Barber resume examples & templates

With barber shops expected to employ 400,000 professionals in the U.S. by 2026, now is the time to get your foot in the door. You might know your buzzcut from your crew cut, but how can you share your clipping talents on your resume?

Hitting the mark can be tough, especially if it’s been a while since you last applied for a new job. Chances are, you have a lot you want to share with the reader. However, you need to make sure that your barber resume is professional, succinct, and easy to read. 

Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll be looking at how to write a barber resume, what features to include, and sharing some examples to help you along the way.

Resume guide for a barber resume

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This resume guide and corresponding barber resume example will cover the following:

• How to write a barber resume
• Choosing the right resume format for a barber
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your barber experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right resume design/layout
• What the barber market looks like, and what salary you can expect

How to write a barber resume

Before you start working on your barber resume, you need to know what to include. Here are the elements that you will need to feature in this document:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

When sending a resume, your main goal is to entice the hiring manager. Rather than sending them a resume packed with many different messages, it’s smarter to stick to one. What is the main point that you want to lead with? This is often referred to as a unique selling proposition. Consider what your main value is to the business and start with that when applying for a role. 

There are plenty of routes you can go down here. You may have won a barbering award, have a certain qualification, or have worked with high-profile clients. Whatever the case, think about how you can make a major impression on the hiring manager with this initial statement. 

Let’s take a look at some of the other ways you can impress the reader: 

• Highlight accomplishments instead of simply your duties. The reader already knows what tasks a barber has to complete. Give them some more detail. For example, you could add in some key facts or statistics that prove your worth to them.
• Don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach. As a general rule, you should adapt each version of the resume to suit the salon or business at hand. That means doing some research about the employer and aligning your barber resume to meet their goals.
• Get the design of the document right from the start. Set the right tone by using a professional, tried and tested resume template.
• If you’re submitting your barber resume online, include appropriate keywords to help it get past the ATS screening software. You can also use an ATS resume template.

Choosing the right resume format for a barber

The format of your resume needs to be clean cut: plain and simple. You want the reader to get the information that they need quickly and easily. 

The best resume format for barber roles tends to be reverse chronological. This structure lets you list your previous experience in reverse chronological order. It tells a story about your career up to this point. If you’ve had a linear career so far, you should use this approach. 

However, there are other options available. If you’re new to the realm of barbering or you’re a career changer, you can use an alternative format, such as the functional format. This structure places more emphasis on your skills and talents than it does on your experience. 

We have a wide selection of resume templates in our resume builder using an array of resume formats. You should also take a look at our library of resume examples for inspiration.

When it comes to the look of your barber resume, it’s smart to opt for a modern layout. Above all else, you want to make sure that your resume is easy to read for anyone. 

Include your contact information

Once you’ve wowed the hiring manager with your barber resume, they will want to get in touch with you. Your header is your resume’s business card, including your basic contact details.

You need to make sure that this information is clearly laid out. Here’s what you should include: 

• Full name & title. Start with your first and last name plus the word ‘Barber’.
• Professional email address. Next, use a professional email address. Make sure that it is suitable for a workplace setting.
• Phone number. Add a phone number where you can be reached during work hours. Make sure you check the answer phone message before you do so.
• Location. You don’t need to list your whole address or zipcode. Instead, you can simply include your city and state here. If you’re ' Willing to Relocate' say so.
• LinkedIn. While it’s not always common for barbers to have a LinkedIn profile, if you happen to have one and it’s active, you should include it here.
• Website, socials, or portfolio. As a barber, it’s important to showcase your work. You might have a professional website or portfolio page. Some barbers use social sites such as Instagram or Facebook to share their work. Whatever you use, include a link to it here. That way, the hiring manager can check out your work.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: This could lead to age discrimination problems.
• Personal details: You don’t need to include whether you have kids, your marital status, your passport number, etc.
• Photo Headshot: Don’t bother with a headshot as this is not relevant.

Make use of a summary

Next up, it’s time to tackle your summary. This is the short paragraph that sits at the top of your barber resume. It’s the most freeform section of the document. However, you shouldn’t allow it to intimidate you. Simply logically approach this task and you’ll be fine.

Your resume summary needs to be punchy and to the point. You only have 2 to 3 sentences to play with here, so you need to make each one count. There’s no room for flowery language or sentences that don’t add any value to your application. Instead, make sure that each part of your resume summary positions you well for the vacancy at hand. 

Get started by including a selection of action verbs in either simple past or present tense. Examples include delivered, achieved, expanded, excelled, and impressed. Consider where and when you can use these words to have the biggest impact on the reader.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to simply repeat information from elsewhere on your resume. You don’t want to do that. Instead, you should add new information into the mix and quantify your actions. For example, you might write “Fully-trained barber with 10+ years of experience offering services to 20+ clients every week.”

You want to put your best foot forward. That means leaning on your most notable achievement or experience. Think about what experiences you’ve had that are likely to impress the hiring manager. These are the things you want to lead with. It may be worth considering a few options and picking the best one from your drafts. That way, you can choose the most impactful option.

You can find adaptable barber resume examples summary below:

Outline your barbering work experience

Now that you’ve got the reader’s attention, it’s time to outline your most recent work experience. You don’t need to include every role you’ve ever held. Instead, you should only go back as far as the last 10-15 years and include relevant positions. If you’ve had a selection of jobs that don’t fall into the barbering sector, you may choose to list them under “Other experience”. 

