Hoarding the Clinic Floor: Building Confidence as an Esthetics Student

The first time you do a facial on a real live client in school might be one of the most exciting and frightening days of your life. I remember the first client I ever had, it was a man, not just a man, but a man with a serious case of acne. I was absolutely terrified. I decided to just breathe, go in there and introduce myself and pretend that I was confident despite being terrified. Of course, I survived and the man turned out to be super sweet.

After that day, I made sure to volunteer to take every client I could while I was in school. It didn't matter if it was a facial or a waxing; I wanted to get in there and build my confidence. Forcing yourself to jump in and work on all kinds of people is the best way to build confidence. You can't gain this hands on type of confidence by hiding when a certain type of client comes in, instead embrace and use it as valuable moment to build your esthetics confidence. Depending on your school you might not have a choice in the rotation schedule, some teachers will ask who wants to work on the next client, and some will have a rotation system in place.

In addition to taking clinic clients, consider (assuming your state allows this) offering your services for free to family & friends at your home or theirs. This will help you build your skill level, you will make mistakes, but since you are familiar with these people you won't be as intimidated by it.  Doing as many facials and waxings you can both in and out of school is a powerful way to build up your esthetics self-esteem. When you graduate you will be seasoned in esthetics, and ready for that new career.

Grace Riley author of JumpStart Your Esthetics Career: A Guide For Newly Licensed Estheticians

Transitioning Successfully from Esthetics Student to Esthetician

Many businesses use a newsletter to help drum up business, but you can use a newsletter while you are in school to start educating acquaintances. How will this help you when you don't have your license yet? Believe in the power of your education, when you learn new tips or exciting things in esthetics school pass it along. You can create a short and sweet newsletter on Publisher, it can be printed and mailed to friends, or you simply can use the Internet to send it out (make sure you include a disclaimer asking if they want to opt out from receiving your info.).

Why would anyone want a newsletter from an esthetics student? The better question is why wouldn't they want that information? Do you know of many estheticians that take the time to send out monthly newsletters with tips and information to help these people keep their skin young and fresh? There are probably some, but what about reaching the potential clients who have never seen an esthetician before? Is it possible that your newsletter full of tips and information might create a sense of trust with you, and a willingness to try a trip to you when you graduate?

You can choose to sit back and let the business come to you after you graduate, but one of the best times to start building your book of business is while you are in school. In many cases, people don't know that they want or need an esthetician, in fact, they don't know that estheticians can be helpful to their skin. Many think it is for the upper crust of society looking to be pampered, but people have skin issues that they don't know how to fix, and your newsletter might trigger their inner need to resolve those skin issues, and you will have a future client on your hands. Plan ahead, work at networking while you are in school and you might find the transition from esthetics school to esthetician a much easier feat.

Create Esthetics Buzz: Get Customers in the Door Before You Graduate!

It is never too early to get your esthetics career buzzing. While many of you might still be in esthetics school, it is the resourceful esthetician student who will start mapping out the road to success earlier in the game. All through your schooling you should network with family, friends and acquaintances. With social media there really is no reason not to use that to your advantage. You might be unsure of what you could possibly offer people when you are still in school, but think about the deep savings you can give to friends & family on facials and waxings. Think about your education, and use it to educate all of your acquaintances. Use social media to write daily tips; offer to do a make-up parties; and give away free facials for donations for a charity (check licensing requirements in your states-some states will allow this as long as you are not collecting money for yourself without a license). Create buzz before you even graduate, and you might have a loyal following before you can hang your license!

