Congratulations! 🥳 You just passed the state boards - now what?!
As a stylist this is one of the most exciting and intimidating transitions you'll make. Now that you've passed the boards you're ready to get to work, but what does that really mean? In this episode we'll talk about everything from what salon owners look for on a resume to what kind of salons are hiring stylists salons are hiring straight out of school. (This answer might surpirse you!)
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Congratulations! 🥳 You just passed the state boards - now what?!
As a stylist this is one of the most exciting and intimidating transitions you'll make. Now that you've passed the boards you're ready to get to work, but what does that really mean? In this episode we'll talk about everything from what salon owners look for on a resume to what kind of salons are hiring stylists salons are hiring straight out of school. (This answer might surpirse you!)
Can I ask you a favor? If you enjoy the show, will you follow us and leave a 5 star review? This helps our show move up in the charts to help more stylists. Thank you!
Welcome to the Aspiring Stylists Podcast with Tracey Franklin. Where to begin, grow and aspire to become the best stylist you can be. Whether you're thinking about becoming a stylist opening a salon, or developing your skills as an experienced stylist the next step of your beauty career starts here. Each week we'll discuss strategic ways to design, plan and execute on becoming a stylist that excels behind the chair and above the bottom line. Here's your host, Tracey Franklin.
Tracey Franklin:
So you've completed all of your hours, and in Tennessee, that's 1500 hours. And you've received a passing grade on all your work and all your tests. And it's time to schedule your state board exam. So there will be a theory portion, you know, questions to answer the written portion. And then there's a practical portion where you actually perform your services on a mannequin in front of an examiner. When I took my exam, both were taken in person, and on the same day, it was a really stressful day and the whole thing took three to four hours. Well, now they've split it up and you can take your theory portion first, and you can take it online now. And once you pass that they will schedule your in person practical portion of your exam. Once you pass your state boards, you are able to begin your work behind the chair. But that doesn't necessarily mean you should and we'll get to that in a minute. So can you start working behind the chair from the moment you pass your state boards? Well, if a stylist has passed their exam, they will receive proof of their passing grade that day and they are legally clear to begin their work in a licensed salon. I encourage students to shadow or be part of an apprenticeship program at Aspire Once a student has 1000 hours they are encouraged to choose their top three salons or barber shops and schedule their shadow days. They will receive credit for those hours. This gives them a chance to see firsthand how salons operate how the team interacts with clients and each other. Are they welcoming and helpful? Was there actual instruction in the work or were you just watching them perform services. If you're going to put the time into an apprenticeship program, make sure that it's one that will actually help you grow. A good program isn't just about sweeping hair and washing color bowls. That's part of it. But every day should hold lots of real world experience and lessons behind the chair. Cleaning up after your mentor is a small price to pay for a front seat into their world and what has made them so successful. I suggest students have a job lined up before they pass their state boards, especially if you're going into a salon with an apprenticeship program. When I'm interviewing apprentices, I'm not really looking at their current skill set, I can teach them all of that I'm looking for how they present themselves and what energy they bring to the interview and what their goals and aspirations are concerning their future. I'm always very impressed by applicants that are putting the effort into finding their salon home before they even graduate. It shows drive and motivation and I'm attracted to that. Now that's not to say you have to some students prefer to focus on one thing at a time and put all their energy into studying for the exam and that's okay too. So we're salons even looking for brand new stylist. I think most salons are willing to hire a brand new stylist especially now where new hires are more and more scarce. With the rise of independent stylists, the need for stylists and a commission based salon is growing every day. So what about luxury salons? Are you going to land a job in a luxury salon as a stylist that just passed your boards? Well, luxury salons have high standards and will not put a new hire on the floor without training. The depth and duration of that training varies but as a luxury salon owner, I have to think of the salons reputation and the reputation of all my stylists that have worked really hard to establish themselves. And unsatisfied client doesn't just speak poorly of a particular stylist the whole salon takes the hit. No one is perfect and mistakes are a great learning tool. But for the reputation of the salon. Those have to be minimized. And that starts with a solid training program. Should you be working on your skills even after you've passed the state board? Well, that's a great time to work on efficiency in school you are encouraged to take your time and really focus on getting it and understanding the technique. Well in the salon Time is money. So it's important that you work on your speed of course without sacrificing quality, but the time still matters. What about equipment? I mean, should you go out and buy a bunch of equipment after you pass your state boards? Well start with a great pair of shears. A great pair of shears is a must. mannequin here is really hard on shoes. Here's so a shiny new pair of shears could make a great graduation gift. Other than that, you need to find out what your perspective