You’ve worked countless hours mastering your craft and building your client base. So when it’s time to switch positions, it can be exhausting. At the end of the day, when you’ve cared for a dozen clients and your feet ache, you shouldn’t have to know all the tips for creating a perfect resume.
That’s where we come in. We’ve analyzed numerous hair stylist resumes to learn what makes (or breaks) a resume. We synthesized this information and transformed it into five hair stylist resume samples (plus tips for each one) to help you craft your perfect hair stylist resume.
Use our examples and tips to make your resume stand out head and shoulder above the crowd and get the job in 2023!
Why this resume works
- Do you need to include a resume summary in your hair stylist resume? Usually, the answer is no. Resume summaries should only be used if 1) you have at least 10 years in the industry and 2) you can personalize it for every job to which you apply.
- A summary that states, “Hair stylist seeking a role at XYZ hair salon” won’t communicate anything helpful. Instead, be as specific as possible and emphasize your unique skills.
- For example, your resume summary could potentially highlight years of experience earning high rebooking rates.
- Include any certifications or extra training in specific areas, such as chemical hair treatment, trichology, hair smoothing, coloring, etc.
- Listing customized skills will attract salon owners seeking ways to draw in more clients and provide specialized services.
Why this resume works
- One of the most important tips to learn if you don’t know how to write a resume is the difference between telling and showing employers about your accomplishments.
- For example, it’s tempting to say, “attended workshops and courses,” (telling) but it’ll be far more impactful to say, “attended 10+ workshops and courses per year” (showing).
- Quantifiable metrics draw the eye of employers, but what if you don’t know how to include metrics on your senior hair stylist resume?
- We promise, there are numbers there! You can include things like your rebooking rate, the number of clients you serve, the discount percentage you’ve earned on hair products, the number of courses you’ve taken, the percentage of your positive reviews, or your sales-to-service ratio.
Why this resume works
- Don’t forget to include your applicable resume skills on your resume! It’s one of the most under-appreciated sections that is actually vital to getting the job.
- The skills section is the first hurdle you must clear in the application process. An applicant tracking system (ATS) will scan your resume for keywords (usually located in the skills section) and determine if your resume will be seen by the hiring manager.
- So, get your skill keywords right by reading the job description to see which skills they value the most. Important strengths for hair stylists include creativity, sales expertise, organization, customer service, and of course, technical abilities like blowouts, cutting, balayage, etc.
- Want to make sure your resume fits the bill? Run your resume through a resume checker or let a colleague review it first. You’d be surprised at what mistakes you might have missed, like typos, grammar errors, and passive voice.
- Even better, run it through an automated checker AND have a colleague review it, then do one last check yourself.
- Need a cover letter to go with your junior hair stylist resume? At the end of our post, keep reading for an editable cover letter template you can use no matter what hair stylist position you’re seeking!
Why this resume works
- Having a period of self-employment on your resume can be more helpful than you might think. Since you’ll lack a recommendation from a superior on your self-employed hair stylist resume, include verifiable metrics you can back up with evidence if needed.
- For example, you can use quantifiable metrics to show how you’ve streamlined booking systems or reduced expenses for your own business.
- Catching the attention of recruiters is essential, so take care when you’re building your resume to use impactful language to your best advantage throughout your piece.
- Start by using action verbs and active voice (aka where you’re the subject, not the object, of the sentence).
- Also, avoid personal pronouns (ex: my, I, we) when you can.
- Lastly, be concise. Don’t add adjectives and adverbs when they’re unnecessary; opt for stronger verbs and nouns instead!
Why this resume works
- Listing your work experience in a reverse-chronological order (where your most recent experience is at the top) is common practice for resumes, and we recommend you stick with it.
- A reverse-chronological resume format highlights job growth and development throughout your career. Employers focus more on the top half of your resume than the bottom. It’s therefore important to include your most relevant and recent job experience first.
- Reverse-chronological style is also best for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). That’s because it’s the industry standard and more predictable for a machine to sort. Instead of reinventing resume structure, you can focus on content.
- As an entry-level candidate, you can opt for a resume objective, provided you take the time to customize it for each position to which you apply.
- Don’t forget to personalize your objective by mentioning the target business by name and relevant keyword skills you discovered in the job description.
Need a Hair Stylist Cover Letter?
Your hair stylist resume is polished to perfection, but what about your hair stylist cover letter? No worries! You can use our editable hair stylist cover letter templates to make the process easy.
Why this cover letter works
- When writing your graduate nursing student cover letter, you want to emphasize specifically how your background will benefit the new company: For example, spotlighting technical specialization and adaptability in high-key work environments is great!
- Always tie in your skills with the organization’s values by pulling phrasing like “shape the future of healthcare” from their website’s mission statement.
- If you have stand-out experience, like exemplary bedside manner or familiarity with a specialized area like pediatrics, showcase these.
- Always make sure you list your certifications in your graduate nursing student resume, of course—but it doesn’t hurt to also mention them in your cover letter, too!
- It’s also ideal to establish how much experience you have alongside your qualifying certifications at the intro to your cover letter.
- An extra resume tip: your resume should be concise, but your cover letter should tell a story about your qualifying background.
