Career Opportunities

as an esthetician, career opportunities are extensive, ranging from a receptionist to an international beauty representative. most are pretty predictable, such as

• nail technician
• make up artist
• skin care therapist
• body treatment technician
• manager
• full tie esthetician
• part time esthetician
• salon owner
• trainer
• waxing specialist
• eyebrow specialist

some of the lesser know jobs for an esthetician are

• consultant
• company rep (skin care, nail care, waxing)
• company trainer (ski care, nail care, waxing)
• lab technician
• spa technician
• secret shopper
• medical esthetician
• podologist
• free lance make-up artist
• electrolosist
• laser technician
• product development and testing

the list just goes on. when looking for a job in this particular workforce, you should be looking presentable at all times, to give yourself a higher chance of being hired somewhere. also, don’t settle for a job at a salon with little to no credentials, who aren’t fully specific on what they want, or the salon is just a mess, and un-presentable and unsanitary for customers. when going for job interviews, you should always be prepared. tips for  good interview are:

• do your research! know about the salon/spa before going in for an interview.
• be prompt and on time for the interview- on time means early
• have your resume and a pen and paper to take noted during the interview
• listen attentively, answer questions and be present-don’t slouch or look around the room while the interviewer is speaking to you
• show what you know- if the interviewer ask you about a scenario, relate it to something that may have happened in your past job or personal life, that way you don’t sound like your just throwing out a solution
• follow up- always follow up with a thank you for the interview- letting them know that you are very interested in the job still.

most of the time when interviewing, the best strategy is to stay calm, and say what you know.

Managing Client Relationships

when talking about managing client relationships, it is important to realize the value of a client. each client is special and important, and deserves the best quality of service possible. you need to know your “client factor” and the “client market”. client factor means “important information about the clients mixed with the financial value of the client.” and client market refers to where you salon/spa is located and what type of client base you have. if you are in a high end part of town, as opposed to a lower income section of town then you are more likely to pull in high earning clients, ones who are possibly willing to pay more for services or products. 

understanding how valuable one client is can determine your personal success in that job. if one client comes in and has a great service done to her, you were extremely warm and friendly as well as talkative and open, then the likely hood of her telling at least 3 of her friends and family  goes up substantially. for each of those three people, they will each tell three of their friends and so on and so on. the opposite makes and even bigger impact. if you have one client come in and they weren’t treated with the excellent service they deserve, then they will be completely unsatisfied, and end up telling at least 10 of their friends and family, and then each of them will tell around the same number. bad new travels fast in these types of situations.

if you want to build up a clientèle, the best way is to be friendly, consistent and give 110% each and every time. another good way is to make your clients feels special each time they come in by doing something nice, like remembering a specific thing they told you about what was upcoming in their life. for example, a woman comes in in june to get her nails done or her sons wedding, when she comes back in july for a service, show her you were listening and ask her about it. it will make her feel like you really care. she is much more likely to come back and request you.

Interpersonal Skills

knowing what type of personality you have will help you in the long run of your career. i, myself am a mix of extrovert and introvert. i have my bits of being outgoing and loud, while i enjoy being by myself and quiet. i also have a good understanding that some people are entirely one sided on the extrovert/introvert scale. most extroverts will overcompensate for the introverts in a room, because they do not like silence or awkward situations.

as an esthetician, i will be exposed to every type of person there is, so i believe that broadening my views will help me in communicating with clients. i think i have the ability to know when to listen an to know when to place my input in a  conversation.

when taking the Carl Jung and Isabel Briggs Meyer personality test i found i was ENFP

Extrovert- slight preference of extrovert over introvert (22%)

iNtuition- moderate preference of intuition over sensing (25%)

Feeling- moderate preference of feeling over thinking (50%)

Perceiving- slight preference of perceiving over judging (22%)

i would recommend this test to anyone who is unsure of how their personality shows to other people. i found this test helpful and informative.

Defining Personal Goals for Success

when goal setting, its good to have short term and long term goals. for example, if your short term goal is to sell 5 products from the shelf every week, then your long term goal could be to be the top product-selling esthetician at your place of work in 6 months to a year.  a great way to get at start on goal setting is to plan with S.M.A.R.T. goals. this means:

• SPECIFIC: setting goals is always a good way to keep yourself motivated to work harder, but if your goal isn’t specific enough, you may never really reach your targeted goal. and example of a non-specific goal is: “i want to get healthy.” this is non specific because there is no numbers involved. if the goal were changed to “i want to lose 20 lbs in 5 months to increase my physical health” then that can be reached in a timely manner. if your having trouble being specific, just follow the “W’s” -who, what, where and when.
• MEASURABLE:measurable goals help you get organized and track your progress. your goal needs to contain benchmarks, meaning numbers, just like in the example above. a good thing to do to track your progress of your goal is to make a check-list-for example count down the days until you want your goal to be reached, therefore you won’t forge about it and its a constant reminder that you are working this hard to achieve the ultimate goal.
• ACTION-ORIENTATED: a goal is action-oriented if it contains one or more observable behaviours. give yourself actual things to do day by day to work towards your goal. the example in the book says “i will welcome all new clients by smiling warmly and greeting them by name” as opposed to ” i will be friendly to all new clients” the difference is clear; the top example is saying that the esthetician will say the clients name and smile warmly at them, while the bottom example is to vague.
• REALISTIC: you are the only one who can decide whether or not a goal is realistic. by saying a goal is realistic, it means you yourself know that you can achieve said goal. an example of a realistic goal for me would be “id like to get a job at a nice, respected salon within 6 months of graduating.” that is a realistic goal for myself because it gives me time to get my name and resume out there to the places i really want to be working in and starting my career there. an unrealistic goal for myself would be ” id like to have a full list of clients who only want me by my 2nd month working at a salon.” that is unrealistic because even if i am amazing, new estheticians still have to pay their dues.
• TIMELY: setting a deadline for a goal will help you avoid procrastination. make your deadline reasonable for you, or else you will set yourself up for disapointment. an example of a timely goal is ” i will get a job in 60 days” and an example of an un-timely goal is “i will get a job as soon as possible.

being an esthetician, i know that i will always be improving on my skills. by setting small goals now and then to gradually get better ad better at my job, it will keep me motivated to out do myself each time i do a service.