Esthetics Savy Career Advice

     A long time ago, when I took my first class in Human Resources, I had an astute female professor who must have been in her mid 70's at the time. The nature of this first class was an introductory overview of the field, but what I came away with from this class was far more valuable.
      Most of her tips transcend across most careers, but I find that many of her tips are invaluable to the esthetics field. Mostly because many schools don't prepare students for the real working environments of esthetics. At times it can be cut throat and in favor of the employer.
        Esthetics is a wonderful field, but the fact is not all employers are that wonderful. There are some great employers out there, but estheticians need to be prudent about managing their careers.
The number one thing my professor told us, and this is an important one, is TO SAVE AT LEAST 2 MONTH's SALARY--OK, you are probably gasping for air as many of us did back then--her purpose was to give you leverage as an employee, if you are totally broke and have exploding debt then it will be much harder to play hard ball with your employer. You can't demand what you want or deserve of your employer if you are in a rough financial position. Her point was to save so you have a cushion to prevent you from putting up with unethical employers. If you don't, you are at their will and cannot walk away until you find another position. I know, it sounds absurd to save this amount of money, but if you are young and live at home for a while, the amount you would have spent in rent money can go right into a financial nest egg for you. If you don't have that option, start off slowly by saving a little bit each month, cut out that cup of coffee or fast food lunch for a while until you get a little nest egg.
      Another tip she gave all of us is to keep networking and never think because you have a job that you shouldn't keep your foot into other businesses. Become friends with other employees of area spas or salons--do professional lunches with them. Don't ever bad mouth your current place of employment, but keep your options open with these influential relationships. Another way to network and meet industry people is to take continuing ed classes and keep in contact with some of the people you meet there. It is far easier to transcend into a new job through your network of contacts than it is to blindly send your resume to strangers.
     Finally, education and accomplishments is one of your greatest job security tactics. Again, this can cross career paths, but in esthetics it is extremely important to stay abreast of current trends. Take classes, fill your wall with certificates and make sure your employer knows that you are willing to take these courses on your own. Show motivation by signing up for classes without a push from your employer. Don't forget to update your resume with these new achievements so your resume is ready to print and send should you need to change jobs.
      

Guide to Successful a Successful Esthetics Business

       Jumping into booth rental (or opening your own spa) without a plan is asking to give money away. If you go into business for yourself, but you don't write a business plan you will likely fail quickly into your venture.
       It is exciting to start your own business, and no one wants to bring themselves down off that honeymoon stage of excitement, but the reality is that you must use business sense as much as you need your excitement to fuel your motivation to move forward.
       Plan your business out. You need to know the costs involved to get started: booth rent, insurance, products, equipment, advertising, supplies and branding.
       You need a budget before you even begin your venture. You need to go know what things cost and how you will afford those items. Will you take a personal loan from the bank? Will you borrow money from family? Or do you have money saved for this new business already? Will you use credit cards? Also, it is wise to seek the advice of a tax professional.
       Most businesses fail in the first year, not because their ideas were bad or they lacked the motivation it takes to successfully run a business, but because they did not map out their plan of success.

Filtering Through Esthetics Job Ads

    If you scan the online classifieds you might find several promising esthetics jobs despite the economy, but before you shoot off your perfectly polished resume make sure it is a legitimate esthetics job. I don't say this to rain on any one's parade, but unfortunately there are a lot of MLM (multi level marketing) companies out there that prey on new graduates. There are several companies that I see on the online classifieds frequently;week after week they say they are looking for estheticians, but in reality anyone can join their MLM--CLUE no# 1--no esthetics license required  CLUE #2--If you have to buy a business kit or any type of start up kit to be an esthetician with them, it is not a real job. CLUE # 3-If they want you to have a coming out party where you invite all of your family, friends and contacts steer clear. CLUE # 4 No estheticians friends or teachers have ever heard of the product line, not a good sign.

      I know so many of you recent graduates are struggling to find work in this economy, and when you see these wonderful ads that require no experience in the field, you might feel like you found the dream job. I know it is discouraging and down right annoying that these places advertise these great jobs, but in reality they are no different than selling plastic containers, kitchen gadgets, and other MLM products. If you are searching for a job to gain valuable esthetics experience, MLM's are not the way to go.
    Keep positive, the right job is out there for you.

***I am not against MLM's. However, this blog post is meant to help recent grads filter through the real estheticians jobs, and ones that are MLM. There is nothing wrong with MLM's if you like to do parties, but my whole purpose and presence on the blog is to help students and recent graduates in their careers.***

Making It Through Esthetics School

       A lot of students think esthetics is going to be easy; they can just party their way through it and the certificate is going to miraculously land in their laps!
   Sorry future estheticians this is not the case at all. While esthetics is not super hard and a lot of it is common sense, there are some topics covered in esthetics that require attention. Unless you have a photogenic memory then you will most likely have to study to pass the required tests. I don't care how smart you were in school, the fact is esthetics has a lot of terminology that you must retain.
   If your heart is in esthetics, you won't mind cracking the books to get you from your current status in life to your professional status as an esthetician. You can't achieve great results without putting in the work it requires to be great!
   While there might be times you find esthetics challenging don't give up if this is your true passion. If you love something enough, you will find a way to get through the material.

Can I Make Money in Esthetics?

