The past year has made it significantly more difficult to find work as a lash artist than it was even the year before. Job hunting is often a stressful experience. You may feel as if you are sending your application into the void at times, particularly when submitting it to beauty salons and lash businesses that may never even look at it.

When looking for work as a lash stylist, having a concise resume detailing your education, qualifications, and work experience as a beauty professional is one of the most important things to have. This resume should be presented to potential employers during the application process.

Nevertheless, don’t feel hopeless! There is a job out there that’s suited for you as a lash stylist; you simply need to discover it. There is no better way to get noticed than to put your CV in the spotlight by placing it in the middle of a salon manager’s desk. When you are hiring lash artists, here are the top twelve things salon owners look for in potential candidates!

Things on the Checklist That Are Obligatory

• Verify that there is just one page.

If you haven’t been applying lashes for more than a few decades, your CV shouldn’t be any longer than one page at most. Resumes that are longer than one page nearly invariably get thrown out without even getting a second look from the employer because hiring managers typically have to sort through many applications. (It is acceptable to cheat by fiddling with the margins and font sizes, but you should ensure the writing is not too small or pushing up against the edge of the paper!)

• Identifying details, including a point of contact

This ought to be obvious to everyone! Include your entire name near the heading at the top of your resume. We strongly suggest doing so in full capital letters. Provide your primary contact information in a smaller font size directly underneath your name. Employ an email address you check frequently; if you are comfortable sharing it, give out your mobile phone number as well. (Remember that some firms prefer to give job offers over the phone, so keep that in mind!)

• Include links to your social media profiles and your previous lash work samples.

Creating a strong social media presence, particularly on Instagram, is one of the most crucial techniques for maintaining a regular client base. This is especially true for businesses.

Lash artists need to maintain an active presence on Instagram. One of the first steps that lash salon owners take when considering an applicant’s application is to look at the applicant’s work online. It would be much appreciated if you could simplify that process for them.

If you haven’t already, get an account right now, and post at least three to four professional images of your best lash sets, whether they’re practice sets you’ve done on actual clients! We strongly suggest that you include your handle in your contact information. Do you not yet have a strong presence in social circles? If you have an online portfolio, you should include a link to it on your CV, and you should also include 4-5 photographs in your submission.

If you include links to your social media accounts in your resume, salon managers will be able to see how you advertise yourself and, as a result, how you could contribute to the growth of their clientele.

• Academics

Ensure that your name and contact information are prominently shown at the top of your resume, followed immediately by a list of your academic accomplishments. Add the names of the schools you attended for cosmetology or esthetics training, the name of the business where you received your lash certification, and any universities or post-high school programs you may have attended. If space is available, you should briefly explain any specialties you have completed, such as a concentration on brows and makeup when attending cosmetology school. This could have been a major during your time in college. If you discuss more than one educational establishment, you shouldn’t devote more than one line to each.

• Summary of Professional Experience or Career Blurb

What would your brief bio be like if it were published in a magazine or if you were a featured participant on a panel? Write a two-line (or three, at the most) overview of what kind of lash artist you are, why you’re passionate about lashes, and even what kind of lashes you specialize in immediately below your academic information and just before your professional history. This should come just before your career history. What sets you apart from the competition, Russian or Mega Volume? Are your lash lifts and colored lash creations so popular that customers can’t get enough of them? This is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate that you are more than just a list of bullet points on a CV and that you bring something distinctively you to the table.

• Awards and Recognitions

Have you ever been recognized as the “lash artist of the month” at one of your previous jobs? Did you graduate from cosmetology school with honors? Make sure that prospective employers are aware! This is where you may brag about all the incredible abilities you’ve picked up since you started working in the beauty industry.

• Particular Experience with Lash Extensions

This is the most significant area of your resume, and it should also be the longest section. Include the name of your employer, the particular title you had, the approximate dates you worked there for each employment or internship relevant to the position for which you are applying, and any other pertinent information. Create a bulleted list of your responsibilities, using explicit language that portrays a picture that is accurate and favorable of your day-to-day activities at the salon. As an alternative to writing, for example:

• You may wish to mention that you provided lash services to customers in your statement.
• Each client’s needs were evaluated to develop the greatest lash extension looks for their lifestyle.

The maximum length of a single bullet point should be one line. The more concise, the better!

