Hair Stylist: What is the cost of hiring?

Why hire a hair stylist?

A hair stylist will cut and style hair and can use creativity to create unique looks for their clients. Having a hair stylist that can create eye-catching styles can bring more customers to your salon and ensure customer loyalty.

Contributions of a great hair stylist:

• Use haircutting techniques to create new styles
• Have excellent customer service skills
• Will follow trends in hairstyles

What are the different types of hair stylists?

Hair stylists have the ability to cut anyone’s hair but often will specialize in a specific type of hair. For example, you can specialize in styling black or ethnic hair and learn techniques suited for that type of hair. Other stylists might specialize in an age group such as children or seniors. 

Regardless of what type of hair you might work on, hair stylists will have various ranks in the salon for stylists with different amounts of experience. 

Each salon might be slightly different, but in general, the ranks range from newly graduated to those who have multiple years of experience. The following is a list of different ranks and types of hair stylists that you can find in a salon:

• Apprentice stylist: A hair stylist that has just graduated from school will be first hired as an apprentice.
• Junior stylist: Will have a few years of hair stylist experience.
• Senior stylist: Will have multiple years of experience.
• Colourist: Will focus on colouring hair.
• Barber: Will work with men and focus on both hair and beards.

Where to find a hair stylist

To find the right hair stylist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Beauty or hair stylist schools: If you are looking for an apprentice stylist, beauty or hair stylist schools can be a good place to turn. New graduates will need more training than others but will be very passionate about the job and will be familiar with new and trending styling techniques.
• Professional associations: Local and national associations for hair stylists can also help you find your next hire. By using their job banks, you can hire a hair stylist who has the appropriate amount of experience you need.
• Referrals: Asking friends, family and colleagues for referrals for a hair stylist is another great way to find a new hire. When hiring a referral, you know that they are not only experienced but also reliable.
• Trade shows: The beauty industry often has trade shows where companies can showcase their products and network with others in the business. By attending such an event, you might find a hair stylist looking to be hired.

Post your job online: Try posting your hair stylist job on Indeed to find and attract quality hairstylist candidates.

Skills to look for in a great hair stylist

A great hair stylist candidate will have the following skills and attributes as well as work experience that reflects:

• Expertise in customer service skills
• Knowledge of new trends and haircutting techniques
• Ability to recommend certain styles/colours
• Great conversational skills
• Attention to detail
• Time management skills

Writing a hair stylist job description

A thoughtful description is important for finding qualified hair stylist candidates. A hair stylist job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your hair stylist job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on hair stylist jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Hair stylist
• Hair salon
• Barber
• Stylist
• Haircutter

Interviewing hair stylist candidates

Strong candidates for hair stylist positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Experience with difficult clients
• Ability to talk to anyone
• Ability to create new hairstyles
• Willingness to learn new techniques and keep up with trends
• Experience with gaining new clients

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of hair stylist interview questions for examples (with sample answers).