Esthetician Job Application: How to Stand Out (part 2)

This is the second part in a series of three.

To read part 1, please follow this link: Job Application Success (pt 1)

THE COVER LETTER

This is the most important tool in your job application tool kit. DO NOT skip this step! 

What is a Cover Letter?

The Cover Letter is magic. It’s great for the employer and great for the prospective employee. As applications come in, those with a Cover Letter will be noticed quickly. Whereas a form application might be skimmed or may even be ignored (at least for a while), a Cover Letter will be immediately read in its entirety.

To the employer, it is refreshing to see someone who took the time to present themselves professionally. A Cover Letter done well will explain why this person is applying for this job, what they believe they can bring to the job they are applying for, and will express their gratitude for the opportunity to be considered. And with that, the employer already knows the highlights of this person’s Resume before they have even read it.

How to write a Cover Letter:

Keep it short (one page), simple, professional and honest. Make sure your Cover Letter is created specifically for the business you are applying to as opposed to a generic letter that will be sent to all jobs you are interested in.

Think like the employer of this business: What can you bring to this business? What does this business want and need in an employee? In other words, how can you fill their specific needs? It goes without saying that 99% of applicants for this position will have esthetics skills that are similar to yours. So think beyond that: What specific benefits can you offer to this business beyond traditional esthetics skills?

Do a little research on the company you are applying to. Then determine what you might have in common with the business, such as their location or the products they use. Have you been there before? Do you know someone who goes there and loves it? Have you heard great things about their services? Have you heard it’s a great place to work? Do you live in the neighborhood? Have you lived in the area for a long time? Do you have clients you can bring to the business?  Are you a "people person"? Have you taken advanced esthetics classes? Do you attend trade shows regularly?

Be sure to use true statements, of course. But be wary of defaulting to very common and overused statements such as “I love making people feel good.” Of course, this is a true statement but it’s not specific to you because all/most Estheticians feel that way. Say, for example, this business’s demographic is predominately mature women. You can say something like, “I have always been curious about the skin, how it changes with age, which ingredients are used in products and why.”

Or perhaps the demographic is mostly younger women, or women who have teenage children. If you’ve ever had a skin condition such as acne, you can say “My battle with acne as a teenager led me to study the skin and what causes various conditions and how to resolve them.” Or maybe you are familiar with the product line they use and sell. That means to the employer a far easier transition into their services and home care products. 

A note to new Estheticians: Even if you are not yet employed, go to trade shows and take classes or watch live demos to learn about various product lines, services and equipment. (These are included with the price of admission to the trade show.) You never know when that information will be a major factor that helps you get the job!  

The Cover Letter is your chance to stand out. Don’t waste that chance. Use a nice font for your Cover Letter and make it beautiful to fit the job you are applying for as as opposed to a tech job. And definitely proofread your Cover Letter. Or better yet have somebody else proofread it. Two sets of eyes are always better than one when it comes to proofreading. It’s not that you must be an excellent writer or speller to be a great Esthetician. But a flawless Cover Letter shows the attention to detail and the professionalism that every employer would love to have representing their business.   

SAMPLE COVER LETTER

Hello, my name is [Name of Applicant].

I am writing to express my sincere interest in the Esthetician position at [Name of Business].

I have lived in [area/neighborhood] since [year] and have driven by your beautiful salon often. I have been a Licensed Esthetician since [year]* and my dream has always been to join the Esthetics team at [Name of Business]. I was so excited to see your ad on Indeed.com yesterday!

As you will see on my Resume, my background encompasses my passion for all things Esthetics, including [esthetic specialties, etc.] and I believe my past work experience is in line with your needs.

I am a team player, organized, and detail-oriented, and I truly love working with people. I am always eager to learn new techniques, so I keep myself up-to-date by attending trade shows and various esthetics-related classes. I appreciate the importance of not only providing excellent esthetics services to clients but also to assist them with home care products and skin care regimens.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration of my resume. Should you wish to contact me, I can be reached at the phone number and email address noted above.

Sincerely, 

(* if you are a very new Esthetician, it's okay to leave out the year on the Cover Letter.)

As you read through this sample Cover Letter, try to identify the many important details the employer will learn about you; such as confident, respectful, professional, outgoing, likes people, appreciates the importance of home care, team player, likes to learn, lives in the neighborhood so can speak easily with local clients (and probably won’t be late for work!)

The prospective employer is already impressed with you before he or she has even glanced at your Resume!

NEXT BLOG: (Part 3) The Resume