Esthetician Resume Sample and Tips from HR Pros

If you are interested in applying for a new job, you will need to have a few things ready. For most applications, this will include a strong resume and cover letter combo. If you are using professional social media, it’s also best to have your pages there updated to reflect that you are open to new opportunities.

Today, we will look into how to write a strong esthetician resume that will help you get the job you want.

Here’s what we will look into:

• What a resume is and what it isn’t
• What information you should include in your resume
• Tips for writing an esthetician resume that work
• An esthetician resume template that you can use to write your own resume — and more.

But first, let’s look into what the job of an esthetician involves and what career prospects you may be looking at.

Esthetician job description

So, what are the job duties of an esthetician?

An esthetician is generally responsible for looking at the customers’ skin, evaluating its condition and suggesting treatment. They will also recommend skincare products to their customers that can improve the condition of their skin. There are a variety of services an esthetician may need to provide, depending on where they work: from providing facials to administering more serious cosmetic treatments.

The average salary for an esthetician is estimated at $39,841 per year in the United States area — according to Salary.com.

What is a resume?

First and foremost, your resume is a marketing document. It’s a summary of all your professional credentials and achievements and its job is to get your potential employer interested in you as a job candidate.

Your resume is not your autobiography. Nor is it simply a list of all the things you can do or once did. In fact, this is one of the most common mistakes job applicants make. They turn their resume into a list of what they were supposed to do in previous positions instead of emphasizing what they have achieved.

Your resume also shouldn’t be about what you plan to do. Putting it simply, employers won’t be impressed with your professional aspirations. Rather, they are interested with what you have achieved up to this point and what value you can bring to their team.

Ideally, after reading your resume, the hiring manager should pick up the phone and invite you to a job interview.

So, what should you include in your resume?

Things to include in a resume

The first thing to remember about your resume is that it should be tailored to the job you are applying for. This means that there is no one-fits-all solution here and you will need to see what works best in your specific situation.

With that, there are still some key sections that your resume should have. Below, we will look into what you should include in a resume that’s written in the reverse-chronological format. This resume format is the best option for when you already have some working experience. If you are just starting out, on the other hand, you may be more comfortable with the skill-based resume format.

To learn more about resume formats, check out this post — Top Resume Formats: Tips and Examples of 3 Common Formats.

If you are writing your resume in the reverse-chronological format, here are the sections to include.

Name and contact details

At the top of the page, write down your contact information. This will let the HR manager known whose resume they are reading. They will also be able to instantly get in touch with you if they need more information or would like to invite you for an interview .

Here’s the information to include in your resume contact details:

1. Full name and educational and/or professional credentials.
2. An efficient way to contact you: your phone number and email address. Make sure you use a professional email address such as name.surname@email.com instead of something more informal. If needed, create a separate email box for sending out job applications. You can also include your city of residence. However, it’s not customary to include your full address here.
3. You can also add links to your website, online portfolio or professional social media like LinkedIn. This is a great way to give the hiring manager access to some additional information about you that didn’t make it into your resume.

(If you do choose to include a link to your professional social media, make sure your social media profile is up-to-date and has the information you want your potential employer to see).

Professional summary

After your contact details, include a short professional summary. Here, mention what you are best at and list your most valuable skills that are specifically relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Professional experience

In this section, you should elaborate on your professional experience. However, instead of simply listing of the jobs you’ve had and the tasks you were in charge of, focus on what you’ve been able to achieve in each position. Make sure to mention the name of the company you worked for your job title, key responsibilities as well as the results of your work. Maybe, you’ve completed a number of successful projects. Or, you’ve authored several initiatives that ended up improving company processes. The results and achievements you mention here can also be tailored to what your new employer is looking for.

Education

In this part of your resume, you should mention all the relevant courses and qualifications that you have received. It’s best to start with the highest level degree or qualification.

You can also include other certifications and licenses if you have acquired. However, keep the section short and don’t mention any courses that are not relevant to the job you’re applying for. For instance, if you’ve taken a course as a hobby.

Additional information

This part of your resume is a great place to add any additional information that might help make your case as the best candidate for the job. This can include:

• Skills
• Licenses, certifications and courses
• Foreign languages you speak
• Internships and more

Best practices for writing an esthetician resume

There are several best practices for writing a resume that are generally good to stick to. Here are a few of them:

Tailor your resume to the job you are applying for. Sure, you can keep the main part of your resume (like your professional experience) as a base. However, it’s also a good idea to tweak your resume based on the job description you are applying for. For example, you can pick out a few keywords and key phrases from the job description and use them in your resume. This will make the hiring manager see that you possess the necessary skills and expertise specifically for the job for the position they want to fill.

Keep your resumes short and simple. Most HR managers agree that your resume shouldn’t be longer than a page. This means that it’s best to avoid general phrases or vague language and abstract information. You will get further ahead if you use specific facts, references, examples from previous employment, numbers, etc...

You can highlight the most important information in your resume using bold font or bullet points. Doing so will make your resume much easier to read and will let the hiring manager find out the most important information with just a quick glance at your resume.

We suggest sending out the resumes in PDF format. However, make sure to check is there are any specific instructions in the job description for how you should send out your resume and cover letter.

Before sending out your resume, make sure it’s free of spelling errors or typos. The easiest way to do so is to run your resume through a spellchecker.

Esthetician resume example

Learn more about how to write a resume.

Esthetician resume: FAQ

If you still have more questions about applying for a job as an esthetician, we hope we can answer some of them below.

What skills do estheticians need to have?

There are lots of skills that an esthetician might use in their job. In addition to the knowledge of a variety of cosmetic procedures (skin treatments, hair removal, sterilizing equipment, etc.), an esthetician often needs to have good knowledge of available skin care products, good communication and problem-solving abilities, management and organizational skills — and more.

How do you describe cosmetology on a resume?

To describe cosmetology experience on your resume, you can simply elaborate on the cosmetology procedures that you have performed and how many hours of these procedures you have done or how many clients you have served. You can also mention the specific procedures that you specialize in.

How do I write a cover letter for an esthetician?

We have a complete guide on how to write an esthetician cover letter + an esthetician cover letter template — Esthetician Cover Letter Example and Advice from HR Pros.