• Hard Skills

Let’s be honest: most hiring managers won’t spend the time to read your application in its entirety before making a decision. Instead, they’ll probably just skim it. After a thirty-second scan, you need to ensure that they will be completely convinced that you possess all of the key talents directly related to the position you are applying for. You do not need to mention these attention-grabbing “buzzwords” in a separate section; rather, you should ensure that they are included in the bullet points under each item for your career history. Consider the following examples:

• Personalized classic and volume lash sets for each customer based on their demands and lifestyle preferences.

• By conducting research into the finest adhesives for salon environments, we were able to increase the average lash retention by one week.

• The effect of adding volume lash sets to the salon booking system was analyzed, and a new price structure was applied accordingly.

• Completed full sets, fills, and lash lifts on an average of X number of clients each week.

• Over the months of January through March 2023, you were successful in selling aftercare retail products to thirty percent of the salon’s clientele.

• Soft Skills

These skills aren’t directly related to your lashing ability but to the divergent parts of being a lash artist. If you want to be a successful lash artist, you must have all these skills. We propose you stress your people abilities about the clients you have worked with in the bullets describing your previous work experience. They include your ability to guide them through lash washing routines, convince them to explore the best styles for their face shape, and even keep conversations flowing easily with chatty clients while you perform a full-volume set! The managers of beauty salons want to ensure that their lash stylists can interact with clients of varying backgrounds and personalities for extended periods, if necessary, and can assist even the most challenging and resistant customers.

• Improvement of One’s Profession

Have you participated in any webinars or conferences that covered the latest developments in the lash industry? Are you going to school to learn how to apply volume lashes, or are you going to school to learn how to manage a salon or spa? Inform the salons that you’re interested in working at about this! The owners of beauty salons want to know that their staff members are making serious preparations for the future, whether that involves keeping up with the most recent tendencies in lash extensions or getting themselves ready for management positions in the industry.

It is of utmost significance to compile a list of your lash credentials and the courses you have completed in this field. It is generally going to look remarkable to salon employers that you have participated in many classes.

Optional

• Extracurriculars / Volunteering

After you have done writing the required elements of your resume and there are still a few lines left on the page, you are free to add any extracurricular activities in which you are currently involved. Do you spend any of your spare time playing softball? Volunteer with seniors on weekends? Make the most of this opportunity to demonstrate to potential employers that you are versatile and willing to take on responsibilities that aren’t directly related to lashing. (This can help you stand out even more to recruiting managers at smaller salons, where the firm’s day-to-day operations require more participation from all employees.)

• References

On your resume, you shouldn’t necessarily include individual contact information for each of your previous employers, managers, and lash businesses unless we specifically encourage doing so. But, if there is space available and you are inclined to do so, you should include the name of your supervisor and their position in the job description. This information should go right after your work title and place of employment and before the first bullet point. If this is not the case, all you need to do is add a line that specifies that references are accessible upon request.

• Additional Skills, Interests, and Knowledge

If everything has been said and done, there is still a place on your resume, don’t be afraid to humanize yourself by providing a few interesting facts about yourself; employers love learning about people’s personalities. Do you love scary movies? Do you regularly visit the Sierra Nevadas to work on your climbing skills? Ensure the people who recruit people for salons know that you have exciting things to talk about, are easy to work with, and are enjoyable to be around.

This is a great area to provide information on additional skills that could benefit the company, such as experience working in accounting or proficiency in multiple languages.

Job-hunting tips

• Put out a large net

There’s no need to assume that just because a job description doesn’t perfectly match what you’re looking for, you shouldn’t apply for it or wouldn’t be happy working there. You should apply for a job opening if it matches the majority of your talents and at least some of your interests, even if the job is not your ideal position. For instance, if you are interested in working as a lash artist but come across a lash salon that also offers brow services, you should consider applying for the brow role if you are qualified to perform it. It is always possible that you will be presented with the chance to switch occupations at some point in the future.

Maintain communication with the company even if you decide not to accept the position after having an interview with them. They could, at some point in the future, have an opening for a lash stylist position, and they could contact you regarding the hire.

• Give it your best try.

Apply for jobs even if you don’t believe you are qualified. Research has shown that men are more likely to apply for jobs for which they are only qualified by 60 percent, while women are more likely to wait to apply until they meet all of the qualifications for the post before doing so. Women are the majority in the lash industry, and we want to empower every badass woman working in this industry to believe in themselves and the value they bring to the table.

