Archive for the 'New Staff' Category
This week, our Buty Guru Editor, Anna shares some tips and experience on how to put your best foot forward and get the job in beauty therapy that will either be the solid foundation for your career or the next step in your professional ladder.
Looking the part
In this industry, appearance is key. When your interviewer looks at you, they should see that your skin, nails and hair is tidy. If you have an untidy appearance then it won’t leave such a positive impression with your potential employer.
I have come across interviewees whose appearance has not been up to scratch. Although you would assume that trainee therapists would know how to present themselves – this is not always the case so this is an important tip to make.
You should wear full make-up but ensure that it looks natural – not over the top. Hair washed and groomed, it would be better if it was tied back into a pony tail. Short nails, manicured and clear nail varnish or french manicure but definitely no fake nails as you cannot work with fake nails in any case.
Simple but smart dress also – just like you would go for any other interview.
Portfolio / Experience
Most of the colleges have salons open for the public so before you finished training, you should have had hands on experience in any case.
I came to this salon immediately after college without experience. I brought some testimonials from the clients I treated at college and made a portfolio which included my diploma certificate. I even printed out a photo of the training salon where we were working. I had a nice book…like a proper portfolio. I presented it to the interviewer and she was very impressed because of the notes from my clients. Although I wasn’t very good with nail polish she took me on in any case even though she doesn’t normally take on trainees straight from college.
Looking for work
Most colleges will put adverts on the board or you can search for specialist hair and beauty agencies. There is also the job centre, beauty magazines, networking or contacting therapists you study with – if they get a job before you, you can contact them and see if they have any more vacancies.
If you are already working as a therapist then you can search for work in professional websites and magazines.
Qualifications
Cidesco Qualification is the highest international diploma meaning you can work throughout Europe, America and Australia . The NVQ3 covers the wide range of advanced treatments that are on the market also.
IHBC is another international qualification but it doesn’t operate in Amercia.
Work experience
Most salons don’t offer work experience as you need a certificate before you practice on full paying clients so I would try to get as much experience from the college beauty salon as possible.
Buty Salon prefer to take on people with at least 1 year’s experience but if they think that the person has the ability to learn quickly and show that they can work without supervision then, as in my experience, you can be picked for the job.
Most salons also prefer to take on staff with some experience but I would still advise that you send a CV to them. You never know the outcome as I sent several CVs for jobs requesting at least 5 years experience and I still got a call requesting interviews. In the end I secured 3 positions so I was stuck for choice. The reason I decided to go for Buty Salon was because they offered me a lot of training. When I started I was only qualified to level 2 but it was a great opportunity to learn new things and work at the same time.
How do you progress in a small salon
Find an area that you are interested in such as Hot Stone Massage, and speak to your manager to find out if they are prepared to pay for the training and then you have a new area to offer your services, boost your commission and set the stage for your promotion when the time is right.
If you are aware that you are unconfident then you can appear quite miserable. You need to put a smile on your face. You might be a brilliant therapist but if you don’t have a smile on your face then your clients won’t feel comfortable.
Pay
You need to be prepared that as a new therapist you have to start from the basic and then perhaps you get commission on top. Most salons offer commission schemes. Basic pay, plus commission, plus bonuses from selling product.
Anna and Fenia launch the Buty Blog
This month Buty editors, Anna and Fenia launch the Buty Blog with a topic that many salon owners and therapists struggle with every year, The Slow Months. Our experienced practitioners do straight talking therapy on how to navigate this tricky period when the beauty business is a bit slower than usual; why this is the case and how to make the best use of time to achieve optimum productivity in this period of your therapist career.
Anna: The slow months usually fall to August, purely as it is the time when people are going away, travelling abroad on their hols and in September it can be a bit slow as they only just come back from their travels at this time…….
Fenia: ….September is also the time when the kids are going back to school, so people take time to get back into their normal lifestyle routine.
Anna: But then January is also quiet…again this is usually just after the peak times which would be Xmas and New Year – when everyone indulges like crazy…then things go quiet over January just after the New Year.
Fenia: And just before Easter time also…..
Fenia: It can be hard for therapists starting out during these quiet times but salons tend to tighten up on recruitment here. Depending on your circumstances, for example, if you have a job already but looking to break into beauty then I would recommend to wait until October to look for work because I know that is when many positions are available and salons will start to get a little busier. If you are unemployed then you might as well look at every opportunity in the industry, but I would advise against just taking on any job that comes your way. It is hard to find a good salon to work for; you have to be happy with the environment and your working conditions and be passionate about your role as then you will become more productive.
For example from my own experience I was almost desperate to get into the beauty industry when I started out. I was just starting out and finally found work. My first impression was that I didn’t feel needed there and I realised I couldn’t develop my skills or experience. The standards were pretty poor and I realised I was not getting the progression I needed.
Anna: You definitely need to be in a place where the standards are quite high. You know… the salon needs to be clean and good customer service needs to be apparent. In this industry, the skill and knowledge requirements change every year and you need to be in a place which is on the ball and can incorporate this. Otherwise, you could just end up as a waxing therapist.
Anna: During the months when we are not so busy, we give our therapists the opportunity, for example, to go onto training courses to enhance their skills and knowledge about what is happening in the market. We wouldn’t have had a chance during the summer period as we needed everyone at work.
Fenia: Also during this time, we offer promotional incentives to clients and also reward our existing clients. We want to show our clients they are appreciated so we give discounts and we also bring in new therapies or a treatment focus such as Hot Stone Therapy.
Anna: It is also a chance to do more cross selling, whether that is a product or a different treatment to boost salon income. We are able to spend more time with the clients and focus on their individual needs which can change from time to time.
Therapists will now be able to log online to get the expert advice from a new blog initiative, The Buty Guru. Set up by a leading brand of salons called Buty Salon, the site was created to help a broad range of professional therapists from those starting out within the beauty industry to small beauty business owners.
Practical tips will be updated twice monthly by therapist editors, Fenia Sukiennik and Ana Depczynska (originally Polish) based at the Buty Salon’s two premises – Hammersmith and Fulham. The salon has a 12 year reputation for training and cultivating quality beauty practitioners in the industry. Salon manager, Fenia has worked across a number of salons across the UK and Ireland before working her way up to her current role. She often gives the salon’s new therapists guidance and training during their first 12 months and has cultivated a loyal client following since her appointment.
Buty Salon assistant manager, Ana says “Over the years I watched a pattern of the general qualities needed to make a salon a success which therapists don’t necessarily learn until years down the line when they have built up experience. Our Guru blog will help to bring these issues to the forefront”.
The gurus will offer their experience and advice through articles and a section dedicated to answering reader’s questions and queries.
Buty Guru Blog Launches to help Fellow Therapists, “Although therapists have good training from respected beauty colleges we tend to find that there are still major gaps in their skills and therefore need further training on-site. We hope that the Buty Guru Blog will help to share and swap experiences and the tips a therapist needs to know to advance his/her career,” says therapist editor, Ana.