15 Questions to Ask at a Salon Interview
What questions should you ask at a salon interview for a hairstylist, barber, or cosmetologist position?
After Beauty School, it’s stressful trying to find a salon that is just the right fit for you. But where do you even start? What kinds of red flags should you look out for?
Don’t worry, we’ll go over all of the necessary questions to ask at a salon interview as well as things to ask yourself about a shop before making a decision.
BEFORE the Salon Interview
Google the shops that you’re checking out. Read their reviews, are they any good?
If yes, then call and set up an interview. Or better yet, don’t call, just stop in and check it out.
When you pull up, is it a good area? Do you feel safe?
Notice, is this potential shop visible to the road? Is there enough parking for the guests? Accessibility is important for building a clientele, if your clients can’t get to you or find your shop, it’s a lot harder to build a clientele.
Do you have any photos of the work you’ve already done? Even haircuts and color from school is great! Have a few photos of your work ready for when a salon interview is scheduled.
Before Setting up the Salon Interview- Visiting the Shop
While you are in the lobby check it out. Feel the vibe.
Let the front desk know that you’re a student and just want to look around. Most salons will absolutely allow that, and even give you a tour and answer any questions you will have.
But, before any questions are asked, just sit in the lobby for a minute. Can you imagine yourself succeeding here?
Grab a business card on your way out. You should be visiting several shops before making a decision and sometimes after the third shop they start to get jumbled, so grab a card and make notes as soon as you leave.
Can you imagine yourself in this shop?
Watch the people. Your potential future co-workers. Are they happy? Do they talk to each other? Do they smile and carry on conversations?
How is the work coming out of these chairs? Your future co-workers will play a significant hand in your reputation as a stylist at the beginning. So look at their work, do you like their haircuts and colorwork?
Their skills, and hopefully yours too once you get the job, are what gives the shop a reputation for a good or less great place to get hair done, so do you like to carry the reputation that the stylists there already built, or not?
What kind of clientele comes into this shop? Do you want to work for the kind of people who frequent the establishment?
If you like the shop, leave a resume. If not, don’t.
What if the shop is dirty? Or the people aren’t friendly.
What if the shop has a horrible reputation.
YOU ARE NOT OBLIGATED in any way to leave your resume or set up an interview if you’re not impressed overall with the shop. And if that’s the case, it’s okay! there will be a shop for you and this just isn’t the one.
Is the shop clean? And the staff was friendly and you can imagine yourself working in the shop, absolutely leave your resume. Even if they don’t have a ‘we’re hiring’ sign in the door.
Preparing for the Salon Interview
Make a good first impression!
👉 Dress the part. Dress like you want the job, and do your hair and makeup!
👉 Especially do your hair! If you are looking for employment in the beauty industry, you have to look like you know what you’re doing and that you care about your appearance.
👉 Arrive early.
👉 Some shops require practical interviews when you bring your own model, and others don’t. When you set up the interview confirm whether you will need to provide your own model so you can arrange to schedule the interview around you and your model’s schedule.
At the Salon Interview
Are you dressed and have your makeup done? Good. Now let’s get started with the nitty-gritty part of nailing the job.
Be early.
Show up to the salon interview early, and if a model is required make sure they are on time as well. Be sure to send them reminders because it’d be a bummer if you showed up to the interview and your model didn’t. #awkward!
Questions the Salon Owner Might Ask YOU
You will be asked a few questions about your qualifications at first.
✔️’Are you licensed or still in school? When are you taking the exam?’
You may also be asked other questions like,
✔️ ‘What is your greatest weakness?’
✔️ ‘Have you ever worked in the service industry before?’
✔️ ‘Would you consider yourself a team player? How important is being on a team to you?’
They’ll probably also ask about your flexibility regarding the schedule and how you feel about staying late as well.
Tell Me About Yourself
If your potential new employer asks you to ‘Tell me about yourself’, this is a great sign! This shows that they are interested in you as a person and that they want to ensure that you will be a good fit for the team.
When asked to talk about yourself, mention things like-
- I’m detail-oriented
- A team aspect is important to me, I like to work together with other co-workers to make a business run smoothly
If they are wanting more personal details about yourself, keep it general like-
- I like to spend time with my dog, cat, family, or friends
- I spend a lot of time reading in my downtime
- I am a die-hard football fan, so you might hear me talk about my favorite team a lot
Questions to Ask at a Salon Interview
Questions to ask the salon owner or manager
Now it’s YOUR turn to interview the shop. Here are some questions to ask salon owners or managers at your interview.
If the salon interview has gone well this far, you probably have some of your own questions, unprompted by this article, to ask for yourself. And by all means, ask them all!
👉 Does the shop operate as a team?
Ask about the team, do they all get along? Is there shop drama?
