Cosmetology Resume: Top Writing Tips and Examples

get started today

ResumeGiants » Examples » Cosmetologist Resume

Cosmetology is all about making sure you give your customers the perfect makeover and ensure they are styled up and looking lovely. 

Not only that, but you’ve learned all about the latest trends in hair color and fashion, and you’re great at making people look beautiful. But do you know how to beautify a resume?

As a cosmetologist, when it comes time to apply for a new job, you’ll want to make your resume easy to look at, to get the attention of a hiring manager. 

There’s no doubt that the best resumes have something special that sets them apart from other candidates’ resumes. If your resume doesn’t have that WOW factor when hiring managers read it, then don’t expect them to call you back for an interview.

When people go to you to enhance their physical features, they expect to look so good they turn everyone’s head. By using our free online resume builder, we can do the same for your resume.

In this guide, we’ll explore some of our how to create an effective cosmetology resume by reviewing:

• Cosmetology resume examples, including what to add and what to avoid. 
• Essential skills to add to your resume.
• Cosmetology resume objective and summary tips and advice.
• How to add your experience to your resume.

We will also offer further tips and advice that can help you gloss up your job application and ensure you land an interview.  You can also check our advice for creating resumes in the beauty industry like our professional and ready to download .

• Esthetician Resume
• Make-up artist
• Hair Stylist Resume

Looking over an example of a cosmetology resume is a great way to understand what information you should include.

To get some inspiration, here’s a cosmetologist resume example that you can use to design the perfect resume. 

You can look over plenty of other resume examples as well, to inspire yourself even more. 

resume Example

Copy to clipboard

Copied!

[Courtney Martin]

[Cosmetologist]

[Maple Street, Cincinnati, OH, 55111 | (555) 971-7832 | cMartin123@gmail.com]

Summary

Certified cosmetologist with 4+ years of professional experience. Satisfied hundreds of clients when applying their cosmetics and used original beautifying techniques. Kept clients happy and retained around 90% of my clients over 4 years thanks to cosmetics expertise, communication, and creative methods.

Experience

Madonna’s Beauty Parlor/ Cosmetologist/Cincinnati, OH /2018-2022

• Worked with new employees, teaching them how to apply cosmetic treatments
• Earned $2,500 weekly by selling beauty products
• Kept steady relationships and business with over 60 clients
• Participated in monthly culinary meetings and contributed ideas for new menu items 
• Retained a 99% approval rating from 2021-2022

Education

2012-2016 Northern Ohio Beauty Academy 

Cosmetology Program with official Ohio Cosmetology License 

• Specialized in makeup, skincare, and hair treatment
• Highest graded student in the class. 

Skills

• Skincare Service
• Cutting
• Waxing
• Organization
• Leadership
• Sales Skills

Certifications

• Ohio State Cosmetology License

Hobbies and Interests

• Listening to Cosmetology Podcasts

When your clients look in the mirror after an appointment with you, they expect to look more than presentable. 

Choosing the correct format will make your resume the bell of the ball. 

It’s essential to have the correct resume format for a few different reasons: 

• A hiring manager can quickly scan your information 
• You can highlight your strengths and hide your weaknesses
• You can show that you are an organized employee

If you send your resume online, it will be important to send it as one of the following: 

• PDF
• Word 

There are some other formatting tips you should keep in mind. 

Font and Size

Use the same font and size throughout your resume. This will help your resume look neat and clean, which is a major plus for any professional document. 

The font should also be easy to read, so don’t try anything too fancy.

Use an 11-12 font size and use either Times New Roman or Arial as your style. 

Reverse Chronological or Functional

Unless you are creating an entry-level cosmetology resume, use a reverse chronological resume format. 

If you have more than two years of experience, this is the ideal resume format, as you will be highlighting your experience from your latest job to your first position. 

This means you’ll list all of your jobs in order from most recent to least recent, rather than listing only one or two jobs at the top of the document. Afterward, you can go into detail below them later on in the chronological progression of events that led up to their completion.

If you must write a beginner cosmetology resume, then you have to go with a different approach. A functional resume format would be best, as you don’t have much experience. 

You’ll need to apply the correct makeup to cover up that fact and focus on highlighting your skill, which is what a functional format does. 

