How to Write a Perfect Cosmetology Resume (Examples Included)

someone once said “the clothes make the man,” but whoever that person was, he or she must not have had a great haircut. or facial. if you have had such an experience, then you know how much better and more confident you feel after a good appointment with your friendly local cosmetologist, who can help you make exactly the tweaks you need to make yourself shine. if you’re one of these skilled professionals yourself, think of your resume revamp as a makeover: taking what you’ve already got, and putting some gel and maybe a good moisturizer on it to take it to the next level.

if you’re an aspiring cosmetologist or one who already knows the ropes, the key to your next great opportunity is your resume. as you start to think about how to construct your best resume, let’s look at three cosmetologists on slightly different paths: one just starting out, one hair stylist, and an esthetician.

first up is ginny, who’s just starting out in the cosmetology field.

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until recently, ginny was a student, gathering experience while she completed her certificate and got her cosmetology license. so while she hasn’t been a full-fledged stylist yet, she works the experience she does have. it’s likely that life as a salon assistant and an apprentice stylist involved a lot of learning-the-ropes work, but ginny is careful to emphasize the skills and qualities she knows will benefit her as a full-time stylist. she also leads with the version of herself that she wants the reader to see: that she’s licensed, that she’s focused on customer service, and that she’s a good hairstylist.

for her experience, ginny provides quick summaries of each to provide context for her work, and lets the reader know how it relates to the job she wants. ginny has the option of including all jobs she’s had, to show a work history, but in this resume she really wants to focus on her salon-based qualifications and training. if she were to include, say, her job at the gap or her summer serving burgers, it’s important to make sure that the bullets shown are skills that the reader could associate with the job description.

ginny has done a good job in tailoring her resume specifically for the open position at fab cuts, so it’s important to make sure that focus keeps up throughout the resume. (and it’s doubly important to double-check your resume to make sure you’re not sending the fab cuts objective to super styles job opening as well. as always, proofread the heck out of any resume you send!)

next up is michael, who’s a hairstylist like ginny, but is considerably further down the path.

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the first word you see in the body of michael’s resume is “experienced.” that’s the note he wants to hit most with his resume, so the more traditional reverse-chronological format works well for him. he also has an element of “show, don’t tell” going on here: he gives an instagram address that shows off his repertoire of styles, and in his headline summary statement he mentions specific feedback on yelp, which the reader can then verify. if you’re going to include social media on your resume, make sure you do it in a very controlled, relevant way. here, it works because michael is trying to show the visual component of the creativity and style he tries to emphasize throughout. ideally, he’s curated his instagram account so that it’s a consistent, professional account of his achievements.

he also emphasizes his customer focus, so he makes sure that bullets under each of his jobs talk about his experience talking with clients about what they want and need in a hairstyle.

next we have Janine, who’s taken a different path in the cosmetology field: rather than a hair stylist, she’s an esthetician.

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like michael, janine is experienced in her field, and wants her resume to reflect that. but before she jumps into her experience, janine has a robust professional summary that offers detailed bullets that frame her narrative. this sets the tone for the points she wants to hit in the rest of her resume, such as her focus on client needs and health. this is a theme that carries through each of her jobs and their respective bullet points. janine keeps that narrative theme going by offering brief one-liner about each of her jobs. if you opt to do this, you’re giving a little more context to your bullet points. for example, if you worked in a small mom-and-pop operation, you can emphasize that you worked in an independent salon. if you worked in a hectic place with lots of traffic, that’s the kind of information you can put in these statements as well—just remember to keep it brief…and professional!

interested in a cosmetology job? thejobnetwork has you covered! check out the listings below for jobs in your area:

Want more resume samples? Check out the following resume templates: