You need to prepare well for an interview to stand out from the crowd and emerge as the right candidate for the job. Below is a list of 20 salon stylist questions and answers to help you prepare adequately for your next interview.
1. Why are You Interested in This Role?
Most employers will ask this question to determine your excitement about the role and the motivation behind why you applied for the job. While crafting a response to this question, address your unique qualities and skills relating to the position.
Sample Answer
“Honestly speaking, your salon has an incredible reputation for beautiful color service as well as customer service. I am passionate about coloring and I intend to become a master of colorist within the next few years. I believe your salon can be the best place for me to begin my beauty career. Additionally, I love doing hair because it’s fun to make people feel good about themselves. ”
2. What Are The Roles Of A Salon Stylist?
The hiring team asks this question to know whether you are aware of what the job entails. The best strategy for responding to this question is to highlight some of the responsibilities of a salon stylist as you match them with the job posting.
Sample Answer
“The responsibilities of a hairstylist include cleaning and cutting hair; providing hair styling consultations and hair care; recommending hair styling products; beauty care among other duties.”
3. What Are The Qualities That A Salon Stylist Need To Be Successful?
This is a common question asked by many employers to assess whether you know the qualities you should have to be an effective hairstylist. In your response, provide some of the qualities of hairstylists and relate to the needs of the employer.
Sample Answer
“To be successful in this role, a hairstylist needs to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. He or she should also possess a good eye for design and have a creative mindset. Physical stamina is also crucial in this role. Additionally, a hairstylist must have a wide pallet of coloring and styling techniques as well as proficiency with curlers, blow-dryers, and hot irons if he or she wants to be effective in this role.
4. What Major Challenges Did You Face During Your Last Role? How Did You Manage Them?
Here, the employer is evaluating your problem-solving skills. To respond to this question, share your recent challenge including how you handled it.
Sample Answer
“The major challenge I faced was dealing with difficult customers. Some of them would visit the salon and demanded to be attended to yet they had not made any booking. They would site many reasons such as they are in hurry and can’t wait for me to complete attending to the current client. However, my communication and interpersonal skills as well as being patient with them helped me to cope with them hence building a good working relationship with them. I ensured I explained to them what needed to be done calmly and professionally.”
5. Describe Your Daily Routine As A Salon Stylist?
Your response to this question will demonstrate whether you have organizational skills. In your answer, demonstrate how you prioritize work and prove to your employer that you have excellent time management skills.
Sample Answer
“My daily routines revolve around the following responsibilities:
- Listening to customers’ needs to know their preferences
- Highlighting, coloring, cutting, and shampooing hair
- Providing waxing, pedicure, facial, and manicure services
- Advising customers on different hair care products including their benefits
- Consulting with customers on stylistic options for their hair
- Performing scalp treatments.
- Managing bookings as well as welcoming customers into the salon.”
6. Describe Briefly About Your Experience
The hiring manager asks this question to determine whether your work background relates to the need of the company. The best strategy of responding to this question is by summarizing your job history as you relate to the job at hand.
Sample Answer
“I have worked as a salon stylist for two years now. The job has been fun and rewarding. During this time, I have acquired enough skills in listening to customers’ needs to know their preferences; highlighting, coloring, cutting, and shampooing hair; providing waxing, pedicure, facial, and manicure services; advising customers on different hair care products including their benefits; consulting with customers on stylistic options for their hair; performing scalp treatments and managing bookings as well as welcoming customers into the salon. Should you hire me for this role, I will utilize all the skills and experience I have gained to make a success in this role.”
7. What Kind Of Strategies And Mindset Is Required For This Role?
Knowing that every role requires the workforce to have the right strategy and mindset, the employer may ask you this question to know the strategy and mindset you will use to perform this role effectively. This is a direct question that will require you to highlight some of the strategies and mindsets you will employ in this role.
Sample Answer
“To be successful in this role, a hairstylist must keep himself or herself updated on the latest hairstyle trends and styling method. He or she must have a strategy of building a good relationship with customers to ensure return visits. Even if a salon stylist needs to be creative, he or she needs to adhere to salon cleanliness standards and safety. “
8. What Is the Biggest Challenge That You Foresee in This Job?
Most of the employer will ask you this question to find out whether you are ready for challenges and if you can handle them in case they happen. In your response, demonstrate that you are well informed about the potential challenges and you can handle them.
Sample Answer
“The biggest challenge is the trend in which the hairstyles and styling method are changing. To retain customers, a salon stylist must satisfy his or her clients by ensuring that they get the latest hair fashion. Having known this, I follow the latest hair trends on social media such as Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to catch up with the development in this industry. I am therefore at par with all the latest development in this field.”
9. How Do You Stay Motivated In Your Work?
This question helps your interviewer to know your interests and values. As you answer this question, demonstrate your interests and values that help you perform well in your roles.
Sample Answer
“I get motivated whenever I serve my clients and they become happy with my service. This has resulted in having a majority of them returning to our store. Knowing that they value my service is a great motivation to me.”
10. Describe a Time When You Failed in This Role and The Lesson You Learnt?
The employer will ask you this question to assess your ability to own mistakes and whether you learn from them. As you respond to the question, share your recent failure and the lessons you picked from it.
Sample Answer
“One day a client called for booking. I gave her a schedule and time when she could visit our store. However, the client that I was attending before her reported late and this affected the entire schedule. By the time, the second client came, I had not completed serving the first client. She had to wait for a whole hour and this disappointed her. Though I was able to explain and calm her down, I learned that I should have called her way before she came to reschedule her visit.”
