The Beauty and Hairdressing Industry: What You Need to Know
So you have decided that you would like to extend your skills of make-up application, nail technology, and self-pampering into the proffesional beauty and hairdressing industry. But what exactly does this entail?
However, when it comes to the beauty industry, it turns out there is a lot more involved than beauty products and hair cutting.
What You Need to Know About a Career in Beauty Therapy
The number of Australian Beauty Therapists working is expected to increase by 28.5% by 2019
A beauty therapist is someone that employs a range of beauty services in order to give a customer their desired appearance, to make them look and feel good. You will need to be a make-up artist, nail technician and hair stylist all at once. A job in a beauty salon could also progress into one of a salon manager, or salon assistant.
Of Beauty Therapists have gained a qualification at a Certificate III level or above
Skills needed in the industry
Service Orientation
Active Learning
Critical Thinking
Speaking
Active Listening
A Career as a Hairdresser
The number of Hairdressers working in Australia is expected to increase by 9.4% by 2019
A hairdresser or barber needs to not only have the practical skills in order to have a successful career in a hairdressing salon but also great face to face communication skills, and the ability to listen to a customer.
of Hairdressers have gained a qualification at a Year 12 level or above
Skills needed in the industry
Speaking
Service Orientation
Critical Thinking
Active Listening
Active Learning
How to survive and standout in the Industries
Building your network
A piece of career advice that almost any successful businessman or entrepreneur will offer you upon asked, is that connections are everything. Turns out that the beauty industry is no exception. Expanding your social network throughout the industry, can help you land jobs and build your own knowledge of the way things work. For example, if you are a hair stylist, it would be a good idea for you to make friends and business connections with let’s say a makeup artist. If they have a client that is in need of a hair stylist, they very well may recommend you for the job.
When you are starting out, take any job you can get
Fact is, that starting a career isn’t a ‘fresh new beginning’ as many people make it out to be. It’s undeniable that, especially in a career where there are so many talented individuals fighting for jobs, you will need to take any job you can get. However, once you have established yourself in the industry, you do get the privilege to be a bit more picky about the jobs and clients you take on.
Be original
If you are a salon owner and a customer spots your shop, you want it to have something about it that sets your business apart from the others like it. This is where originality comes into play, and its the same throughout all areas of the industry. Whether you are establishing yourself as a barber in Queensland or a nail technician in Brisbane, you need to have a sense of individuality about yourself and the skill set you offer, that draws people in. Basically, you need that oomph factor that makes people go ‘wow’!
Social media
With the rise of social media, it is extremely easy to not only make connections, as I previously mentioned but to expand your potential audience. Instagram is a great option, with photos and videos by young hair stylists and makeup artists going viral every day. It’s a great free way to spread your business and skills. Also, if you gain real popularity on social media, you could even end up making it your job, with some social media beauty stars charging around 5 thousand dollars per Instagram post.