For an interview, one must be prepared to show an employer that you are the perfect candidate for this position. If you have decided to choose a hairstylist as your career choice then we are here to assist you! This article is going to help you in preparing for the interview along with its challenges and job description too. Here we are sharing Top Hair Stylist Interview Questions and Answers that will be will helpful.
1. Why Are You Interested In This Role?
I researched about your salon and saw that you have a great reputation in the market for excellent hair and skincare services. You also train your staff with Local and International experts. I liked this aspect because I want to invest my time where I can continue to learn and contribute too.
2. What Are The Roles Of A Hairstylist?
The common duties include haircuts and holding consultation with new clients that helps in analyzing their hair to offer the required treatment. Hairstylists also offer hair care and hairstyling consultations along with product recommendations.
3. What Are The Qualities That A Hairstylist Needs To Be Successful?
In my view, success in this field is determined based on client satisfaction. No matter how much I am satisfied with my hairstyle, if my client is not happy then it means I need to improve more. I always make sure while working that my clients are my priority. I can give them my suggestion based on my experience or fashion trend but the end call is theirs!
4. What Major Challenges Did You Face During Your Last Role? How Did You Manage Them?
I once had a client who had hair in a bad condition. Her hair was damaged from the excessive heat. She was visiting me every week to straighten her hair. I explained to her that she should let her hair rest for a bit before any sort of heat or chemical treatment. She told me that she has work requirements for good hair so she needs to look presentable. I offered her a solution to install straight hair extensions in her hairstyle so she won’t be damaged her hair anymore. Thankfully, she agreed and wore the extensions for the next 6 months. In that 6 months, her hair recovered from the damage and I cut the damaged area patches, leaving behind only healthy hair.
5. Describe Your Daily Routine As A Hairstylist?
Every day is a new day at the salon; it is all dependent on appointments and walk-in customers. At the start of the day, I check the appointment calendar to know the routine of a day. As the day passes by, I do styling consultations for clients after having detailed discussions with them regarding their preferences. If their hair is damaged then I offer care treatment through hair care products. There are a few clients who require colouring and highlighting hair. I also offer scalp treatments for clients.
6. Describe Briefly About Your Experience?
I have been working as a hairstylist for 7 years now. During this time, I have learnt a lot about hair types, hair treatments with steam and oiling and other products. I have also learnt hair dyeing styles like Lowlights, highlights and balayage.
7. What Kind Of Strategies And Mindset Are Required For This Role?
I believe this is a creative role! If you have a creative mind then all you need is a learning mindset to ace in this role. I am myself a very good visual learner. I still watch a lot of video content on YouTube related to hair tools, styles and techniques. Later, I start experimenting on a mannequin head with the help of different tools to reach perfection in terms of longevity and definition of style.
8. What Is The Biggest Challenge You Foresee In This Job?
The biggest challenge in this field is always customer service. It is very important that as an expert, we do not let this challenge come in between our work because the client is entirely dependent on your expertise. In this field, you need to make sure that you build a returning customer because if you are losing one then it means you are losing 5 customers in a go!
9. How Do You Stay Motivated At Work?
My motivation throughout is to learn more and work better. This motto keeps me on my toes when I am dealing with clients, holding a scissor in my hand or even seeing a happy client walk out of my salon.
10. Describe A Time You Failed In This Role And The Lesson You Learned?
Once I had a lady at my salon for hair treatment. I noticed split ends in her hair and I spoke to her regarding it. She agreed that I can cut them off due to the hair loss she is facing. After giving them a good cut, in my opinion, I asked her to look into the mirror and she was shocked. She said that I had cut a major length of her hair and she was only hoping for trimming. I apologized to her but also told her that I had to shape all sides for an even look as well. I also mentioned that it is my mistake that I should have informed you about the length before styling her. As an apology, I offered her a discount coupon for their current and next 1 appointment.
11. Why Do You Feel You Are Qualified For This Role?
I feel that I am a combination of professional experience and certification to work for this role. As you can go through my Instagram business profile, you will see that there I have worked on a variety of clients too.
12. Share With Us Your Greatest Achievement
My greatest achievement is my work in fashion shows. I have worked for several famous designers in street fashion and also in bridal fashion. During this, I also got a chance to work with a renowned shampoo brand too.
13. How Do You Plan To Attract New Customers?
I am a pro at using social media, especially Instagram! I already have my own professional Instagram account where I upload the pictures and video content of my job. I will be doing cross-posting with your social media so that people are aware of the location and availability. I plan to launch TikTok too so attract new generation as well. I plan to use social media content to attract potential new customers. Once I get customers at the salon, I will be distributing my business cards along with hair services related pamphlet. People can book their consultation appointments before their styling too.
14. How Do You Stay Productive Between Hair Appointments?
I like staying on my toes when I am at work. If I get a break between the appointments, I first disinfect the workstation and reorganize the products according to their usage so that I am prepared for the next one. After this, I will have a look at my calendar and maybe respond to one or two queries online via WhatsApp or Other social media. If I see that my other staff is busy, I will move to the shampoo station and volunteer there so that time is saved. If not, I also sometimes sit at the front desk and cater to appointments.
15. How Do You Stay Updated About The Latest Hairstyle Trends?
With my phone and Instagram! I get to know about the latest trends through fashion magazines or celebrity posts on Instagram. Once I find something interesting, I start to click on relevant hashtags and how to post to learn about the details. I guess, over the years I kind of have an idea from my audience about what sort of people do they follow when it comes to fashion. Through researching, I find tutorials and other related videos. Then I start practising the method on hair wigs or sometimes if someone at the salon volunteers to be my model!