I’ve personally worked in cut-throat shops where it is literally a shark-eat-shark kind of place where no one offers to help you when you’re struggling. And I’ve worked in shops when everyone is aware of what’s going on and offers to help in every way possible.
For example, if I were running terribly behind and missed my lunch, the front desk would stall for me for 2 minutes so that I could scarf down a protein bar and use the bathroom. Other co-workers would sweep the floor at my station as well as theirs, and vice versa. We were a team.
The answer to this question is yes, always yes. There will always be some kind of drama in the shop, though some shops have less and more bearable levels than others.
👉 How does their system of payment work?
Is the shop commission, booth rent, or hourly? Do they have a sliding pay scale?
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👉 Do you have to bring your own clientele with you?
If you are straight out of beauty school I strongly recommend exercising caution if their answer is yes. You want a shop with plenty of walk-ins that you don’t have to fight to get into your chair.
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👉 How many walk-ins does the shop get in an average day?
To start out, there should be no less than 12 walk-ins for you to be able to take at the new shop, per day. Any more walk-ins are also excellent for gaining experience.
👉 Does the shop have continued education classes?
Continued education is important. There are always new trends and new techniques, as well as new terms for the same haircuts that are as old as time, but someone will walk in and ask you for something new that you have never heard of, so you want to be on top of what is trending.
👉 What do the benefits look like?
Most shops, especially non-corporate, have minimal benefits if any, but again some have excellent benefits. Keep this in mind when going to the interview.
What does the manager expect from the employees?
👉 Are the scheduled hours flexible? Is it a set schedule or does it change weekly?
Who owns the business and are they active in the industry?
This question is so that you are aware that either the boss works alongside you, or the shop is run by managers who work behind the chair alongside you but report to a higher-up.
👉 Are there any tools that the shop provides or do you have to bring all of your own?
Is there a receptionist? If not, you will be partially responsible for the front desk, what does that look like in this shop?
👉 Do you have to sign any kind of contract to work here?
If yes, read the contract carefully and exercise caution, if you have to leave the shop quickly for whatever reason, you don’t want to be legally connected with them for a set period of time and not able to work elsewhere.
👉 Is there a no-compete contract?
Don’t allow this list to overwhelm you. There are a lot of questions to ask and I guarantee, if you ask questions after they think they’ve finished the interview, it is impressive and leaves a good impression on your potential new employer (or manager).
👉 What product lines do they use for back bar and retail. Do they offer education on those products?
If you have more questions about the shop ask the manager. Don’t hesitate, even if you think it’s a silly question, because if they answer a ‘silly’ question gently you will learn from this manager. If they answer a ‘silly’ or obvious question roughly or harshly, you won’t learn from them.
27 Questions to Ask a Salon Owner
These are some of the best and most important questions to ask at a salon interview.
Red Flags
🚩 Notice how the staff treat each other and the front desk. Are they rude or kind? Do they operate as a team with the team?
🚩 A no-compete contract usually just means you can’t work at two shops at the same time. It’s typically not an issue but a good thing to be aware of. If the contract is anything other than a non-compete, I’d consider that a red flag.
🚩 Are there dirty color bowls sitting in the sink? Or piles of hair in the catch? Is the shop clean? Check the bathroom and the sink drains.
🚩 Does the shop smell? Believe it or not, it is a factor in keeping clients. I’ve worked in a place next door to a stinky establishment and I lost clients that had originally followed me just because the shop smelled bad (I wasn’t there long.)
🚩 Did anyone greet you when you walked in the door? If not, this would be considered a red flag as well. It’s not hard to say ‘Hello! I’ll be with you shortly.’ If that’s too much work, you do not want your name associated with that shop.
🚩 Can you feel any click vibes? Some shops form clicks that are hard to get into, or out of. It makes the work environment uncomfortable to be in every day.
🚩 Is the shop hidden behind another building? Could you find the shop easily when you first visited? If yes, awesome! If not, then maybe you should add this to your cons list.
Green Flags
👍 The staff is friendly.
👌 The shop is clean.
👍 You are welcome to build a clientele here.
👌 Everyone works together as a team and helps each other out in the shop.
👍 The manager is present, not absent.
👌 Clients seem to leave the shop happy.
👍 If all of the above are checked off of your list, then this shop is a great option for you! You will succeed and learn, and thrive here.
Consider
Visit several shops, not just one, and make a list of pros and cons.
Did the manager answer all of your questions?
Did you like the area? The shop? The vibe?
You deserve the best, so don’t settle for less. If you choose a shop just for convenience’s sake, measure carefully if it’s worth it.
Work in a place where you will thrive!
I wish you the best of luck!
If you have anything to add to questions to ask at a salon interview please let me know! I don’t want to forget anything and would love your valuable feedback!