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The Cosmetology State Board Exam - You Passed! What's Next?

Cosmetology Career Advancement after you pass the state boards

Now that you have your certification and license, are you wondering what comes next? There’s a lot out there for you to know, and we’ve got it all right here.

Cosmetology is a 20 billion dollar industry annually. Even in the face of hard times, people still spend money of cosmetic produces like hair coloring.

Interesting Cosmetology Stats

  • There are currently over 810,000 people employed as a hair stylist or barber in the United States.
  • 44.5% of those in the industry consider themselves to be self-employed.
  • Skin care accounts for 45% of product sales in the cosmetic industry.
  • Hair design, nail technology, esthetics, and makeup are the top most desirable careers in the beauty industry.
  • You’re entering a 20 billion dollar per year industry that includes many different types of cosmetology careers.

Advice About a Cosmetology Career

If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads. Anatole France

Especially in the beginning, your career will grow as much as you are interactive and proactive. After you complete the cosmetology exam, it’s going to be up to you to develop your clientele base and expand it. You can read some expert advice, and follow some of these tips toward a fruitfully successful cosmetology career.

  • Keep growing your online portfolio. You may have started one while you were in school. Don’t neglect it; this is a major component for showing others what you’re capable of. Plus, it’s cool to be able to measure your progress along the way.
  • Find a mentor. Work alongside that person as his or her assistant. The skills you can pick up that way, from techniques to customer relations, are priceless!
  • Don’t stop learning. New trends are constant, especially because of social media. Learn as much as you can about how to do all the latest trends.
  • Practice makes perfect. Practice on everyone. It helps to refine and advance your skills, keeping you up-to-date.
  • Market yourself. If you don't market your skills and services, you'll never get clients, especially if you're operating independently. Creating business cards, running ads, and attending events where you can market your services are just a few of the ways you can get the word out.
  • Upselling is okay. By suggesting additional products and services to your clients, you can bring them confidence, joy and greater satisfaction with your services.
  • Keep a client dossier. Send them cards for special occasions, maybe with a discount coupon as a gift, or a free service. Make them feel special and important. It’s those little extras that create customer loyalty.
  • Do some good. Donate your services for fundraisers, events, or charity. There’s nothing more beautiful than helping someone who has faced cancer or a tough situation feel special and put together.

Cosmetologists And Social Media

What is interesting is the power and the impact of social media... So we must try to use social media in a good way. Malala Yousafzai

There are many opportunities for cosmetologists to promote themselves on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram.

Why you need social media:

  • Show off your skills
  • Engage with your clients
  • Capture the attention of potential new clients

How To Use Facebook: Facebook is a great social platform for businesses, and it's important that you have a presence there.

  • Create a Facebook business page. It’s free and easy to set up. Use your own name and create the page as a local business.
  • Once you have your page set up, create a few posts first so that once you start inviting people to it, they’ll have something to see.
  • Here you can announce where you’ll be working, your hours, your openings, and anything else relating to your business. Always stay professional on your business pages.

How To Use Instagram: Instagram is highly visual and is a great asset to cosmetologists; however, you need to know how to properly use this tool to benefit your career growth.

  • Participate in large and small hashtags, especially hashtags that relate to your area. It’s easy to find relevant hashtags using Instagram’s search tool.
  • Always take a picture and post your best work, appropriately hash-tagging in the first comment.
  • Do product feature posts giving away a couple of your “trade secrets”; it establishes trust.
  • Respond to comments. It helps you develop a relationship with clients both old and new.
  • Do an Insta-promotion. For example: New clients receive a particular discount or additional service for mentioning they followed you on Instagram.

YouTube is perfect for video content like tutorials and product reviews, which can also be shared directly to Facebook.

You may even want to start your own blog where you can put tutorials and all things career related. There are a couple different free platforms—Wordpress and Blogger. Also, don’t discredit Twitter. Like Instagram, it can be a great place to connect with all the brands you love.

Finding a Cosmetology Job

After you’ve graduated from your cosmetology school and passed the exam, you’re ready to go out into the world and change lives, one service at a time. In reality, finding a job in your chosen profession is no different for any type of career. You have to have an idea about what you’re looking for, what it is you have to offer, and what part of the industry you want to focus on. Aside from tidying up your resume and perfecting your portfolio, there are a few other things that can help you.

  • Job placement: Many beauty schools offer job placement services. Utilize them, that’s what they are there for.
  • Apply yourself: There are salons on every street corner. Visit them, take a look around, and notice whether or not you could see yourself working there. If yes, then fill out an application.
  • The Internet: Websites such as Indeed.com, LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, and Craigslist have extensive job postings. It’s not a bad idea to spend some time checking those out.
  • Network: Find out about local networking events and attend them. Dress professionally and have your business cards with you!
  • Make a list: Once you’ve done your due diligence, researching all the salons in the area you want to work at, make a list of the ones you are applying to. It’s just easier when you’re organized.
  • Rent or buy: Decide if you want to rent a chair or if you want to be a full-on employee. Salons all do it differently, and you should know before you go.
  • Your digital footprint: It’s a well-known fact that employers Google search their prospective employees. You want to have your online presence as clean and professional as possible.
  • The interview: Once you’ve gotten interviews lined up, make sure you’re prepared with your resume, portfolio, a professional outfit, and a dazzling smile that exudes confidence!

Skills Beauty Salons Look For

You could be the greatest hair stylist since Vidal Sassoon, but if you’re lacking in other key qualities, you may have a difficult time landing a chair in any salon. There are certain aspects that salon owners look for in their stylists, beyond what you learned in school. There will be a lot of competition for the available jobs, especially in the more popular salons. Knowing what the hiring personnel are looking for can help give you a leg up.

  • People person: This is an important quality because you’ll be working with people, and on people, all day long.
  • Problem solver: Stuff happens: color crises, haphazard haircuts, and so many other potential cosmetologist catastrophes. Are you a quick thinker capable of thinking on your feet to resolve an issue?
  • Direction follower: Salons look for people who can follow the direction a client wants to go and deliver the results they expect.
  • Values: Salons are going to want to make sure that your values align with their core identity, so when you’re going through your list, it’s important to research their online sites as well as visit the physical store to see if it’s a good match for you.

Continuing Your Cosmetologist Education

To be a great champion, you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are. Muhammad Ali

There are really no set-in-stone continuing education rules for cosmetology; each state has its own rules. However, trends change more rapidly now, and to keep up with them, you’ll need to keep learning new techniques.

It’s so important, if you want to be a successful cosmetologist, to know how to do all the things your clientele are finding on social channels and blogs. By not learning the newest trends, you could miss out on delivering new, in-demand services to your clients. In addition, you need to stay updated on sanitation, client satisfaction, and safety standards.

Continuing education doesn’t necessarily mean going back to school. It also means watching YouTube videos, attending seminars, working with mentors, and attending workshops. Do anything and everything you can to stay up to date with the constantly changing trends, as well as perfecting your already established skills. If you know how to do pretty much everything, you make yourself exceptionally marketable, as well as desirable, to clients.

Cosmetologists Think Outside the Box

There are some different and unusual paths you can go down when you have your cosmetology license and some related experience. Maybe you don’t love the idea of being restricted to a salon, or perhaps you feel there is something that lies beyond, which you just aren’t aware of at the moment. With your cosmetology certificate, you can become a fashion stylist, artistic director, beauty writer, mortuary makeup artist, special effects makeup artist, and so much more. You may even come up with your own outside-the-box cosmetic career!

You can also choose to specialize in areas like color, nail artistry, skincare, and many other areas of cos. If you can dream it, you can do it!

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