How To Kickstart A Successful Beautician Career

While a career in beauty is exciting, rewarding, and incredibly fun, it can often be challenging to put yourself out there and find a job fresh out of school. 

But as a beginner, you are not expected to hit the ground running from day one. Just like any other career, becoming a successful beautician requires a great deal of hard work, networking, and commitment. Below, we’ve compiled 5 top tips for kickstarting a successful beautician career. 

1. Consider Employment Options 

Whether you’ve already finished beauty school or are still studying, it’s always beneficial to consider your employment options ahead of time. There are many different ways to pursue a career as a beautician, and you should weigh your options and decide what is best for you. This way, you’ll have a solid plan and can begin earning right after graduation. 

For example, if you want to work as a regular employed beautician in a salon, you should consider networking with local businesses, getting in contact with various companies, polishing your interview skills, and creating a well-rounded CV and stand-out portfolio. If you understand the requirements and begin work ahead of time, you’ll have greater chances of landing your desired job soon after graduating. 

On the other hand, you might want to kick-start your career as a self-employed beautician. While this allows you to be your own boss and have greater flexibility in your job, it also requires additional work and commitment. To make it as a self-employed beautician, you need to have a broader set of skills – understanding how to run a company, managing costs, effective business planning, marketing, promotion, taxes, and more. 

Whichever the case is, identifying the type of employment you want and creating a thorough plan of action early on will help set you on the path to a successful beautician career. 

2. Curate A Knock-Out Resume 

If you want to land a job at your dream organisation or a reputable salon, your resume is one of the most important documents to help you get there. 

So building an impressive resume that showcases your unique skills and work experience is essential. An ideal resume should include a precise but detailed summary of your achievements, objectives, strengths, skills, talents, and work experience and highlight all you have to offer as an employee. 

You should also highlight any volunteer work, internships, special beauty programs, or courses you took. 

When responding to a specific job advertisement, meticulously review the job description and requirements and alter your CV to reflect why you are the best candidate for that position. Don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach when applying for jobs – put in the time and commitment to customise your application for each place, and keep your resume professional, concise, and engaging. 

3. Build A First-Rate Portfolio 

After a resume, your portfolio is what will set you apart in front of employers in the beauty sector. You should focus on curating a professional portfolio while you are in school. Take pictures of all your work, from hairstyles to makeup, treatments, and beyond, and include shots/details from any internships, volunteer work, awards, and certifications you receive. 

A knockout portfolio is the best way to market yourself to potential clients and employers and highlight the best you have to offer. One way to get recognized is by building an online portfolio and marketing on beauty platforms, social media, and other social networks. These sites attract many potential employers, and once you get noticed, your career will progress in no time. 

4. Consider Internships & Volunteer Work 

Applying for volunteer ships or internships at your local salons is a solid way to jumpstart your beauty career. From fitness centres to beauty clinics, leisure centres and resorts, spas, TV or film studios, and beyond, there are many avenues where you can consider internships as a beauty school student. 

Interning at a recognized salon or organisation adds extra weight to your resume and significantly improves your employability status. Not only does it improve the chances of getting hired soon after you graduate, but you can even land a job at the same place you interned if you’ve showcased great skill and commitment. 

Volunteering or interning at a salon also allows you to watch the experts at work. Not only can you pick up on professional tips and tricks from your employers. Here, you can get great insight into how they run their business and learn about the best operations for success. This includes insider knowledge about marketing and promotions, service packages and managing appointments.

Additionally, you can even learn about how to run a business more cost-effectively, such as understanding the cheaper options like the zero cost Smartpay EFTPOS terminal, or long-lasting durable equipment. 

Internships are especially important if you don’t have a vocational degree in beauty or are considering opening your own business. 

5. Learn How To Network 

As a service sector job where you engage with people daily, knowing how to network is essential to kick-starting a successful beautician career. Besides being skilled at beauty treatments, you need to be open-minded, resourceful, communicative, and connect with people from all walks of life. 

One way to polish these skills is to widen your network and always aim to be at the right place at the right time. You should attend beauty conferences, workshops, and seminars, stay on top of all new beauty trends and fashions, engage with online webinars, and connect with beauty students, experts, and practitioners as much as possible. Knowing how to network the right way and planting yourself in the professional world is essential for a successful career in beauty.