Beautician Interview Preparation Guide

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I rarely have difficult clients! When I do, honesty is the key to working it out. If someone doesn't like what I've done, I ask them to tell me what didn't work. On occasion, when someone has been repeatedly unhappy, I've told them that I obviously can't give them what they want, and recommend another stylist. But the response is always, "Oh, it's not you!" Usually those people are just unhappy with their hair -- they hate the wave or straightness, not what I did. I think, generally, that it works to troubleshoot problems together, and I think of it as a positive thing. I also always welcome my clients to come back at the end of the day if they're not happy with the style or have any challenges.

At this point, I have a following -- a clientele that has developed over the years. But for new cosmetologists or stylists, it's all about advertising. A business card is really important. I always carry cards with me, and especially when I was just getting started, I would hand out my cards to friends and new acquaintances and encourage them to come see me. Then there are little rules, like always schedule the next appointment while the client is still there. It helps build consistency and develops your client base.

The thing that can tire me the most is living on a schedule, with cuts every half hour. Everyone is busy, and time is important, so I work hard to stay on schedule and be punctual. That's the most draining part of the job, and the only part that can be stressful for me.

Some stylists don't take breaks, but I do. I'm fresher and a better stylist if I give myself short breaks throughout the day. I don't like running late, and I'm particular about staying punctual, so I build my breaks into my schedule.

I dislike the unsociable hours, commuting between clients and having to lug all my heavy kit everywhere!

I love to make people beautiful. And I love my clients. I enjoy being social with them, and being creative in my work.

I would have liked to have been an interior designer.

Magazines, trends, from your Manager/Company.

You need to be sociable, organised and definitely not squeamish! This job isn't as glamorous as you might think. You also have to have lots of tact and empathy - sometimes you feel like a psychiatrist!

Remember that salon's do late nights sometimes and always work on a Saturday. It's not a straight 9-5 job.

My advice would be to go for it but to expect to work long hours for little money, at least to begin with. Always work in a salon before you go out on your own to gain valuable experience.

Obviously you need to be answering that you feel you can make people feel and look good as one of your points.

A typical work day for me involves driving to client's houses and personally doing a variety of treatments, from nails to waxing, massage to make-up.

I came here from Maine to go to school at Whitman's Academy of Hair Design. When I finished, I went back to work in a salon in the little town I grew up in. That job didn't give me the excitement and creativity that I needed, though, so I scheduled a couple of interviews at salons in Brattleboro. I was at Whitman's salon, getting a haircut from a friend so that I would look beautiful for my interviews. The owner, who was my former teacher, overheard that I was looking for a job, came over to me and said, "Hey, why don't you come work for me?" So I did.

I had to do 2 years at college, obtaining a NVQ level 3 qualification.

What is your routine? Remember to make someone else feel good you need to feel and look good too.

Boy, that's a toughie, isn't it? It would be really easy to stammer through a stupid answer in an interview. What they are really asking you is "Why is it in our best interest to have you working for us?" So tell them. An interview is no place to be shy. Tell them How you will be an asset to the salon.

Example: Because I have a strong work ethic, I'm great at time management, I understand the importance of superior customer service and I am willing to do everything I can to help the salon and myself grow.

And if you are really ballsey say "Because I will exceed your expectations!"

I think that partly depends on whether one wants to work for a large or small salon. In larger salons, it's more common to specialize -- sometimes clients may get color processing from one stylist, a cut from another, and a style from even another! Even if a cosmetologist want to work in a smaller salon, it's a good idea to choose a specialty early, because they get established in what you do. It's hard to go from hair to nails to waxing, for example, and to be considered an expert in all of those.

Being a team player in a salon is a strength. Everyone is there to make money, for themselves and for the salon. It takes a village. If you are highly self absorbed by nature start working on that issue. You will need help in a salon and you will be called upon to help others. So if this question is asked and you are NOT a team player, meaning you prefer to work alone, fake it.

I'm not saying lie to the interviewer but you need them to know you ARE a team player. Saying you prefer to work alone in a salon environment will disqualify you. So YES, you are a team player, and you will consciously work on it in the salon. Think of a time when you worked as a team on any project. Write it in your notebook with an example of how you helped the team, just in case you are asked for one. Your beauty career will mostly be a team sport.

Oh, this is a tricky one. It's a setup. It is very easy to fall into this snare. People just wait for an opening to vent. But you now know ahead of time NOT TO DO THIS.

Instead of coming back with, "OH, I really hated my boss. He was such a pig!" you want to go to a task that is harmless to what you are trying to achieve. If you worked at Starbucks you had to clean, you had very busy times, it could be stressful, people complained, you may have had a bad co-worker, etc. But if you point any of this out in your interview it will look like a negative for YOU.

Electrolysis is the only medically approved form of permanent hair removal. Electrolysists should have NVQ Level 3 in Electrical Epilation, BTEC National Diploma with Epilation or BTEC Higher National Diploma with Epilation.

At the beginning, you're always really nervous, although for me, it was more excitement than anything. I generally felt comfortable and confident because of the education I had. I felt that I could do it, and always knew that I could ask senior employees for advice. That's important -- being able to get help when they need it. I was always comfortable asking questions and finding the answers.

My advice would be to be punctual, always come to work ready to go, and when someone walks in, be ready and willing to give them a haircut, and not grumble about wanting a cigarette break! For at least the first three months after I started working, anytime a senior stylist needed help, I would jump in. I always kept busy, always introduced myself as a new stylist, and just tried to get my name out there. Stylists should make sure they advertise who are.
As for what I wish I knew now, I've never done hair extensions, and that would be neat to look into. I wish I knew even more about color, but I try to keep myself educated. At this salon, we get education classes about once a month, and also do a New York hair show, where we sit in classes in coloring and cutting. That always makes cosmtologists realize how much they know, and boosts their confidence. If you can learn one new little trick or technique or idea, it's been a good day.

Although this wasn't exactly a childhood dream, it was something that I fancied doing from my late teens. I finally trained at the age of 25 - you can start at any time!

Beauty therapists offer the same treatments as beauticians, plus specialist body treatments including body massage, electrical treatments as well as exercise and dietary control. NVQ/SVQ Level 3 qualifies an individual as a beauty therapist and learning typically lasts between 500 hours to two years.