An impressive resume goes a long way toward improving the health of your career. Start primping with a mind on your desired new look — a great beauty and wellness job — with a resume that gets you noticed.
Take advantage of Resume.io’s powerful resources for job seekers: our resume guides, resume examples for 200+ professions and a user-friendly resume builder. Let us help you present your career with a beauty and wellness resume that glows with potential.
This resume guide, along with the corresponding resume example will cover the following topics:
- What do beauty and wellness professionals do?
- How to write a beauty and wellness resume (tips and tricks)
- The best format for a beauty and wellness resume
- Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education, skills)
- Professional resume layout and design hints.
What do beauty and wellness professionals do?
Beauty and wellness professionals help individuals look and feel better in body and spirit. They are relied upon to help people create an image they feel proud of. They may do this by encouraging physical exercise, performing manicures and pedicures, styling hair or giving massages among other beauty and wellness treatments.
Many of these professions have had to reimagine themselves in the wake of COVID-19 and suffered steep drops in revenue. Many professionals left the industry, either by choice or necessity. In fact, the global beauty market dropped about 30% in the wake of the pandemic, McKinsey and Company said.
Almost half of consumers chose wellness as a top priority in a McKinsey report. The survey found that those consumers define wellness as six categories:
- Health
- Fitness
- Nutrition
- Appearance
- Sleep
- Mindfulness
As a beauty and wellness professional, you may cater to one or more of these health areas.
Beauty and wellness job market and outlook
As we said above, the current market for professions in which a personal touch is required have taken a haircut as the pandemic surges, but in most beauty and wellness careers, your healing touch may be in great demand in the future. Check out the chart below to see where your specialty falls.
Specialty | Expected growth by 2029 | Median annual salary |
---|---|---|
Barbers, hair stylists, cosmetologists | -1% | $27,630 |
Aesthetician | 17% | $36,510 |
Manicurist | 19% | $27,870 |
Massage therapist | 21% | $43,620 |
There’s more good news: Fortune Business Insights predicts the explosion in the beauty and personal care industry will continue with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1% through 2026.
Need more inspiration to write your beauty and wellness resume? See our related resume samples and get inspired to write your own.
How to write a beauty and wellness resume
Before you start on you beauty and wellness resume, you need to understand what goes into it. Your CV should contain the following elements:
- The resume header
- The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
- The employment history section
- The resume skills section
- The education section
When you work with a client, you take into account their personality, lifestyle and needs. You are not going to give a working mom of three small children a hairstyle or workout routine that takes hours to master. The same personalization goes into a successful resume.
Conduct research on your prospective employer and the employees of the establishment. Then, tailor your resume to address the needs and style of that environment. If you can, find out the name of the hiring manager or your potential boss. Try to find a link with that person (perhaps you attended the same school or once worked at the same salon or spa) and use that link to draw them into your resume. This may be a great point to follow up on in your interview.
A well-styled beauty and wellness resume should propel you to an interview. Use this routine to get your there:
- Write as though you are addressing the employer personally. Remember to answer the question: “How will you ease my pain point?”
- You’re in a personal business where looks are very important, so make sure to use a resume template that projects your professional image.
- Optimize your resume for online submissions by taking into account the keywords and phrases your prospective employer used in the job listing.
Personalize to get past the gatekeeping ATS
When you apply for a job online, you are entering your resume and other data into an Applicant Tracking System. These software applications have the power to pass you over before a human being ever sees your excellent qualifications.
To help avoid that fate, use a healthy dose of the keywords and phrases you find within the job listing. Make sure you compare your resume to the listing and adjust to include the exact wording your prospective employer uses.
If you uploaded your resume and it was automatically scanned, go over every entry to make sure the computer interpreted all your data correctly.
Choosing the best resume format for a beauty and wellness professional
Resumes are formatted documents, and they are that way for a reason. Recruiters see dozens, perhaps hundreds, of resumes for each open position. It’s your job to make their lives easier by following a format that allows them to find what they seek within seconds. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to stick with the reverse chronological order resume unless you have a compelling reason not to.
A hybrid resume format may suit you if you are a career changer or are entering the job market for the first time. In those cases, you may check out the resume formats we suggest as chronological alternatives or hybrids. Functional resumes are not favored by recruiters. You should only consider using this format if you are in a highly technical or specialized field as it allows you to emphasize your skills over your work history.
We strongly suggest using the reverse chronological order resume.
Resume summary example: personal touch
Your career calls for a lot of one-on-one interaction, but most of your beauty and wellness resume does not allow you to express yourself. It is within the summary, or profile, section that you have the opportunity to let your personality shine.
