Join contributing writer Kylee Davis as we investigate the skills needed to be successful in this, and any industry.
Introduction
If you are studying to become a part of the beauty and barbering industry, chances are, you are passionate about making a real change to people’s lives. Beauty is much more than skin deep; it is intricately tied to your health and happiness. If you can make others more self-confident, then you are indeed fulfilling an important role. To shine in this field, in addition to learning theoretical and practical/technical aspects of beauty, you should also be aware of the importance of ‘soft skills’ such as teamwork or the ability to visualize positive transformation. These are five of the most important skills to aim for if you want to boost your chances of success in this industry.
Working as Part of a Team
Whether you are working on a film set, at a studio, or in a spa, you will form part of a team. Each member of which has their respective roles, goals, and procedures. Teamwork is a wide category that encompasses a variety of factors – learning how to solve personal conflicts, to supporting team members, for instance by seeing any mistakes they make as opportunities to improve the way work is completed.
Keep it Clean
Teamwork also means happily taking turns with tasks. Keeping your work area clean, for instance, is something all cosmetology team members should take part in. Although you may naturally take to working with guests or learning new techniques, you should also be willing to fulfill day to day tasks like cleaning and tidying up. A neat appearance will give your salon or spa a professional, hygienic look that top clients demand.
Color Matching
Whether you specialize in makeup or hair, getting your color matching right is vital to creating the right look. For instance, if you are an esthetician, you need to know the right palette to select depending on the client or occasion you work with. Your selection needs to represent the perfect blend between shade and light, and enable you to use different shades to complement, and contrast with, your main colors. You will also need to refresh yourself on basic color theory, particularly when creating a look such as camouflage makeup.
Continual Education in Beauty and Barbering
Top professionals need to be on the ball when it comes to new trends and techniques. You should also be aware of new tools that can enhance your client’s skin, nails, or hair. Take the skincare industry. You may specialize in facials, but if your client is unhappy about acne scarring, you should know about the best lasers (e.g. radiofrequency and resurfacing lasers) to recommend. These treatments will make a significant improvement to your client’s skin, even if you cannot perform them yourself. You should also be able to recommend useful yet gentle equipment to your clients. This can include suggested brands of ceramic irons, hot rollers, electronic facial cleaners, steamers, etc., which they can use to upkeep their skin, nails, or hair, between visits.
Managing Your Time
A barber, nail artist, or esthetician often has many tasks to carry out in one day. These include preparing materials, products, and ingredients for use with your clients, cleaning up after a treatment, and obtaining medical or other information. Or on the customer service side of things, dealing with clients and client complaints or charging clients for your services. Being on time for each appointment requires an estimation of time required by each task. You’ll need the ability to break down available time into set tasks to be completed during the day. The more you perform the same tasks, the less time they will take, meaning you can get more and more done in a day.
Creative Thinking
Creative thinking involves looking at issues from various perspectives, instead of being locked in one. There are many problems or situations that will require you to balance several factors before coming to a conclusion. Say your guest expects a service beyond what is contracted. If you are managing a spa or salon, you need to think very carefully before giving the guest an answer. On the one hand, it is important to perform the work contracted; on the other hand, lucrative clients can harm you if they take their business elsewhere. Each and every client will challenge you in different ways. The key is to rise above the obstacles in a calm, mindful, reasoned state of mind.
Problem Solving
Creative thinking – the ability to think up innovative solutions to everyday problems – is just one of many skills you need to make it as a cosmetologist. Working with hair, skin, and nails is ideal for sociable types. This career enables you to cross paths with a wide array of interesting people. However, ‘people jobs’ can also be more challenging, because each client is different. Maintaining their loyalty and interest requires a great deal of patience, creativity, and vision.