Don’t be scared to go after the job of your dreams, especially if you’re just starting in the workforce. You might be shocked to learn the number of businesses that are eager to teach newly hired employees on the job, particularly given that every salon and spa has a unique method of conducting business. In addition, even if you interview with the company but are not offered the position, you will have developed a new link in the beauty industry, which could be of assistance to you in the future.

• Maintain consistent tenacity in your interactions with prospective employers.

If you haven’t heard back from each potential employer within five business days, it’s time to follow up with them and inquire about any updates regarding your candidacy. Sending thank-you notes and expressing gratitude after every interview and correspondence demonstrates that you will bring the same degree of gratitude to the salon floor and will treat customers nicely. Send an email to the individual serving as your point of contact with an update if your status or resume undergoes significant changes while waiting to hear back from the position. Not only does showing hiring managers that you are persistent keep your name in front of them, but it also demonstrates that you are communicative and enthusiastic about the position you are applying for.

• Collaborate with other experts in the field of lashes.

Hundreds of Facebook groups for lash stylists, makeup artists, and the beauty industry are committed to providing members with helpful business advice, up-to-date information on industry trends, and a sense of community. Join one or two organizations in your region that are focused on the needs of lash artists that you can find. Visit beauty trade exhibitions in your area and network with other artists working in your area. On Instagram, follow fashion stylists in your area, comment encouragingly on their photos, and direct message (DM) them to arrange a happy hour get-together in your neighborhood. You never know when a new connection will lead to a career opportunity or when they will show you an excellent tip that will help you ace an interview!

• Self-care

Looking for work requires a significant investment of time and effort. Even if every second that passes when you are not sending out job applications wastes time, you must ensure that you care for yourself and create time for friends, family, and leisure activities. No one can do their best work or ace an interview when they are sleep-deprived, thirsty, or lonely due to not having seen their closest friends in weeks. Take care of yourself, as a healthy self-care routine is essential to a fruitful job hunt.

• Do not be scared to take on temporary work unrelated to the lash industry.

Problems with one’s finances are no laughing matter, and one must do whatever has to be done to ensure that their bills are paid and that they have food to eat. Additionally, you should not have the mindset that you are only allowed to make money from lashing, nor should you believe that having positions on your CV that are not related to lash styling or beauty would prohibit you from getting the lash stylist job of your dreams. If you need to get another job to keep your finances under control, then by all means, do so! In addition, you’ll pick up skills in any profession that you can later apply to work in a salon, whether those talents be customer service techniques learned while working in sales or training in team management gained while working in restaurants.

• Use the available technological resources.

Send an unsolicited email to beauty salons where you might be interested in working. Even if they are not now looking to fill a position, they may know someone else who is, or they may keep you in mind for future openings. Send salon managers a message on LinkedIn with a brief introduction, letting them know that you are a lash artist with XYZ noteworthy abilities you can bring to the table and that you can bring these skills to the table. Direct messages lash artists or studios on Facebook and Instagram, particularly if they advertise for work on those channels. Be sure that every message you send focuses on the value you can contribute to the position rather than merely saying what you intend to gain from working there.

• Create a name for yourself in your field.

Solidify your social media presence! Be sure that you have an Instagram account that is both public and active and that this feed is where you consistently publish examples of your best work. (To ensure that you constantly have fresh content to share, you can offer your friends and family to perform inexpensive lash extensions, lifts, and tints.) The Instagram grid of a lash artist is one of the first things that most hiring managers look at. This is because the beauty industry is one of the most visually driven businesses in the world.

If you have a website, the look of your Instagram and website should be cohesive; each should give the impression that it is an extension of the other. To demonstrate to hiring managers and potential customers that you are an expert in the lash industry, you might want to consider starting a blog devoted to providing clients with helpful hints and suggestions.

To demonstrate your passion for lashes on social media, you may even want to consider being a brand ambassador for a lash company. When you look for a new job, your current employer should provide lash trays, prep liquids and adhesives, tweezers, and other tools at a discounted or no cost to help you improve your lash game with extra content that is suitable for Instagram.

• Appearance matters.

While applying for jobs in the beauty sector, such as lash artist, how you present yourself to potential employers and how you answer their questions during interviews say everything about the sort of stylist you will be. This does not imply that you must dress in expensive, designer suits or gowns, but it does imply that you should look as professional as possible with what you have.