Developing a Professional Image

by saying “professional image” i mean dress for the job you want. image is a huge part in whether or not you could get hired at a job. while not all jobs rely solely on how you look, the esthetics industry does. being an esthetician puts you as a “trend setter” for other women out there, and possible clients. if someone sees you at your place of work looking messy, unpolished, ungroomed, and slobish then they will not be confident in your skills, no matter how good you may be. i know that personally if i went into a spa/ salon and the esthetician was tired looking and not well-put together, then i would not feel confident being serviced by her.

a professional image doesn’t just men what clothes you wear or hairstyle you have, it also refers to your outlook on the day ahead. you should be smiling and happy and confident when dealing with clients and co-workers.  when you are put together and have  smile on your face, you seem much more welcoming and competent. eye contact is huge when dealing with clients because it lets them know that you are present in the moment and are listening to what they have to say.

i find that people tend to remember and tell people about the bad services the receive rather than the positive ones, so be happy and friendly, give the client a reason to rave about a great service instead this time.

“you can have anything you want in life if you dress for it” – Edith Head

RESPECT

RELIABILITY: showing up to work on time, or calls the employer if not able to come in to work or will be late. always so the best work possible. be accountable for expected results, goals, and client satisfaction

ENTHUSIASM: smile- it lets people know you enjoy your job and are happy to help. show a interest in your clients, co-workers, or anyone you have contact with. be warm when interacting with people. be optimistic and energetic, it’ll make the day easier. 🙂

SINCERITY:being sincere shows that you are an honest person to clients, co-workers and yourself. when you make commitments, follow through, it shows people that they can count on you.  be consistent with what you say from day to day.

PERSISTENCE: always put customer satisfaction first, even when the salon/spa is stressful.always up-sell products at your salon/spa, rebook the client, and additional services, even if they have declined in the past. sometimes it just takes a few tries to get a client to say yes. don’t let small mistakes break you in a day, become as resilient as possible.

EMOTIONAL BALANCE:do not make impulsive decisions, instead be calm when dealing with a situation. always think before you act. have a healthy mind and a healthy body. always be respectful, polite, and appropriate in the workplace.

CONSIDERATION: always be considerate of clients ad co-workers. be willing to be flexible.

TRUSTWORTHY: handles money, hours, equipment and pressure in an honest manner, and inform management of issues that need to be resolved.

Respect is such an important aspect in having a successful career; respect for your co-workers, bosses, clients, and most importantly, yourself. once you can learn to respect yourself, you will have no trouble opening up and respecting other people. having self respect shows that you are confident, capable and and positive.

people who build self respect tend to:

• feel better about themselves, others and life in general
• seek out other positive people
• resist negative influences and steer clear if these who are stuck in negativity
• expect, accept and embrace change
• make the best of the positives in people and situations

mutual respect is the respect you have between you and another person. to gain their respect, you have to earn it. i think that in order to gain someone else’s respect you have to prove to them that you have earned, in ways such as being accountable, friendly, and open. 4 ways you can demonstrate respect at work are:

1. be courteous
2. be considerate
3. be sensitive
4. be interested

self esteem, trust and integrity are  steps toward gaining full respect fro your peers and clients.

RESPECT

RELIABILITY: showing up to work on time, or calls the employer if not able to come in to work or will be late. always so the best work possible. be accountable for expected results, goals, and client satisfaction 

ENTHUSIASM: smile- it lets people know you enjoy your job and are happy to help. show a interest in your clients, co-workers, or anyone you have contact with. be warm when interacting with people. be optimistic and energetic, it’ll make the day easier. 🙂

SINCERITY:being sincere shows that you are an honest person to clients, co-workers and yourself. when you make commitments, follow through, it shows people that they can count on you.  be consistent with what you say from day to day.

PERSISTENCE: always put customer satisfaction first, even when the salon/spa is stressful.always up-sell products at your salon/spa, rebook the client, and additional services, even if they have declined in the past. sometimes it just takes a few tries to get a client to say yes. don’t let small mistakes break you in a day, become as resilient as possible.

EMOTIONAL BALANCE:do not make impulsive decisions, instead be calm when dealing with a situation. always think before you act. have a healthy mind and a healthy body. always be respectful, polite, and appropriate in the workplace.

CONSIDERATION: always be considerate of clients ad co-workers. be willing to be flexible.

TRUSTWORTHY: handles money, hours, equipment and pressure in an honest manner, and inform management of issues that need to be resolved. 

Respect is such an important aspect in having a successful career; respect for your co-workers, bosses, clients, and most importantly, yourself. once you can learn to respect yourself, you will have no trouble opening up and respecting other people. having self respect shows that you are confident, capable and and positive. 

people who build self respect tend to: 

• feel better about themselves, others and life in general
• seek out other positive people
• resist negative influences and steer clear if these who are stuck in negativity
• expect, accept and embrace change
• make the best of the positives in people and situations

mutual respect i the respect you have between you and another person. to gain their respect, you have to earn it. i think that in order to gain someone else’s respect you have to prove to them that you have earned, in ways such as being accountable, friendly, and open. 4 ways you can demonstrate respect at work are:

1. be courteous
2. be considerate
3. be sensitive
4. be interested

self esteem, trust and integrity are  steps toward gaining full respect fro your peers and clients.