Dirty Little Secret of Esthetics School

Dirty Little Secret of Esthetics School

Most students can't wait to get through all the academics and clinical side of esthetics school, and move into a working esthetician life. You've worked hard, studied hard and plowed through everything you needed to do get your license. No matter what school you go to, all schools will be positive about prospective jobs for estheticans. You might here things like "There are tons of baby boomers who need estheticians" or "Cosmetic procedures are up a 100% and doctors will need estheticians." 
While these statements aren't necessarily false, most schools don't prepare students for the reality of the esthetics' job market. You don't hear very often in esthetics school "You need two years experience to get a job" or " You should  get an internship, or work for a spa while in school."
There might be some schools that tell students the truth about the esthetics industry, but the unfortunate reality is so many schools fail to tell esthetician students the hard truth that most spas won't hire recent graduates. They want estheticians that have two or more years experience. I wish more schools would tell potential students this little dirty secret during the admission process so applicants have all the information to make an informed decision. I would like to see schools start networking more with community spas and launching a career network for recent graduates. Many newly licensed students are exceptional at their craft, many better than seasoned estheticians and they deserve the opportunity to apply for the same jobs as seasoned estheticians, but there is a stigma about recent graduates that needs to be changed.
Please don't despair because this doesn't mean you can't get a job; you can still get a job without experience but you have to get creative and aggressive in your job search.
Many of you who have read my blogs have witnessed along with me several recent graduates who have risen above this difficult climb with perseverance, positivity and professionalism to eventually succeed in their job search despite the lack of the "two years or more job experience" requirement.
How did they do it? How did I do it? First it takes a lot of patience, secondly it takes creative resume writing to focus on what assets you do have as opposed to your recent graduate status, and it takes pounding the pavement to succeed. And of course a little luck doesn't hurt. If you read my blogs about the other students, or my book JumpStart Your Esthetics Career: A Guide For Newly Licensed Estheticians you will see despite the difficulty of getting a job in esthetics fresh out of school, that is possible.
My hope is more instructors and schools will have a candid conversation with their students about this job requirement reality. Instructors should of course prepare you first for state boards, but at some point there should be some business and career planning beyond a simple chapter in a textbook. Some schools might do this, but I encounter so many estheticians who tell me that this "candid conversation" never existed at their schools. I believe schools have an obligation to at least prepare students for this side of the business reality, and help them overcome the "Two year experience" obstacle.