11. Why Do You Feel You Are The Most Suited For This Role?
This question is asked by the majority of employers to evaluate whether you are well aware of the skills they want from the applicants. The best strategy for answering this question is by highlighting your top best traits, experience, and skills.
Sample Answer
“Besides being a licensed salon stylist, I have a diploma in cosmetology and a certificate in hairdressing. I have been working as a hairstylist for 2 years now. Over these years I have acquired a lot of skills in listening to customers’ needs to know their preferences; highlighting, coloring, cutting, and shampooing hair; providing waxing, pedicure, facial, and manicure services; advising customers on different hair care products including their benefits; consulting with customers on stylistic options for their hair; performing scalp treatments and managing bookings as well as welcoming customers into the salon. Additionally, I have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, a good eye for design, and have a creative mindset. Should you hire me, I will use my wide pallet of coloring and styling techniques as well as curling, blow-drying, and hot ironing skills to make a success in this role.”
12. Share With Us Your Greatest Achievement.
This question helps your hiring manager to know what you refer to as a success. In your answer, share what you are proudest of in your recent job.
Sample Answer
“One of the proudest achievements I have made in my last role is to maintain most of our clients. Each time clients visit our store, I do not only make their hair but I also advise them on how to maintain their hairstyle and look. This has caused them to keep returning to our salon as well as bringing with them their friends who have turned to be our loyal customers.”
13. Highlight Some Examples Of your Customer Service
The hiring manager may ask you this question to test your knowledge in this field. In your response, demonstrate your understanding of customer service and that you will be helpful and friendly to clients.
Sample Answer
“I give my customers a good welcome. I greet them with a smile and I ensure that they are comfortable while they wait to be attended to. I am friendly to them and helpful when they enquire about any product or service. Additionally, I listen to their concerns and preferences without interrupting them as they speak before I can give them my views.”
14. Have You Ever Been In A Situation Where Your Client Was Not Satisfied With The Finished Look? What Was Your Response?
This question will help your interviewers to determine your ability to handle negative reactions and find solutions. In your response, emphasize the ability to stay positive and committed to client happiness.
Sample Answer
“Yes. It is not always possible to satisfy everyone. There was a time when a client whose hair I had dyed was not satisfied with the color, even though it was the exact shade that she wanted. She said a lot of unsavory things to me, but I kept my cool. Even my supervisor said that the color was the same as she had wanted it. We are still not sure why she said I didn’t perform as expected.”
15. Do You Have Any Credentials And Licenses Do You Have In This Field?
This question will help the employer determine whether you have taken courses in areas such as creating updos, coloring, and styling. The best way to respond to this question is by conveying knowledge about legal requirements for stylists, proper education, and credentials.
Sample Answer
“Besides having a degree in cosmetology, I have updated my stylist certification. I have also taken a few courses on keratin treatment and balayage coloring.”
16. Describe Some Of The Essential Non-Styling Duties Of A salon stylist
The employer asks this question to evaluate whether you can perform any other responsibility besides cutting and styling clients’ hair. In your response, share other duties done by a stylist besides cutting and styling clients’ hair.
Sample Answer
“A salon stylist does many roles apart from cutting and styling customers’ hair. A stylist makes sure that the tools being used are well sterilized after every single use. They also make sure that the spa is clean and the clients’ bookings are scheduled correctly. Additionally, they handle cashier responsibilities along with upselling retail products.”
17. Explain To Me How You Build Relationships With Your Clients.
This is a common question asked by the majority of employers to gauge the interpersonal skills of a candidate. The best way of responding to this question is by demonstrating that you have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Sample Answer
“Being a great conversationalist, I build lasting relationships very fast. I can reach out to reluctant clients and provide them with information that I am sure will help them to capture their attention. Once they become interested, I share all the information in a clear and precise way to win them. I then listen carefully and show interest in what they have to say. Then, I constantly keep them in the loop.”
18. If You Noticed That A Former Client Had Decided To Get Their Hair Done From A Coworker, How Would You React?
The hiring manager can ask this question to test your behavioral aspect including how you deal with the competitors. As you respond to this question, indicate that you do not personalize matters related to service providing.
Sample Answer
“This would make me know that something is lacking from my service that made the customer seek service from someone else. I will calmly and professionally enquire from my co-worker about what he or she does differently so that I can improve myself.”
19. As A Salon Stylist, Where Do You Stand As Far As Marketing The Facility And Its Services Are Concerned.
This is a technical question that is asked to test whether you can market the facility and attract new customers. The best way of responding to this question is by demonstrating your customer service and marketing skills.
Sample Answer
“In my opinion, the salon stylist is not only responsible for offering cutting and grooming services but also, marketing the services of the spa they represent. As a stylist, I would reach out to potential customers and offer them information on improved or any new service in our spa. If need be, I would create pamphlets as well as actively upselling the products and services of the salon.”
20. In your opinion, what is the most important part of a salon stylist?
The interviewer may ask this question to test your knowledge I this field. Having been in this role, you should be able to provide a direct response including interpersonal skills, customer service skills, and communication abilities.
Sample Answer
“According to me, customer service is an important part of a salon stylist. A stylist must have a strategy of making customers feel comfortable with them. He or she needs to give clients confidence that they will look nice after the treatment is done on them. Providing quality service and building a good rapport with customers will make them come back to the spa any time they need their hair done.”
Conclusion
Be sure to study and practice these interview questions and answers to maximize your chances of getting hired. Also, ensure to dress well to create a good impression before your interviewer. Answer every question confidently.
