INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Cosmetologist positions are at a 19% growth rate, which is much faster than average. With that said, there are currently 622,700 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 119,800 to 742,500 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Cosmetologist jobs was $27,630 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $9.06 per hour, and the highest 10% more than $25.68 per hour.
Our conclusion? The Cosmetologist job market is wide open for candidates.
Top cosmetologist sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
Writing a strong cosmetologist experience section
Cosmetologist Resume Experience Section: Ultimate Checklist
- Use no more than 4-6 bullet points per position;
- List relevant positions and situations that add value to your application;
- Describe situations, tasks, actions, and results (the S-T-A-R method);
- Remember to include numbers in whatever form you like (e.g. the number of projects you’ve finished);
- Begin each bullet point with an action verb.
Check out the examples below when building your experience section. They will help you stand out!
- Devoted employee, top performer, along with constant learning in the beauty/cosmetic industry for the past 9 years.
- Excellent communicator with guests, sales and problem solving.
- Experience in creating, and implementing effective social media skills to improve business.
- Proven ability to simultaneously manage multiple levels of responsibilities and duties in a fast paced environment.
- Diligent and accurate in performing the latest hair styles, cuts and techniques, with a desire to always improve my skill as a cosmetologist and creator.
- Evaluated client needs and recommended treatments and strategy to achieve desired result, while maintaining hair health.
- Supported reception efficiency by taking phone calls, inputting appointments and collecting payments.
- Maintained clients' treatment records and designed long-term care programs for return customers.
- Responsible for meeting or exceeding individual sales and productivity goals.
- Performed aesthetic face and body procedures using high technology medical equipment.
- Analyzed clients individual needs to determine and recommend the best treatment for them in order to achieve excellent results and meet their deadlines.
- Colaborated with team members to achieve the beauty center goals and together managed to increase our clients with more than 30% for 3 years.
- Comply with health and safety standards set by OSHA and The Georgia State Board of Cosmetology.
- Maintaining excellent communication, customer service, and time management skills to ensure client satisfaction.
- Keep Georgia State License in good standing by attending continued education classes.
- Educated clients about products and self-maintenance for healthy hair based on needs and preferences
- Kept work areas, tools and equipment clean and properly sanitized to minimize risk and cross-contamination
- Offered highly skilled and diverse salon services to over 20 daily customers, including cuts, color services and extensions.
- Processed payments by entering sales in register
- Built strong and lasting rapport with clients through consistent delivery of requested services and exceptional results
- Supported reception efficiency by taking phone calls, inputting appointments and collecting payments
- Performed daily cosmetology duties including cuts, colors and waxing services
- Increased clientele volume by more than 50% throughout career
- Handled all cash transactions, debit and credit card transactions
- Meet weekly product sales goal
- Exceed Cosmetology State Board sanitation requirements, and maintain optimal sanitation
- Take regular inventory of, organize, and recieve shipments of products
- Assess and meet individual client needs to the best of our ability
- Work to understand clients vision and expectations, make recommendations as to what flatters them
- Keep constant and clear communication with the client throughout service
PRO TIP
Check the Cosmetologist job description for inspiration. Look for similarities between your employer’s values and your experience.
Action verbs for your cosmetologist resume
Recommended reads:
Writing a strong skills section for your cosmetologist resume
Checklist for your cosmetologist skills section:
- Include all relevant skills from the job description to pass ATS;
- Focus on skills that show your expertise;
- List your technical skills in a clear and concise manner;
- Leave room for transferable skills related to teamwork, communication, negotiation, and conflict management.
Top skills for your cosmetologist resume
Medical terminology
MS Office
Hair Styling
Pedicures
Makeup
Manicures
Customer Service
Listening
Creative thinking
Networking
Time Management
Organisation
PRO TIP
Add a Talent Section to your resume, where you can pick your top 3 soft skills and describe how you used them to complete a project or balance departmental communication.
Recommended reads:
Cosmetologist resume header: Tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your cosmetologist resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have non-discrimination policies about what kind of information can be included on your Cosmetologist resume. This might include a photo (which is often included in a resume header and might be on personal web pages you link to). You can always email the company’s HR department to ask about their policies before you apply.
The ideal summary for your cosmetologist resume
Mastering the Summary Section: Checklist
- Mention the total years of experience you have in the field;
- Focus on 2 to 3 of your top achievements;
- Highlight the things that make you the best fit for the position;
- Go for short, easy-to-read sentences to keep the recruiter’s attention.
resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Highlight specific past projects that you’re most proud of in your summary. It sets an excellent tone for the rest of your resume. You can talk about all of your former jobs in your work experience section later on.
Recommended reads.":
Things to include in your cosmetologist resume education section
Cosmetologist resume education section checklist:
- Mention your highest education degree;
- Add the duration of your course and the institution you attended;
- List the awards you’ve received during your studies;
- Feature your certifications if they are relevant to the position;
- Entry-level positions: Share more about projects and classes.
Top Certifications for Your Cosmetologist Resume
The Complete Russian Language Course
Three courses in One: A1, A2 and B1! For beginners and intermediate learners. Start speaking real Russian today!
Become a Makeup Artist and How to Get a Job of Makeup Artist
Become a Professional makeup Artist and How to Get a Job of Makeup Artist
Recommended reads.":
PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Formatting your cosmetologist resume
What’s worse than a .docx resume? A resume with a poorly chosen format.
In general, there are three basic resume formats we advise you to stick with:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Choosing between them is easy when you’re aware of your applicant profile – it depends on your years of experience, the position you’re applying for, and whether you’re looking for an industry change or not.
The reverse-chronological resume format is just that – all your relevant jobs in reverse-chronological order. It’s great for applicants with lots of experience, no career gaps, and little desire for creativity.
When working with less experienced applicants, we suggest the functional skills-based resume format. It’s great for recent graduates or people with large career gaps. Functional skills-based resumes focus on your personality, the skills you have, your interests, and your education. Ultimately, the idea is to show you’re the perfect fit without putting too much emphasis on your work experience (or lack thereof).
If you’re in the middle or are generally looking to make your resume feel more modern and personal, go for the combination or hybrid resume format. It offers the best of both worlds by combining sections focused on experience and work-related skills and at the same time keeping space for projects, awards, certifications, or even creative sections like ‘my typical day’ and ‘my words to live by’.
Cosmetologist Resume Formatting Checklist
- Choose the resume format based on your level of experience and the company you’re applying for
- Go for a traditional 10-12p font
- Stick to 1-inch page margins to ensure high readability
- Match the length of your resume to your experience, but don’t go for more than two pages!
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Test your draft Cosmetologist resume by sending it out to peers and mentors in your circles. Ask them to review it as if they are hiring you for a project and implement the feedback afterwards.
Additional sections for your cosmetologist resume
In some cases, especially when it comes to entry-level positions, adding more sections beyond the usual ‘experience’, ‘skills’, and ‘education’ works well in your favor. Such additional sections will help you paint a fuller picture of who you are in the recruiter’s head.
Here’s a list of fun yet informative additional sections for your resume:
Making your cosmetologist resume creative
We know too well that recruiters go through tons of resumes every day. The worse part is, they often need to hire people for different positions and teams. So how do you make yourself stand out in such cases?
By adding a dash of creativity to your Cosmetologist resume. It can be in the form of a colorful layout, a section describing your typical day, or even a picture of your favorite book – you decide!
Just make sure that the levels of creativity match the industry, company, and position you’re applying for.
What makes a great cosmetologist resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
