Even if you’ve recently graduated from the best cosmetology school, your education as a hair stylist isn’t over. In fact, it’s just beginning.
Being a stylist is much more involved than many consumers realize. You work with chemicals, perform precision cuts when executing the newest trends, maintain a busy calendar, and interact with clients and coworkers all day. Put simply, you wear many hats as a stylist even when you don’t own your own salon.
To fulfill all of the responsibilities you have every day, you’ll need to continue learning throughout your career.
Learning From Your Peers
When it comes to continuing your education, one of the best resources you can tap is your coworkers. Depending on where you work, the stylists sharing the floor with you may have a collective wealth of knowledge that’s been accumulated over decades of practical experience in the craft you’re trying to master.
By its very nature, hair styling is a business that rests on communication. Successful stylists often look forward to interacting with their clients and coworkers every day, and they’re eager to share their experiences with a willing audience. With this in mind, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask established stylists for tips and advice about how you can improve and advance your skills.
As you solicit input from your more experienced coworkers, here are some tips you’ll probably hear from stylists whose books are always full:
- Consider Styling Hair a Career: When you graduate from cosmetology school and accept a position at a salon, you’re not accepting a job. Instead, you’re embarking on a career — a lifelong pursuit of excellence in a highly competitive field. When you recognize this, it will provide even more motivation for you to learn at every opportunity.
- Practice: As a recent graduate, you’re probably eager to practice what you learned in school. However, you should never lose your enthusiasm for practicing your craft even as you gain experience. No matter how long you work as a hairdresser, you should continue to perfect your skills and pick up new techniques through practice.
Volunteering is one way you can practice your skills, learn about the salon business, establish your reputation, and gain clients. You can volunteer to help with photo shoots, runway shows, or even theatrical productions performed by local schools or performance troupes. When people notice your abilities and your willingness to lend a hand as you help out, they’ll send you clients and start hiring you for professional events in the future.
- Ask Questions: To learn from your established peers, you’ll need to ask them questions about how they do things and why they do them a certain way. If you’re curious about how one senior hairdresser mixes color or how they were able to make a tangled mess into a beautiful up-do, ask them.
Just like you shouldn’t be shy about asking other stylists for tips, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask your clients about the exact look they want you to achieve. The only way you can customize the service you provide is by knowing what your clients want. Asking your clients pointed questions is the most effective way to learn what they want and ensure they’ll be satisfied with the end result. When you take the time to consult with your clients, they’ll know you’re a serious, capable professional, and they’re in good hands.
- Take Advanced Education Classes: Advanced education classes are available for stylists at all levels of their careers. To be the best in your field, you should take advantage of these classes whenever it’s possible for you to do so. Whether you need class-hours to renew your license, want to master a new technique, or want to learn about running your own salon, you should continue your formal training throughout your career.
To continue your education, enroll in a course offered by StateCE today.