laurakate
Well-Known Member
Heya people 
I was just reading over some of my old blogs and it reminded me of how hard it was to find work in industry after finishing college so I just wanted to share some tips with you all
*Work experience is valuable. It may not result in a paid job but it is something to put on your CV that will support any future job applications. Even if you're just answering the phone in a salon, it's still something.
*Don't be afraid to move to a totally different part of the country. This is something that helped me because different areas have different opportunities; some areas are saturated with salons that come and go at a rapid rate and other areas have a good range of spas.
*Spas. That's my next point. Look for work in spas rather than salons. They are less reluctant to take newly qualified therapists because even you make a mistake it doesn't cost them personally (whereas in a salon, if you make a mistake, it can hit your employers pocket directly whereas spas are so massive that they are generally less anxious about a newly qualified making a mistake for e.g massage pressure too light). Also, spas are stupidly hard work so a more experienced therapist might not be mad enough to do it anyway lol! I wanted to work in a salon after college but it was the spa route that opened doors for me and others that I know
*Be honest about what treatments you can do. A lot of bigger places such as spas don't pressure you to do everything because they can ask someone else. Just be sure you can do a good massage
*Generally, the bigger the company you work for, the better chance you have of being paid properly because they have a human resources department. Don't ever feel that you have to accept a job where they pay you cash in hand out of the till. It's illegal and you really don't want to work for someone who treats you this way. It's the same with interviews. Don't be afraid to walk out if something doesn't feel right because there are some jokers out there who will call it an interview but have you working for free. Don't put up with it.
*Keep learning. Ideally, look for an employer that isn't reluctant to put you on product training courses. Or, if your first employer is a bit tight when it comes to product training, if it means a lot to you, don't be afraid to self fund some courses. I did this in my first job and I'm feeling that it helped me to improve for when it came to finding my second job in industry.
*Apply to somewhere even if there are no vacancies. The good places keep CVs on file. Always include a covering letter.
*Don't let anyone tell you that you're not good at what you do. The last salon owner to tell me this wasn't a beauty therapist herself so there you go lol!
That's about it for now off the top of my head. I could say more but it's probably a bit opinionated and specific to the places I've worked so far. Hope this helps guys and best of luck
I was just reading over some of my old blogs and it reminded me of how hard it was to find work in industry after finishing college so I just wanted to share some tips with you all
*Work experience is valuable. It may not result in a paid job but it is something to put on your CV that will support any future job applications. Even if you're just answering the phone in a salon, it's still something.
*Don't be afraid to move to a totally different part of the country. This is something that helped me because different areas have different opportunities; some areas are saturated with salons that come and go at a rapid rate and other areas have a good range of spas.
*Spas. That's my next point. Look for work in spas rather than salons. They are less reluctant to take newly qualified therapists because even you make a mistake it doesn't cost them personally (whereas in a salon, if you make a mistake, it can hit your employers pocket directly whereas spas are so massive that they are generally less anxious about a newly qualified making a mistake for e.g massage pressure too light). Also, spas are stupidly hard work so a more experienced therapist might not be mad enough to do it anyway lol! I wanted to work in a salon after college but it was the spa route that opened doors for me and others that I know
*Be honest about what treatments you can do. A lot of bigger places such as spas don't pressure you to do everything because they can ask someone else. Just be sure you can do a good massage
*Generally, the bigger the company you work for, the better chance you have of being paid properly because they have a human resources department. Don't ever feel that you have to accept a job where they pay you cash in hand out of the till. It's illegal and you really don't want to work for someone who treats you this way. It's the same with interviews. Don't be afraid to walk out if something doesn't feel right because there are some jokers out there who will call it an interview but have you working for free. Don't put up with it.
*Keep learning. Ideally, look for an employer that isn't reluctant to put you on product training courses. Or, if your first employer is a bit tight when it comes to product training, if it means a lot to you, don't be afraid to self fund some courses. I did this in my first job and I'm feeling that it helped me to improve for when it came to finding my second job in industry.
*Apply to somewhere even if there are no vacancies. The good places keep CVs on file. Always include a covering letter.
*Don't let anyone tell you that you're not good at what you do. The last salon owner to tell me this wasn't a beauty therapist herself so there you go lol!
That's about it for now off the top of my head. I could say more but it's probably a bit opinionated and specific to the places I've worked so far. Hope this helps guys and best of luck
