledgling salons at home just so they can pursue their passion.

When I owned my salon, I had dozens of graduates walk up the stairs to apply for positions, and as a salon owner myself I can see both sides of the argument.

So I thought I would elaborate on what a salon owner is looking for in hiring a new therapist and what the therapist should be considering.

For a salon owner, investing in a new team member is an expensive exercise. Even if their salon is doing well, a new team member has to be inducted into the salon culture and taught the procedures. They also need to integrate with the rest of the team which takes time and money working with them so that they can finally operate on their own and be productive.

One can expect that an amount of time, which is money to a salon owner, has to be invested in training the new person in skills they need to be proficient at in their salon, and to ensure that the same level of customer service they already provide is maintained or enhanced.

A salon owner really can’t afford to get it wrong. Rehiring can cost them literally 3 times your wage.

For a Therapist or Graduate, what might the critical elements and traits be that you need to demonstrate to a salon owner in order to be even considered for a role.

1. Presentation

First impressions are everything, so you have to arrive in person looking immaculate from head to toe and be in keeping with the culture of the salon you want to work in. Some are more clinical than others and require a more refined professional look, with minimal accessories and just enough makeup. Make sure your grooming leaves a salon owner with no questions as to your attention to detail that can be reflected in your work ethic too.

2. Communication

Be polite, don’t use ‘slang’ words in your language, speak confidently and clearly and have intelligent questions to ask and be prepared for questions the salon owner might have of you, such as what would you do in a situation where????

If you labour over your conversation and have nothing of value to add to establish your level of professionalism and credibility, you’ll lose serious brownie points, as this tells the salon owner that you won’t be able to talk confidently to clients either, and that means revenue to them.

3. Identity

Know who you are and where you want to go. Have an idea of the direction you want to pursue in the industry, this gives the salon owner an idea about how she needs to integrate and train you too.
Come across as motivated, and have a vision for yourself in 5 years time (and best not to say that you plan to open your own salon)

You need to really stand out as a person they need to have on board because you will be solid and not cause friction and unrest with other team players. The industry can be very bitchy and you don’t need to be a part of that. Competitive, yes, but bitchy, no!

4. Attitude

If I could have hired on attitude alone every single time I would have. There’s an old saying, ‘that you can teach practical skills, but you can’t teach attitude’. This is true but if you are aware of your attitudinal faux pas, you can work to correct them and adopt the right attitude that will bring you positive results with your clients, and your team members too.

Remember, it’s not all about you, but what you can bring to the business. In bringing results for the bigger picture, you are also building your brand and reputation that will ensure you stay fully booked and in demand.

5. Leadership

Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a leader, you can show initiative.
Initiative is what helps you solve problems internally in the salon and with clients. It comes from being confident in yourself and what values you hold, personally and professionally.

6. Choose the right salon

Do your homework on where you want to work and why. How is that salon going to help you in your career, what attracts you to it, is it the culture, the look and feel, the treatments they do, the products they use?

Know precisely why you are applying. A disconnect with any of these will ensure you are not invited back. Don’t waste your time and the salon owners.

7. Prepare your documentation

Have a current resume, containing all of your experience and qualifications, including testimonials, awards, past successes. Don’t discount advertising something fabulous you have done even if it is of a personal nature, it tells the salon owner something about you that helps her decide if you have all the right qualities for her business, clients and team.

In my Business4Beauty Professional program for graduates, you’ll be taken through every aspect of what it takes to be considered for your dream job. You’ll learn how to:

• Create and manage a powerful image and reputation,
• Have positive first and lasting impressions,
• Communicate with your peers and clients effectively using the right language to impress and build long lasting relationships with new and existing clients
• Present yourself as an true professional in every way with correct wearing of uniform and grooming essentials
• Employ the global rules of etiquette to impress your clients
• Master the 5 dimensions of an exceptional therapist who consistently rebooks with ease and can successfully and confidently retail for profit
• Have a clearly defined goal as to what you want from the industry

The best part about this program is that it is so affordable and available online so you can undertake this program right now and study the modules in your own time and because I am a trainer, you’ll be certified at the conclusion of this program and have another qualification to proudly show your prospective employers.

This is powerful training that you cant afford to pass up.

If you’re ready to take on the Industry and secure your positioning as a therapist that has strong values, purpose, skills and intention, who has a positive can do attitude, integrity and knows where you want to go, click here to find out more. Or you can email me directly to have a confidential chat about how this can propel your career.

Don’t wait for someone to do something for you, excellence is no accident, you have to take action!