     So many people post online that there is no money in esthetics. I don't know what that means exactly because every one's idea of money is different. There are so many varying degrees of estheticians, some work full-time jobs while others work a couple part-time esthetics jobs, and still others work one part-time esthetics job while working in another part-time career. In addition, each city has different pay scales for these jobs.
    Let's face it, we are in a dismal economy at best, and frankly many careers have taken a financial beating. Unfortunately, esthetics like many other industries is a luxury that many people just can't afford right now. If you have a choice between getting a luxury facial or paying the electricity you will probably opt to keep your lights on.
    This doesn't mean that people aren't getting facials, but we do have to be realistic at this point in our economy. Does it mean esthetics is a bad field to go into? Absolutely not? It depends on how much you love esthetics? I personally couldn't imagine a day without esthetics. I am obsessed with anything skin care related, but if you are just blah about the career well you might not want to take the risks. Any field we jump into has risks, there are the risks that we might not be good at; we might end up hating; and it might not make us a lot of money. Only you can decide if this field is right for you.
     As I tell my students who submit questions, esthetics doesn't have to be just solely be skin care. I know a lot of students who have gone on to get their CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) certificates; nursing degrees; writing degrees etc. to expand their esthetics abilities. They use these other certificates to hone into other marketable areas of esthetics: medical field, writing for magazines, teaching etc.

Can You Booth Rent Right Out of School?

     The wondeful thing about esthetics is you can do whatever your heart desires. You can work one full-time job in esthetics; work two or three part-time jobs; or you can open up your own spa. It is completely up to you. I get a lot of questions from recent graduates about the booth rent option, and here are my thoughts about it:
    Booth rent is a viable option for graduates depending on their fiscal circumstances. If you need a dependable salary booth rent is probably not the way to go right out of school. If you still live at home with your parents, or have a side job that will temporarily pay your bills while you build a book of business then booth rent is a good option.
    If you desperately want to start out on your own and you want to save money doing it, consider booth sharing with a massage therapist. Don't forget, no matter how big or small your venture may be, create a business plan to guide you through your new business.

Private Practice Esthetics: You Need a Business Plan

    It is fairly easy to find a place to booth rent and start your new esthetics business, but it is not so easy to run a successful business. New businesses open every day, and many of those businesses fail within the first year. If you are contemplating running a private practice esthetics business it is imperative that you create a business plan.
     You need a plan for direction; to help you determine your budget; and you can work out any quinks before you invest money into the business venture. Doing a business plan is an eye opener, and if you are applying for funding from a bank it is a necessity.
       Many people think they can and should open up a new business simply because they have the  passion and love for the career, but that will only take you so far. If you can't do a business plan on your own, go to a local business college and ask the business students to help you. It will give them experience, and you can probably get the services for free. Another great resource is the SBA (Small Business Association) these folks are wonderful volunteers, who help people seeking to open their own businesses follow a viable path.

Secret Ingredient to a Successful Esthetics Career

     This story comes from a friend of mine, she has defied all odds to follow her passion for esthetics. Let me tell you, when I first met Karen (name changed for privacy) her face was flaming red, full of acne; her confidence level was slim; and she struggled to get through the first chapters in the Milady book. Her future in the class looked bleak at best.
        Karen came to the class with severe learning disabilities. She had to read the chapters several times just to take a test where other students barely studied and passed the tests. She worked harder than anyone in the class. She got treatment for acne, and began using professional products. Towards the end of the program, to every one's surprise, Karen landed an internship at a swanky spa. The other students seemed baffled, how did they miss that opportunity? What or who did she know to get that internship?
          Karen didn't have any special connections. No one got her the internship. No one even gave her a lead about an internship. How did this under dog of a student get an internship when none of her classmates could? She went to area spas and ASKED them to do an internship!
    Karen had a secret ingredient that no one knew, in fact, everyone assumed she would have  a dismal chance of succeeding in esthetics. After doing an internship with the spa, she ended up getting an on-call esthetics position, and following that position she opened up her own spa in a medical facility.
     Do you want to know what her secret ingredient is? MOTIVATION. Karen, unlike many of her classmates struggled academically, but she persevered and didn't let anyone tell her she couldn't make it. As soon as she finished her esthetics program, she then signed up for a CNA (certified nursing assistant) program to enhance her esthetics skills; her hope was to work in medical esthetics.
     Karen still owns and operates her practice within a medical facility, she has shown that being successful comes with a lot of hard work and determination. Getting your esthetics license doesn't make you successful, it is what you do with that license that determines your success.
      I get a lot of mail from readers who tell me every reason under the sun why they CAN'T get through an esthetics program, or why they can't get a job in esthetics, and this is why I posted the story about my friend Karen. There are no excuses, if what you are doing isn't working, follow another path. If esthetics is truly your passion, you will find a way to carve out your own niche in esthetics.
     You are your biggest advocate for success, if you don't trail blaze your way to success no one else will.