First Job In Beauty Industry

Chandra Moorehead (CM), 27, is a new hair stylist at a JCPenney Salon in a suburb of Rochester, NY. Before she graduated from beauty school, she went to college and received an associate’s degree in theater arts. During a break before her next client comes in, Chandra graciously gives beautyschooladvisor.com (BSA) an interview.

BSA
So how’s your first job in the beauty industry going?

CM
It’s not exactly my first job in the beauty industry, but it’s my first job having my own station. For a while I worked at a smaller hair salon as an assistant. Assisting is part of my five-year plan.

BSA
Your five-year plan?

CM
Yeah. First I assisted to learn more before I started doing hair, and now I have my own station. I’ll learn all aspects of the business and then open my own spa. I want Chandra on top of a business with other hair stylists working for me.

BSA
That’s ambitious. Is that why you came to a bigger hair salon?

CM
Right. At my first hair salon, they did only hair. Here, I also do extensions, manicures, pedicures and waxing.

BSA
What was your first day like?

CM
They gave me a good walk-through. They showed me the color mixing room, told me where to get products I’ll need and then took me to my station. I have a rollout with drawers for all the products; Penney’s supplies the basic things like gel and hair spray. This is a friendly salon, and people were nice to me from the first day.

BSA
Did you have any clients?

CM
I didn’t have clients of my own when I came here, so I took walk-ins. I took my first client on the first day. I didn’t tell her she was my first client. I was just like, “Hi. I’m Chandra.” She was 17 and just had a break-up with her boyfriend. Her hair was curly and very dark, but she asked me to make her blonde. I did foils on her and had to tone it to get the orange out. She wanted a new look before she went back to school on Monday, sort of like the character in “Waiting to Exhale” who cuts off her hair after her husband leaves her.

BSA
You didn’t just have a first client; you had a whole soap opera! Plus doing foils is such an advanced skill! How’d you do?

CM
I was slow! So it took time, but when I was finished, she liked it. I messed up my shirt, though. I thought I didn’t have to put on a cape. I figured I’d be fine, but I got color all over my shirt. I learned that you should wear that cape like you’re supposed to.

BSA
How is this different from doing hair on clients at beauty school?

CM
So different! I had to learn to be neat at my station, and I have to come prepared for all sorts of clients and attitudes. I see how you apply all the different cuts and techniques that you study at beauty school, because clients have different types of hair and ask for different looks. At beauty school, you have your instructor right next to you. But that’s not all that different. When I go back to the color room, there’s always an experienced stylist who will help me formulate the color. And I keep notes and little color techs. I found out you don’t have to have everything memorized. Other stylists always help.

BSA
How do you like the customer service part?

CM
I’m a “people person” so I’m good with that. But I’ve had to learn to sit back and let the client talk. Then I write notes to myself to remind me of what we talked about so that next time I can ask them how their birthday celebration went or whatever it was. Clients appreciate that.

BSA
Do you get any clients who just don’t talk?

CM
Sure, sometimes. If they’re quiet I just say something to get them talking. “Did you see ‘Dancing With the Stars’”? Something like that. Just recently I had a manicure client who brought her daughter with her. She was very quiet. She’d look at me and then look away. She seemed sad. I’m kind of a clown! So I said something simple like, “What do you like to do?” That just made her open up, and she told me her whole life story, about a bad divorce and how her daughter is the light of her life. Once you get them talking, clients will tell you everything-like where their tattoos are!

BSA
Ew.

CM
I know.

BSA
Anyway…. You’ve had your own station for a little more than six months. Are you making a living, or do you stay with your parents or something?

CM
The money is good. Penney’s gives you a base pay-an hourly wage that you earn every hour you work, so on a bad day if you have no clients you still get paid. Then they also give you a commission on every service that you do. I earn enough that I live alone-and just paid off my car!

BSA
What do you like best about your job?

CM
I really like the different obstacles that come up every day. You don’t know what you have until you look at your schedule. It’s fun to solve clients’ problems. They come to me to make them feel better about themselves.