It’s important to save words in this section as you don’t have much space. You can do this by excluding the use of “I” or “I am”. You should also use dynamic action verbs, such as delivered, collaborated, and managed to show that you were in the driving seat of this position.

You may be tempted to merely list your day-to-day duties in this section. For example: 

• "Cut and styled hair”
• “Offered style advice to clients”
• “Sterilized grooming equipment”

While these statements cover your duties, they don’t tell the hiring manager much about your value. Sure, you can complete the main tasks of the role, but what results can you offer? Shifting the narrative to encompass your achievements is a smart way to gain attention. 

Switch these generic phrases for hard-hitting, results-based points. Focus on what value you brought with each of your actions. By including a selection of statistics and numbers, you start to paint a clear picture for the reader, showcasing your skills and experience. 

Let’s take a look at how you might rework the above statements: 

• "Cut and styled hair for 100+ clients monthly and stayed up to date on the latest precision cutting trends”
• “Offered style advice to clients leading to an 82% customer retention rating”
• “Sterilized grooming equipment according to the latest guidelines”

Take a look at the barber employment history resume sample below:

How to write a barber resume with no experience 

While there are many routes to becoming a successful barber, apprenticeships have become increasingly popular. If you are applying for this educational program, you need to show the reader that you have both passion and dedication to the sector at hand. 

Start things off by emphasizing your transferable skills. While you will learn a selection of barber-specific skills during your apprenticeship, it’s important to show that you have a good starting point. Consider what soft skills you already have and shout about them.

Next up, you should highlight any experience you have that is relevant. Have you already held a public-facing role? For instance, if you’ve been a server in a restaurant, you are used to working directly with customers and understanding their needs. You may outline this in your application and include details of how this experience boosted your communication abilities overall. 

Additionally, you should delve into why you have decided to pursue the role of barber. What is it about this field that excites you? What unique skills do you bring to the table? When did you first decide that you wanted to follow this career path? Add in these details, where possible. 

When you have no direct experience on your resume, it’s vital that you use an enthusiastic tone. The hiring manager will be looking for a professional who is willing to give this role their all. 

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great barber

Every barber needs a mixture of both hard and soft skills on their resume. Perfecting this art is a fine balance, and you should think long and hard about the skills that you have.

Hard skills are the ones that directly apply to the barbering field. These are the talents you learned when you first trained in this profession. For example, they may include cutting, styling, and grooming techniques plus equipment sterilization. 

On the other hand, soft skills allow you to work well with customers. These include communication skills, organization skills, time management, and active listening. You need to make sure that each customer feels seen when you work with them. 

Our resume builder serves up a selection of pre-written skills you can pick from. In each case, you can add your own proficiency levels. You might also want to add your own skills here.

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our barber resume template. 

 While you can list your top skills in a dedicated skills section, it doesn't end there. It’s smart to give context to each of these skills and pepper them throughout the rest of your resume. 

Here are some of the ways you might add context to your skills: 

• Showcase your trend awareness by outlining the various styles in which you specialize and how you have stayed up to date with them.
• Highlight your customer service skills by talking about your client retention rate.
• Demonstrate your knowledge of various hair types in your portfolio.

Always look to the job description as a guide for what key skills to include.

Detail your education & relevant barbering certifications

The education section for your barber resume doesn’t have to be complicated. As we’ve already covered, there are many different routes to this role. Simply take the time to outline how you got here, i.e. what training you have, in the most direct, straightforward manner. That means using the reverse chronological approach and listing your education in that order. 

Let’s take a look at some of the educational feats you can include: 

• High school diploma. If you don’t have a college degree, you should include this certificate. You can also include your GPA as long as it’s relatively high.
• Degrees. Many college degrees fall into the barbering sector. For example, you might have a degree in cosmetology. If your degree doesn’t match the industry, you can still include it but you may position it lower on the page.
• Apprenticeships. Some states allow you to get your barber license by completing a barbering apprenticeship. Include information about where you gained this qualification and any specific modules you completed.
• Barber license. Since barbering is a regulated profession, you will need to hold a full barber’s license before you can get a job. Include details of it on your resume.
• Additional training. If you’ve completed any additional training—for example, in massage therapy or grooming—you should list it in this section as well.

Pick the right resume layout and design for a barber resume

The design of your barber resume speaks volumes. Make sure that it’s easy to read without being too flashy. Choose a professional font and use limited color throughout the document. 

We recommend using a two-column structure, as this allows you to include a lot of information on one or two pages. You should also make sure that there’s a good amount of white space around the margins and between each section. 

You can make a professional resume in minutes using our resume templates. Check out our resume builder tool to get started now. 

Barber text-only resume example

Barber job market and outlook

The future is bright for barbers in the United States. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 649,400 barber jobs in 2023. The experts suggest that this sector is growing at a rate of 7%—faster than average.

What type of salary you can expect in barbering 

Barbers can expect to make around $16.87 per hour, or $35,080 per year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, how much you actually make will depend on where you work and your skill level. 

Key takeaways for building a barber resume

Crafting a barber resume that wins you an interview doesn’t have to be hard. Make sure you start strong with your unique selling proposition and focus on the value that you bring. Use professional and persuasive language to show the hiring manager that you have what it takes. You should also adopt a straightforward, structured design that suits this competitive field. 

Kickstart your barber job search with our online resume builder, then supercharge it with Resume.io.