What Now?

10/20/2010

It has almost been a month since I graduated from Tricoci University for Nail Technology. The school prepared me for everything except my nerves!

I have applied to a few nail salons/spas and was offered a position as a nail tech at them all. I turned a few of them down except for the one I feel is the best fit for me.

I interviewed with the spa manager (this was a face-to-face meeting) and that went well. I will tell all my fellow nail tech students that while a business suit is not always warranted, you at least need to wear the industry “uniform” of all black. Your hair and nails should be done and you should have on SOME makeup. I mean, this is the BEAUTY industry — why not try your best to show your outer beauty? I digress.

The next part of the interview was the practical part. (Sound familiar? Yes, it’s like the practical exams you take in nail school.) I had to do a dark no-chip gel-polish on the spa manager. DARK NO-CHIP. OMG. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. The preferred no-chip of this spa is OPI Axxium Soak-Off. We touched on this in class, but didn’t learn too much about it. The day before the interview, I went on OPI’s website and watched the soak-off tutorial about 20 times. I just had to get it down!

Needless to say, I did very well (better than what I expected having never used the soak-off before). The spa manager was also very surprised and pleased at the extra steps I took to make sure the area, implements and equipment were sanitized and that she was comfortable. I tried very hard not to look too nervous, even though approximately one million butterflies were fluttering in my stomach.

And…

I was HIRED!

Here are a few nuggets of knowledge I want to pass along to my fellow nail tech students and recent nail grads:

• Be professional ALWAYS — from the initial call/resume drop off to the service to the sanitation.

• Don’t let your nerves get the best of you — YOU CAN DO IT!

• Read/research any and all aspects of the nail industry — education continues even after you have graduated(NAILS Magazine is an EXCELLENT source for all things nails — get a subscription).

•  Be you — never try to be someone you are not

I will continue to share with you my experiences — stay tuned because I start studying for the state board in November.

— Maricha