16. How Do You Earn The Trust Of A First Time Client?
For all my first time clients, I always make sure that they have a consultation appointment with me beforehand. During this meeting, while they are sharing their requirement, I assess their personality so that I can communicate with them that make them comfortable. If they book my next appointment, I guide them through the basics before starting and during the appointments; I also update them on their progress. If I feel during treatment that I can add do something extra that will benefit their hair, I guide them through. If they agree, we add it otherwise we stick to the original plan.
17. How Often Do You Evaluate Yourself And Your Team?
I incorporated a customer satisfaction survey 6 to 7 months ago at the salon. I requested the clients to fill in the survey and rate the service, waiting time, quality and if they would like to book the next appointment with me again. I also added a few questions related to the atmosphere and décor of the salon so that I can note feedback in one go. On every Saturday, I go through the responses and indicate patterns to see what sort of changes I can make. I also spoke with a few of my friends to anonymously visit the salon and check the atmosphere and staff behaviour. I also spoke to my regular clients to give their feedback in person so that I know if they have witnessed any improvement in the services.
18. How Do You Maintain Hygiene At Work?
Hairstylists should follow a professional and ethical regime when it comes to hygiene within the salon. This protects the stylist and customers from any unwanted consequences. Stylists should wash their hands in front of customers before each treatment. This means a thorough cleaning with disinfectant soap, not just running the hands underwater. If the treatment is interrupted due to the stylist taking payment from another customer or going to the bathroom, a follow-up hand washing is required. Single-use drying equipment or Disposable Paper Towels Should Be Used Because Germs Can Breed On A Reusable Towel.
19. What Do You Know About The Benefits Of Moroccan Oil?
Moroccan oil shampoos are used before any treatment to clean the hair from dust and dirt first; the treatments are then applied most of the time using heat as this process enables the substance to be more effective and easily absorbed by the scalp and hair.
20. What Are A Few Common Tools Used By Hairstylists In Cutting?
The common tools include scissors, combs and brushes and a hairdryer/blower. These three are the most basic equipment in hairstyling. A hairstyle expert should have the standard pair of scissors and a couple of other special ones like those with saw-like teeth for layered hairstyles. Hairbrushes should come in a set; the round one for curling and rolling and the straight-back for ordinary brushing. The ensemble should also include a small narrow-spaced comb for snipping locks and another with bigger teeth for combing and styling.
21. If Someone Has Thin Hair, Should They Consult A Doctor Or A Hairstylist?
In my opinion, one should consult both. Being a stylist, I can provide a lot of tips by teaching how to properly maintain hair and scalp. Knowing how to properly take care of the scalp by doing the proper hair care regiments will truly help keep already thinning hair from becoming anymore thinner. Hairstylists can also give a lot of different treatments. After all, just because these hair treatments claim to do miracles on your scalp it does not automatically mean that it is good for you. Some hair treatments can do more damage to your hair than good – especially if not used properly. Just make sure to test a patch of skin with the hair care product you will be using before the actual treatment. Monitor that area for say around 24-48 hours and if an allergic reaction occurs, then, surely that is enough of a sign for you to not go through with the hair treatment. Once this happens, a stylist can suggest alternative products or treatments that you can do which will not cause such infections or allergies on your body.
22. As A Hairstylist, What Should You Know About Hair Coloring?
If you have done a hairstyling course, you will know the following hair colouring aspects:
- Understand colour theory
- Discover techniques and trends for colouring clients of both genders and different age groups
- Learn the differences between temporary, permanent, semi-permanent and highlights and when to use them
- Know the chemistry of hair colour
- Understand the effects of colouring chemicals on the scalp as well as hair
- Learn lightening techniques (bleaching)
- Discover unique techniques to create special effects and unique looks
23. How Will You Determine A Hairstyle For A Bride?
Firstly, I will request the bride to bring a picture of her wedding dress along with anything that she might wear on her head, which can include decorative hair adornments, a veil, or a headpiece. Generally, I may give suggestions or ask the bride if she has any ideas of the style she would like. To determine which hairstyle would be the most flattering for the bride, I will examine various factors such as:
- The age of the bride
- Her face shape
- Hair texture
- Any blemishes or scars the bride might want to hide
- The time of the day when the wedding will be held to see how formal the hairstyle will need to be
24. What Sort Of Basic Mathematics Skills Is Required For A Stylist To Perform Well?
All hairstylists need to possess some mathematical skills. When using a chemical like hair dyes and peroxides, the stylist should know how to follow the directions on the product label and measure the right amount of ingredients based on how they are stated in the packages. Numeracy skills also cover the ability to calculate the time by which chemically treated hair needs to be washed and rinsed to avoid damages yet achieve excellent results. He or she should also be able to count the days until the client’s next appointment. Collecting the right amount of fees and providing accurate change is another task of the hairstylist that requires the ability to count efficiently.
25. How Can A Client Find A Stylist That Suits Them?
Finding a great stylist is not hard to do if you know the right places to look. When you decide to find a hairstylist, you will need to find one that will accommodate your needs. One that will cut and style your hair the way you like and listen to your needs in a haircut. If you are trying a stylist out for the first time just is as clear as you can with what type of style you want. If you need your hair dyed, cut and styled let them know before you begin. Remember you are the one directing them of what style you want. The stylist cannot read your mind so supply them with all the information possible to do a good job. If you are in the process of finding a stylist, just do some research and you can find a stylist that will meet your needs and your budget.
Conclusion
Be confident and smile as you give your interview. These 25 questions are surely going to help in acing the first round of interviews as a hairstylist. Good luck!