Using Bullet Points

Bullet points are great tools used heavily within many industries’ resumes. That is especially true for those related directly to those professions requiring certain skill sets.

By using bullet points, you can make the most important information easily seen, which is a great way to grab the hiring manager’s interest. 

Also, keep in mind that many job recruiters and employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to save time in their employment searches. 

This is an automated system that looks out for keywords, in this case, your skills, experience, and certifications as a cosmetologist need to be easy to find. Our cosmetology resume templates make it easy to apply all of these formatting methods.

For this part of your licensed cosmetology resume or even if you are not yet certified, you’ll want to put the fancy lip gloss on to stand out. 

A resume summary or objective is the first thing that potential employers see, so it’s important to make a good first impression. 

Just like deciding on your resume format, choosing between a summary and an objective often comes down to your experience. 

If you’re more experienced, a summary would be the better option. 

Take the time to craft an engaging opening statement that will grab attention right away and showcase your skills and experience as they relate to the job you’re seeking.

Here are some tips for writing a resume summary or objective:

• Describe experience clearly: “I am an experienced cosmetologist who has managed staff in salons across Dallas” instead of “I have worked in salons across Dallas.”
• Include how you can benefit their business: “My extensive experience managing teams of stylists has given me valuable insight into ways we can increase productivity at our salon.”
• Keep it short and sweet: One sentence should suffice!

When writing your resume summary, keep in mind that you are trying to sell yourself as a potential employee. 

You may want to include a couple of keywords from the job description and focus on describing how you can meet those needs with your experience and qualifications.

Cosmetology Resume Summary: What to Write

So you’re going with the old but gold look and using a resume summary. 

This will be your chance to show you can be a precious asset to any salon, spa, or beauty parlor. 

You can use your work history to close the deal. 

What you should do, however, is mention relevant experience, and avoid irrelevant details at all costs. 

Yeah, that makeover went wrong. It’s great to highlight your skills and experience, but working in an after-school program has little to do with the job you’re applying for. 

Here’s what you should do.

Cosmetology Resume Objective: What to Write

Is this a cosmetology student resume? Are you just getting started? 

Well, it may seem a bit harder to give your resume a new hairdo without a lot of experience, but it isn’t all that difficult. 

The best cosmetics for your resume will be your objective if this is the first real cosmetology job application you are submitting. 

You’ll want to focus on your skills in your objective statement. 

Have a look at how you can do just that. 

This example does a great job of showing off the candidate’s impressive leadership skills.

When it comes to your education, you need to include the name of your school and the date you graduated. Then list your degree, certification, or license.

Additionally, mention any awards, honors, or scholarships that you have received. 

Include any relevant coursework or certifications that are pertinent to this job role.

If there are some courses where you excelled compared to other students in your major field of study, then by all means make note of them too. 

The more impressive items on your resume will help convince a hiring manager that they should consider bringing in an applicant.

The experience section may be what makes or breaks an applicant. Just like at a beauty pageant, your resume will be judged. 

How do you ensure that you give your job application it needs to take home the top prize? 

To start with, you can use our resume templates and tips to spruce up this important section. 

You want to be clear, but don’t give your experience a plain look.

What you need to avoid is an experience section that reeks of generic information. You want to have a 10/10 appearance. 

Here is what you should add:

The example gives great insight as to how skills were used and got results in a previous job.

Now that you have your list of education and experience, it’s time to put together your skills section.

This part is especially significant if you are lacking experience. 

Maybe you don’t have the work experience some other candidates have, but by putting together a good list, employers will see what makes you stand out.

The best way to organize this section is by grouping together your hard and soft skills. 

For example, makeup application and skincare are hard skills, so they can be listed as seen below:

This will show that you can add plenty of quality to a business even without having much prior employment.

Whether it’s a cosmetology graduate resume, an experienced resume, or anything else, a well-written resume is the key to landing the position. 

To add the finishing touches to your resume makeover, remember: 

• Be detailed and not generic when explaining your skills, education, and experience. 
• Use the format that works best for you. 
• Always highlight your strengths (experience or skills) in your summary or objective. 

By following these tips and using our resume builder and templates, you can ensure your resume is easy on the eyes and land yourself a new job.