At Chic Studios, LA makeup school, we know just how important it is to push yourself, especially in the job market. In our Bridal + Business week, a part of our Professional Makeup Course, we go over the basics of becoming a freelance makeup artist: building your beauty brand, creating a portfolio, and making a resume.
A great resume is still one of the most important and contributing factors when entering the job market. It gives potential employers a quick overview of your skill set, job experience, and education so that they can make an immediate decision on asking you to come in for an interview. According to TheLadders, an online job matching service, recruiters approximately spend six seconds reviewing a resume. Within that tiny window of opportunity, you’ll need to make a lasting and great first impression. The following are do’s and don’ts for resumes that will make you stand out in the beauty industry. These tips are sure to make sure you are a cut above the rest and snag an interview with your potential employer.
Do Highlight Your Most Relevant Experiences
On your resume, you want to highlight your job experience from most to least recent. Start off with your current job that you’ve held and work from there. Not only should you include how long you’ve worked there, but you should highlight 3 main points that summarize your job and what achievements you’ve accomplished.
Do Lead with Action Words
When describing your accomplishments, start off each point with action words like creates, establishes, organizes. With recent and current jobs, be sure to use the present tense of verbs and with past jobs, be sure to use the past tense. Here are some words that shouldn’t be included on your resume thanks to Business Insider.
Do Be Specific
Along with using action words, you should incorporate growth and data. Potential employers like seeing this range as it shows off how well you helped the company or team grow during your time there. If you assisted backstage and got 10 models ready in 10 minutes before a fashion show, you should note that in your experience and accomplishments. If you helped with a boutique’s social media and grew their following from zero to 1,000 followers, note that as a highlight!
Do Keep Your Resume to a Page Minimum
You could be the most accomplished and talented person that the beauty industry has ever seen– but they won’t appreciate it if your resume is 10 pages long! If you’ve been working in the beauty industry for more than 2 years, we suggest only including the most recent 5 jobs you’ve held. Along with that, you should tailor your resume to whatever job posting that potential employer has. Recycle words that they use in that posting in order to sound more qualified and competent for the job.
Do Include A Link to Your Website
You’ve passed the 6-second test and now your potential employer wants to know more about you. The best way to show off your impressive resume more in-depth is by providing a link to your website and online portfolio. From here, employers in the beauty industry and potential clients will be able to see the work you’ve created and mentioned in your resume. It’s always great to give them a visual as well!
Don’t Use Negative Phrases
Think positively when writing your resume! Your future employers would not want to hear about the mistakes and mishaps you’ve made while in the previous jobs. They want to hear the good and positive points that made you perfect for their potential job opportunity.
Don’t Include Personal Information
No need for the unnecessary information like your birthday, address, or awards you’ve won in college. The only contact information necessary is your name, email, phone number and website link. Along with that, employers don’t care much about what humanitarian award you’ve won or scholarship you received. Keep it short and sweet — only focus on your jobs and volunteer opportunities!
Don’t Be Afraid to Tailor Your Resume For Each Job Application
If you’ve held a lot of jobs and you feel like certain ones fit similarly to the job application– switch them out! For our highly skilled beauties, we suggest having different types of resumes to fit any part of the spectrum. We suggest taking some of the verbiage found in the job posting and incorporating it into your resume. For the interviewer, seeing these matching words will click and make it seem like you’re absolutely perfect for this job.
Don’t Exaggerate Job Titles, Responsibilities, or Outcomes
Honesty is the best policy. You might feel tempted to lie or embellish certain aspects of your past job opportunities, but we suggest that you stray away from anything far from the truth. If you write on your resume that you’re highly skilled with SFX, but in reality, you’ve only worked with prosthetics through Youtube videos, you’ll be in big trouble when it’s actually needed on set. Highlight your strengths and skills that you actually have! It’ll tailor the job search more for you and you’ll be able to find a perfect job.
Don’t Forget to Proofread and Spellcheck
Out of all the things, we’ve mentioned, this is by far the most important! A great way for employers to hire you? Make sure that you’re using correct grammar and no incorrect spelling. Double check, triple check, and finally have friends or family read over your resume.
Use this tips to your advantage and fine tune your resume! We suggest letting your friends and family proofread it so there aren’t any mistakes. After your resume is perfected, you are ready for the workforce and should post it on sites like Indeed, Monster, or AllWork Beauty, which specializes in jobs concentrated in the beauty industry. You’re able to search for a job quickly and see if your favorite beauty brands are hiring! Find the perfect job that fits your personality and lifestyle, and sign up!
