First Chair - Spring 2008 Success Guide - (Page 20)

Success she actually gives them a list of salons in the area and encourages them to tour them all. “It’s all about ﬁnding the right chemistry,” she says. “I would much rather you look elsewhere to be sure we are the right company, rather than get halfway through the training program and leave for a salon you decide is a better ﬁt.” > TRY IT ON FOR SIZE. Since that’s the best way to determine ﬁt, Raviglione suggests students volunteer assist for a few days in salons where they are interested. Thomas agrees so strongly, he invites candidates to work in the salon on busy days for two to four weeks. Paid for their time during this working interview, candidates help shampoo, maintain the salon, open and close, answer phones and book appointments, stock shelves and offer guests tea and coffee. “During that time, we’re looking at your ability to be a team player and stay on task, your openness to learn and how customer-focused you are,” says Thomas. > PROBE DEEPER. If you really want to get a feel for a salon’s culture, dig beyond the interview. Make an appointment for a small service and take that opportunity to observe the other clients and the employees. Are they happy or are they grumbling? Ask to interview with the program’s trainers. And, ask to speak with former apprentices. “Ask them about the quality of the education, how long it took them to get through and what kind of money they are bringing in today,” suggests Jeff Hankins, who co-owns Reaction Salon in Omaha, Nebraska, with his wife Hope. > TAP ALL RESOURCES. Don’t stop with the classiﬁed ads, explore all your resources. For example, Your Beauty Network offers a sophisticated career board on its website YBN.com. For an annual fee, students also can tap resume building tools, monthly advice from industry visionaries, and other business building tools. “Our Career Hub works like a dating site, where you input your wants and needs and so do employers—then we compare and show you how compatible you are with a particular opportunity,” says Carder. ACING THE INTERVIEW Once you’ve found the right ﬁt, you still have to land the job. It’s your responsibility to discover what your future employer is looking for, then show them the goods. > BEYOND THE TALENT. You may think a salon owner would be impressed with your amazing cutting or coloring skills, but think again. Reaction Salon no longer even requires a technical portion of the interview. “Now we’ve gotten really good at interviewing by using a list of 20 questions that really dig into personality characteristics,” says Hankins, who now assesses ﬁrst, for attitude; second, for passion for the craft; and third, for a candidate’s craving for education. > VOLUNTEER YOURSELF. If the salon doesn’t require a working interview, then volunteer to assist a few days in the salon yourself, recommends Raviglione. “When you’re there, be ambitious. Volunteer to get coffee, fold towels, pick up a broom, welcome clients, and ask lots of questions,” he says. “Too often, students are too intimidated. But you’ve chosen an industry where you’ll be face to face with people all the time—you need to break through and show conﬁdence.” > SHOW YOUR KNOW-HOW. Ask the owner about a possible career map, and what goals you must reach to get to each level. When you show an understanding of the measurements that are important to owners—productivity, retention, prebooking, retailing, requests, referrals—they’ll be impressed. “Show a desire to learn effective retailing,” says Thomas. “That makes you highly marketable in our industry.” Tools for > ASK YOUR OWN QUESTIONS. Remember the salon isn’t just interviewing you, you are interviewing them. Bert Carder, CEO of Your Beauty Network, suggests the following: “Ask owners to describe their training programs in detail. Ask questions such as, ‘How long can I expect to be an apprentice?’ ‘How will I be evaluated and moved through the program?’ ‘What will I be learning from week to week?’ ‘Is there formal training time?’ ‘How will I be assisting in the salon?’ and ‘Who will be training me?’ And ask to see a copy of the written training manual—if the program’s not written down, then it probably doesn’t exist.” 20 MODERN SALON’S FIRSTCHAIR SPRING 2008 Learn more @ ﬁrstchair.com http://YBN.com http://firstchair.com

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First Chair - Spring 2008 Success Guide Contents First Word First View First Skills: Styles First Skills: Business First Skills: Design School of the Year 2008 Tools for Success First Tools First Products First Happenings

First Chair - Spring 2008 Success Guide

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