Cosmetologist

Briefly explain what you do for a living. 

I have trained as a cosmetologist. I offer beauty care services, such as facial and foot care, sugaring and lash and eyebrow treatments. Skincare is my special area of expertise. I also work as an entrepreneur, which means that I spend part of my working week performing the administrative tasks typical to entrepreneurs.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice? 

Ever since I was young, I have been interested in aesthetics. I read a lot of teen magazines that had tips on beauty care. When I was a teenager, my mother took me to see a cosmetologist. That was when I first realised that I was interested in the beauty industry.

However, I continued my studies in upper secondary school, and after upper secondary school, I completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After graduation, I had an office job for a while, but quickly I felt that instead of staring at the screen, I would rather do something with my hands. I decided to study to become a cosmetologist, and I have not regretted my decision. My bachelor’s degree in business administration has given me lots of tools for entrepreneurship.

Describe your typical working day or week. 

A typical working week consists of four days at the beauty salon and one office day. At the beauty salon, I serve customers by appointment. I aim to structure my work days so that I have a couple of longer treatment appointments and a few shorter ones in between. A longer treatment usually means a facial, while the shorter appointments include sugaring or lash and eyebrow shaping and tinting. I usually have an office day every Tuesday. During the office days, I place orders for products, send invoices and communicate on social media.

My working weeks are about to change in the near future as I will switch from running my own beauty salon to being a contract entrepreneur. As a contract entrepreneur, I will have more time to focus on my work and customer service as the establishment will be responsible for administrative matters. I will also have time to develop my competence.

What kind of work environment or working hours do you have? 

I serve customers at the beauty salon and do office work at home. I work on weekdays and aim to do all my work between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on three days. On the remaining two days, I offer treatments in the evenings as not all my customers are able to see me during the day.

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession? 

Customer service skills are the most important thing. Encountering customers requires skill; you have to pay attention to the other person’s feelings and mood. There seems to be less time for face-to-face encounters these days, and an appointment booked with a cosmetologist may be the customer’s only physical encounter on that day.

You also need problem-solving skills, as customers may sometimes have a lot of wishes and expectations for their treatments. As a cosmetologist, my job is to present the best possible solutions and explain what the treatments can realistically achieve.

What is the best thing about your profession? 

Customers are the best part of my profession. Our joint encounters and the results they produce, such as good condition of the skin. In my profession as a cosmetologist, I am also fascinated by aesthetics, the development of the field and new products, which I get my hands on from time to time.

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging? 

The most difficult thing in the profession is setting your own limits. Sometimes you have to dare to say no. This can be surprisingly difficult if you are an empathetic person. During the treatments, the customers often share serious stories about their private lives. You must not dwell on them.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of a cosmetologist? 

I recommend taking care of your coping and making sure that your work is profitable. As most cosmetologists work as entrepreneurs, you should acquire some business expertise to make it easier to price your services. You should not become a cosmetologist just because it is fun. The company must make enough profits that you will be able to earn a living. You should also strengthen your competence in addition to your vocational qualification in cosmetology. You can stand out from the rest with your special expertise, and your customers can tell when you are passionate about what you are doing.

Social media and online shopping are part of today’s business. Those who know how to highlight their expertise and make additional sales seem to be the most successful in this industry. It is worth thinking about your main areas of expertise and any work you should outsource.

How do you see the future of your profession? 

I believe that physical presence will become even more important in the future. This also opens up new opportunities. In addition to providing beauty care, a cosmetologist is a professional in encounters and physical presence. I have been thinking about how to make use of this competence in the future. I am currently training to become a death doula, a person whose job is to spend the final moments with a dying person and/or their loved ones. This is one example of how you can cultivate your competence in the future as the population is ageing and loneliness is increasing.