While you only have 2-4 lines of text, you can tell a quick story of success and add in descriptive language that tells your prospective employer who you are. Add a sentence about your beauty and wellness philosophy (making sure it meshes with that of your targeted place of employment).
If talking about yourself isn’t your strong suit, try talking to clients, friends and coworkers to see what words they use to describe you and incorporate those into your summary.
You can find a resume example for your summary section below.
Highly skilled and dynamic Beauty and Wellness professional, specializing in cosmetology, esthiology, and treatments supporting the beautification of the skin. Adept in offering the latest esthetic, hair, and nail services.
Employment history CV sample: substance and style
The employment history section of your beauty and wellness resume is where reverse chronological order comes into play. Starting with your most recent position, create bulleted lists that detail your successes at work.
Strong action words, data and details are your materials here. Employers want to know how you have enhanced the places in which you worked, so don’t merely list your responsibilities. Instead, use the STAR method to relate the situation, tell about the task you were charged with, describe your action and detail your results.
If you are looking for specific health and wellness resume examples, we have them! Click here for our massage therapist resume sample. Here is our hair stylist resume example, or try our nail technician resume example. If you are just getting started in the field, the salon receptionist resume example may suit you.
This may mean anything from how you dealt with a difficult client to how you helped ensure the safety of the establishment through enhanced cleanliness protocols.
Below you will find an adaptable employment history resume example.
Esthetician at York Esthetics, New York
April 2018 - August 2021
- Worked to perform outstanding cosmetic skin treatments and massages.
- Prepared treatment rooms to client specifications and adhered to the spa's service standards.
- Greeted guests warmly and escorted them to and from rooms.
- Performed all preparation work and properly cleaned room following treatments.
- Ensured guest comfort and safety throughout treatments.
- Provided massage for the hands, feet, arms, and legs.
- Assisted fellow associates with daily operations to ensure optimal productivity.
Beauty Advisor at Ulta Beauty, New York
July 2014 - March 2018
- Provided clients with exceptional product knowledge, applications, and lessons in makeup and skincare.
- Maintained an environment conducive to sanitation standards.
- Participated in inventory control and product replenishment.
- Determined each guest’s needs and answered questions regarding products and services.
- Informed guests of current promotions, events and services.
- Set up advertising displays and arranged merchandise to promote sales and events.
- Courteously handled sales, refunds, and exchanges of products.
Resume skills example: a mindful listing
Your skills are the backbone of your career, so highlight your best in the skills section of your beauty and wellness resume. We have already mentioned that you need interpersonal, or soft, skills to be great at what you do, but you also need technical know-how and subject expertise that comes from training and experience.
Personalize, personalize, personalize! This section is the easiest one to swap out keywords and phrases to bump up your ranking in the ATS. Brainstorm a “master list” of all your skills and peruse it as you create each new application. Adjust as need be.
Find a balance with the 4-7 attributes you list that gives a well-rounded image of your professional abilities.
Below you will find an adaptable skills resume example.
- Health and Safety Standards
- Cosmetology and Spa Services
- Esthiology Services
- Interpersonal Communication Skills
- Highly Motivated
- Ability to Multitask
Beauty and wellness resume education example
You have come to perhaps the easiest section of your beauty and wellness resume to complete: your education listing. Here, you should list any and all academic degrees you have earned as well as your professional training.
If you need certification for your career, you may also list that here. If you have received any awards or belong to professional organizations, consider creating a separate section and titling it “Awards and Affiliations.” Only do this if your resume falls within the two-page limit.
Below you will find an education resume example as a formatting guide.
Esthiology, Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute, New York
October 2013 - March 2014
High School Diploma, White Plains High School, White Plains, NY
September 2009 - June 2013
Resume layout and design: beautiful presentation
If you are in the beauty industry, you know that appearance counts, especially upon a first meeting. Your resume is your first visual meeting with your prospective employer, so make it count! Give a professional yet personal impression by following the tips below.
Here are some foundations of resume design:
- Make sure your contact information stands out. You want that hiring manager to be able to contact you with a hunt.
- Yes, you have a lot to say, but leave your margins ample and avoid big blocks of type. If it’s not easy to read, it may not be read at all.
- Go for eye-catching, but stay on the conservative side of flashy. You want to be remembered — in a good way.
Consider using one of our resume templates to save you the tedious task of formatting for perfection.
Key takeaways for a beauty and wellness resume
- The beauty and wellness industry has taken a beating because of COVID, but most of these professions are on the upswing as people begin to take care of themselves and rejoin public life.
- You know how to give your clients what they want, so apply those skills to addressing your prospective employer’s needs.
- Swap out those keywords and phrases for each new application to give you the best chance of passing by the ATS.
- Employ our online resume builder to avoid formatting frustration and smooth the path toward your next job!