Esthetician Resume: Best Resume Writing Tips for Estheticians

A great resume is key to landing your next esthetics interview and job. If you’re still using your resume format from 5 years ago and haven’t updated the content recently, you probably need to toss it and start from scratch. It’s been said that on average, you have about 25 seconds to make an impression with your resume and avoid the “no” pile. Following this guide will help you to create a compelling resume to assist with your employment search.

 

Key Parts, Organization, & Presentation

Here’s a list of sections to include in your resume. Typically, an esthetician’s resume should be no more than one page in length (front-only) so be sure to keep that in mind when deciding what makes the cut:

• Header/Contact Information
• Summary or Career Summary
• Highlights
• Experience
• Education
• Licensure
• Certifications
• Internships & Volunteering

The above list is a guideline for the order in which the sections should be listed. This may need to be adjusted depending on your content, experience, and what you’re applying for. For example, if you didn’t complete an esthetics-related internship then the section should be left out. If you’re fresh out of esthetics school with no prior relevant work experience, maybe you’ll list your relevant education history first, before work experience.

Create your resume and then have a few other people review it for content, spelling, and organization. Be sure it’s perfect before you send it out to potential employers.

Presentation is important. If you’re sending or hand-delivering a paper copy of your resume, you should invest in a higher-quality paper stock. Office supply stores sell ‘resume paper’ which is traditionally an off-white color and usually has a linen-like texture.

You can really use any high quality, white or near-white paper that is slightly thicker than regular printer paper. Avoid using colored papers – it’s generally recognized as unprofessional and you’ll end up standing out for the wrong reason. Use black text instead of colors. Let your content do the talking.

Something like the paper stock or font may seem like an insignificant detail but it all has a big impact on your first impression with the employer.

 

Header/Contact Information

This is always positioned at the very top of the resume and must stand out. Your name should be displayed in an easy-to-read font and be larger than the rest of the content so as soon as someone looks at your resume, they immediately see your name.

There’s no hard-and-fast rule for alignment of the name but we recommend left or center justified on the page. Acceptable fonts include Helvetica, Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri, Garamond, Verdana, and others. This is not the time to use an obscure font that no one can read.

Don’t use an unprofessional e-mail address. Instead of [email protected], opt for your first name or initial followed by last name @gmail.com or another service. It’s also unwise to use an employer e-mail address like [email protected] if you’re applying outside the company.

Example:

 

Summary or Career Summary

There’s no need to add an objective statement to your resume. Most objectives sound very similar – we’re all “Seeking a challenging and interesting position where I can improve the health and well-being of my clients”. Employers already know this…that’s why you’re applying for the job. Hiring managers and spa owners ultimately want to know what you can do for the company, not what you’re looking for.

A better option is to replace the objective with a Career Summary which can provide a snapshot of who you are and what you do. This is your first chance to market yourself and showcase your capability. Keep it short and to the point – no more than 2-3 sentences.

Here’s an example of a good Career Summary tailored to a traditional spa setting:

 

Highlights

This is another term that you can use to headline your ‘summary of skills’ section. This section should consist of a bulleted list of skills that apply to the position for which you’re applying. The rule of thumb is to list about 5 skills and never more than 10.

Example:

 

Experience

Multi-paragraph job descriptions are not appropriate for an esthetician’s resume. We recommend a one to two line description of the job and then a bulleted list detailing your accomplishments in the position. Explain what you did in the job, not just what the job was. Make sure that you quantify your accomplishments as well. Use action words and numbers when appropriate. For example, you “Increased product sales by 10% in one year” vs. “Selling products to clients”.

Example:

 

Education

List your esthetics school first, then follow with the highest level of education you’ve attained. The only information you need to list for each educational institution is the school name, location (city & state is fine), completion date and degree obtained. Anything further can be discussed in the interview.

Example:

 

Licensure

Your esthetics license (and any other relevant license such as nail technician or massage therapist) should be listed in the licensure section of your resume.

Example:

Use “(license pending)” if you’re just out of school and have applied to take your state board exam or have already completed the test but did not receive your official license yet. Use the date of issuance on your license or the date that you’re scheduled to take the state board exam.

 

Certification

Always list any relevant certifications you may have in a separate Certifications section of the resume. Don’t have any? Consider taking some continuing education classes that provide a certificate so you can boost your resume content and skill repertoire. Multiple certifications show an employer that you’re serious about your profession and want to continue advancing your knowledge.

Example:

 

Internships & Volunteering

If your esthetics school offers an internship program, it’s in your best interest to take advantage of it. It can help you gain extra real-world experience at a spa or other industry setting and give you more credibility when you’re looking for employment.

Volunteering is also important. Perhaps you volunteered to provide mini-facials at an event for seniors; performed makeup application and skin care consultations for cancer survivors; or participated in some other type of industry relevant volunteering activity – these all add a great deal to your resume. It shows compassion and professionalism, and at the same time you’re gaining more real-life experiences that can help you in the future.

If your volunteer experience is not esthetics industry related, consider if it’s appropriate to add it to your resume. Something like volunteering at a bake sale at your child’s school one time should be left off.

Example:

 

Additional Esthetician Resume Tips

Tailor Your Resume

You need to tweak your resume for each position you’re applying for. Perhaps you’ll only need to make a few word changes or maybe you will need to move entire blocks of the resume to another section. Tailoring your resume to the job posting, position, and employer will show that you’re detail-oriented and will help to ensure that your resume doesn’t get tossed aside immediately.

For example, estheticians applying to work in a medical spa or physician’s office shouldn’t be listing body waxing experience and eyebrow artistry at the top of their skills list since these employers are probably not providing those services. Instead, it would be better to list relevant experience and skills like chemical peel knowledge, product sales experience, laser certification, etc.

 

How Many Jobs Should I List?

The general rule of thumb for listing previous employment is to stick to the most recent (and relevant) 3 to 4 jobs. Is it a good idea to list your last 12 jobs? Probably not. There are a number of reasons why this isn’t a good idea.

• It may show the hiring manager that you can’t hold a job for an extended period of time.
• Chances are, if you’re listing 5+ positions, you’ve included some that are not relevant to the position for which you’re applying.
• It’s just too much information that won’t be read in the 25 seconds you generally have to make an impression via resume.

Listing too few prior positions on your resume could appear negative as well. If you’re fresh out of esthetics school and have never worked anywhere else before, don’t forego the employment section on your resume!

Did your school have a spa where you practiced on real clients (or even classmates and family/friends)? If so, be sure to list that as work experience. Just because you weren’t getting paid doesn’t mean that you weren’t gaining real-world experience that can be applied to future esthetics positions.

 

What Not to Include

• Irrelevant work experience
• Personal achievements (i.e. being nominated prom queen has no place on an esthetics resume – focus on professional achievements)
• Physical characteristics or photos
• Hobbies
• Poor grammar
• Unprofessional contact information
• Past salaries or salary requirements

 

Esthetician Resume Sample

Click here to download a sample esthetician resume that incorporates the tips from this resume guide. Be sure to change the sample content to your information and proofread before sending it to prospective employers.

A great resume is an essential part of the employment search process. Whether you’re starting from scratch or just updating some content, using these tips will help you to create the perfect esthetics resume for submission to employers.

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Add to your resume and increase your esthetics skills with our Continuing Education offerings. Call us today at (847) 329-9174 for more information.