Maintain a spotless and perfect appearance at all times. Your fingernails ought to be trimmed short, or at the very most, you might get a manicure with short French tips. If your hair is longer than shoulder length, you might want to consider pulling it back into a neat ponytail or bun instead of letting it hang free. You don’t need to use excessive amounts of makeup; you should apply just enough to appear polished and competent. Consider using BB cream, applying top and bottom eyeliner in addition to mascara, and shaping your brows to demonstrate that you take care of the areas of your body that you will be working on with customers.

• Get your materials for looking for a job organized.

When sending dozens, if not hundreds, of resumes out into the ether, it is important to keep track of the jobs you’ve applied to so that you don’t pick up the phone one day and accidentally slip out the wrong salon name to a hiring manager! When sending out dozens of resumes, it is important to keep track of the jobs you’ve applied to so that you don’t assign the wrong salon name to a hiring manager! During your job search, we advise that you maintain a straightforward Excel spreadsheet in the form of a bookmarked tab or pinned tab on your computer, tablet, or phone. This spreadsheet should include three columns: one for the position or company, one for the contact person (if you’ve been in discussions with them), and one for brief notes and research.

• Study the scientific aspects of lash extensions.

This is of the utmost importance for lash artists who are just beginning their careers. Any additional information you can exhibit is a plus, and the science behind the lash industry and the current trends dominating the lash market are the finest ways to stand out from the crowd. Review your knowledge of cyanoacrylates in adhesives, specifically how their molecules function in the context of adhesives. Get intimately familiar with the many kinds of adhesives, how they function in varying degrees of humidity, and the tools and bond strengtheners you can employ to ensure they cure quickly and precisely. Research the common elements in the many prep solutions, the distinctions between regular and flat lashes, and the distinctions between handmade and pre-made volume fans. Even if you’re not specifically questioned about them in interviews, being prepared with this information will boost your confidence. It never hurts to demonstrate that you’re well-informed, especially since there’s no penalty.

• Have a good understanding of the different lash styles.

Be familiar with the various styles that complement particular face and eye shapes, as well as the various types of lash extensions (classic, volume, and mega-volume, as well as the sorts of extensions you can use for each style, and the benefits and drawbacks of each type of extension). You should be prepared to put your experience to the test, so don’t be startled if a late-stage or final-round interview asks you to undertake a pretend consultation with a fictitious customer.

• Have thoughts to share on the most recent fashions and technologies?

The managers of beauty salons looking to fill open positions are interested in finding candidates with genuine enthusiasm for the lash industry. Be up-to-date with the most recent trends in the field, such as bottom lash extensions, M curl lashes, holiday cosmetic looks, or the most recent tweezers that the greatest lash artists in the country are utilizing to step up their game. This is an excellent method to demonstrate that you have this quality. Follow Instagram accounts managed by major lash supply suppliers and well-known lash artists as a first step. Attending conventions and webinars might be beneficial if you have the time and financial resources; however, many webinars should be free. Browse blogs that lash studio owners and supply manufacturers write. For comments on the lash brands you like most, the products they make that are your favorites and the reasons you like them.

• Practice your other beauty skills

Learn how to perform lash lifts and lash tints if you can do so. Refresh your memory on the techniques you may have picked up in classes on cosmetology and esthetics, such as waxing, brow shaping, makeup application, and hair care. You may hone the abilities you’re working on by watching videos on YouTube, and you might even pick up a few useful shortcuts along the way. If you haven’t extended your lashes in a while or just finished your lash training, you should seriously consider investing in some practice kits to take your lash sets to the next level. Suppose you are concerned that you won’t remember some of the fundamentals. In that case, you should consider enrolling in a refresher training course designed for stylists who have already received training in lash extensions. You will be more marketable to a wider variety of salons if you possess a competence that is both diverse and well-honed.

• Give some thought to starting a business of your own.

When you are a lash artist, the nicest part of your job is that you don’t need someone to tell you that you can make lashes to do them! Consider launching a home-based lash studio if you have some savings, like the notion of being your boss, and would want the flexibility to choose your working hours. To get started, you must make initial investments, such as buying a beginning kit and studio lighting. This will be required. But if you already have customers who adore you and follow you wherever you go, you might already have most of the essential components required to get started.

Final Thoughts

We hope these pointers will help you get started on becoming a successful lash artist! If you find any of our advice helpful, especially if it enables you to secure a job, please let us know by leaving a comment below.