salon requires and what they provide before spending a bunch of money on tools you may not even need. So once you pass your state boards, you will get your barbers license or your cosmetology license. But if you're going independent, you're going to need to make sure you get a business license as well. And yes, an accountant is a great person to add, especially if you don't understand how the numbers work and where they're going to go. Otherwise, the salon that you're going to work for is probably going to be responsible for your shop licensing your taxes and your insurance. Let's talk about resumes. I won't lie, a pretty resume always catches my eye. I mean, we are in the esthetics business. So your resume should reflect that and look really well done. I don't need to know about every fast food job you've ever had. But I am looking for your most recent job history. And depending on your age that can look like the last four or five years that is more than sufficient. I'm far more interested in your GPA as a student and any additional certifications that you might have received that are relevant to this industry. So what shouldn't be on it? Again, depending on your age, I'm not really interested in part time jobs you had in high school or that you were in a sorority in college, try to keep it relevant to the most recent events and your beauty school accolades. What other things were you able to accomplish in school? Did you get certified and other services that maybe salons aren't used to students coming out of school with that would be a great and impressive thing to add to your resume? How long does it take for a student to secure a full time job as a stylist? Well, that's completely up to them. If they are motivated to reach out to salon owners for shadow days and interviews while they're still in school, then they can have a job lined up before they even graduate. A lot of work goes into our apprenticeship program. So we really like to focus on one apprentice at a time, I like to stay ahead of the game and have my next candidate lined up so that I can plan ahead and give them a projected start date. Again, some students want to focus on school and the state boards before the search begins. And that is totally fine. I am however leery of those who have long gaps between graduation, the exam and the job search to me it shows a real lack of initiative, someone that's excited about their future won't wait months to set their career in motion. So what about portfolios should stylist have a portfolio? Well, I like to see a variety of services and a new stylist portfolio. During the building phase of your career, you're going to be performing a lot of different services, maybe not services that you want to provide a ton of, but you're still going to be taking whatever walks in the door as a new stylist. So I like to see a variety of your work, our portfolios even still relevant. Well, it's been a while since an applicant has rolled in with one of those three ring binders of laminated pictures of their work. Everything kind of lives on our devices now. So an online portfolio is much more common. I think it's incredibly important to document and share your work. I know it's kind of hard in the beginning to believe that your work is good enough to post. We see all these gorgeous photos that seasoned stylists are posting and we think our work can't possibly compare. But they were at some point exactly where you are. And they wouldn't be where they are today. If they would have let fear or comparison hold them back. Don't compare your beginning with someone else's middle, be you and do your thing. I promise you're going to enjoy looking back at some point at pictures of your earlier work and celebrating how much you've grown. I think all stylists should have a professional Instagram before they even take their skateboards while they're still in school. I think they should start a professional Instagram immediately. Your friends and family are going to be so excited for you and they want to be part of your journey. Cute videos of your first day of school or some of your early mannequin work are great examples of what some of your first posts can look like. The idea is to create a following and you will need to keep them engaged with regular content. All of those perfectly curated pictures will come later. For now. Let them into your world and let them see what your days look like in beauty school. You never know who you will inspire to take the leap into this industry for themselves. So what if a stylist doesn't even have a professional Instagram or social media account when they're looking for jobs? Well, I won't hire a new stylist that doesn't have an Instagram account. I'm sorry, but this is just too important to our industry now and it's going to take way too much work on the back end to get them started if they're starting with nothing. If you use your personal account for your professional posts, that's totally okay. Just make sure your handle makes you Easy to find. If you do use your personal account for professional posts, make sure you're not posting anything that you wouldn't want a salon owner or a potential client to see. The things that you need to be working on before you take your state boards is get those shadow days and interview scheduled. Be actively working toward finding your place your tribe, and then keep practicing any techniques. You're still struggling with practice, practice, practice, and you will keep improving so that when those clients finally get to sit in your chair, you are ready.
Morgan Franklin:
Thank you for joining us on this episode of anytime soon. The Aspiring Stylist Podcast with Tracey Franklin. If you enjoyed listening and you want to hear more, make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify or wherever you find your podcasts. The Aspiring Stylist Podcast with Tracey Franklin is a Morgan Franklin Production. Today's episode was written and produced by Morgan Franklin editing and post-production by Mike Franklin. Want to find out more about Tracey and the Aspiring Barber and Beauty Academy go to aspirebarberandbeauty.com