Lessons Learned from Hunting for Nail Salon Job

Remember the blog in which I mentioned the salon interview and the difficulties of finding a job? The struggle is real! I am gaining so much insight as to why a nail professional would graduate from school, look for a job, get discouraged, and then leave the industry.

Job hunting does not pay the bills. If you live in a state that does not allow mobile services, your ethics may hold you back from moving forward with building a clientele on your own to get things rolling. At this point, I have the necessary contacts to have a good start, just no salon to work on them in. Rent at a salon suite is great for established techs that will be working full time. With education being my full time focus, this is a very pricy option for me since I would be paying for a space that I would only use four to six days a month. Even if I were to cut back on education and work weekly a couple days, this still is not a financially viable option. This could be a common issue for newbies that need to start out part time doing nails while keeping their “day job” to pay bills. My desire to be part of a salon family keeps me on the hunt for that place where I will belong.

Sadly, the job offers I’ve received from owners willing to take me on from reading the previous blog are in other states, or more than an hour commute one way! This also makes me far more understanding of why some nail pros would choose to take cash under the table and do nails mobile, regardless of the laws. It is hard not to see it as less of a concern than salons that are willingly dirty and undereducated. Ethics don’t seem to pay the bills either. I feel a responsibility to myself and my readers to do things in the proper manner. This has led me to actually get a part time job outside of the industry. I now am sales leader at a popular retail clothing store for fabulously fluffy women. It is a lot of work, for much less than I am used to making in an hour in the salon. This is really frustrating and has the added benefit of making me wonder why nail professionals continue to underprice themselves, therefore achieving the same result of lots of labor with little return.

What I am gaining from the experience is a broader perspective on the industry that becomes empathy for situations I had not previously understood. I’m also putting my color theory, retail skills, and fashion knowledge to the test on a daily basis. Customers are also leaving the store with a recommendation on what nail colors would best compliment their new purchases!