Cosmetology Resume Example & Writing Guide

What is a cosmetologist?

Cosmetologists are trained in the art and science of beauty care. They provide optimal cosmetic treatments for their clients’ skin, hair, and nails, while focusing on enhancing beauty and well-being. Opportunities for cosmetologists can be wide-ranging, from working in a salon or the fashion industry to arranging hair and make-up in theater, television, and movies. 

Why use this cosmetologist resume example?

Creating a compelling and convincing resume can be a difficult task. As a cosmetologist, you need to focus on what sets you apart from your peers to make a positive impression on a hiring manager. Our resume example and style guide will walk you through the process of highlighting the specific soft and hard skills, experience, and accomplishments to set you apart in the cosmetology crowd.  

The qualifications profile in our resume example ensures that key points really stand out by highlighting areas such as artistry, professional treatments, and strong client relationship skills. Rather than including a lengthy paragraph, we highlight each key skill area via bullet-points to create more impact, improve readability, and make sure important points are covered. 

The professional experience section balances paragraphs with bullet points to make contributions stand out in the initial scan of the resume by the hiring manager. A concise paragraph of specific responsibilities follows for the later in-depth review. Achievements are important in demonstrating how you can add value in your next role in terms of awards, accolades, and participation in industry events or projects.     

How to write a great cosmetologist resume

For your cosmetologist resume to be successful, you need to open with a strong and convincing professional summary. Highlight your level of experience, artistic skills, treatment experience, client relationship skills, commitment to CPD, and any awards, accolades, or recognition you have received in your career to date.

The all-important professional experience section comes next. Start with your most recent experience and work back to earlier roles, covering up to 10 years of your work history. Focus on using action verbs at the start of each sentence, such as interact, perform, or collaborate, and check the job description for any specific keywords to tailor your resume to each job opportunity. Follow up by highlighting specific accomplishments and wins in the cosmetology field with a bullet-point list of achievements.

If your earlier work experience is very similar to your more recent experience, it’s perfectly fine to group this together as additional experience. This can be italicized under the main professional experience with job title, company name, location (city and state) and years of employment (if within the last 15 years) - as per the resume example. 

It’s important to detail where you received your foundational knowledge of cosmetology in the education section. If this is through a diploma, you should include details of the diploma, where you completed it, and the year if within the last 10 years. Most cosmetology jobs (but not all) require a license, so be sure to look at the requirements for the specific job in your state, and include the license(s) you have. Certifications are of great interest to recruiters, so include any relevant certificates in a separate section following your education.

Which skills are relevant for a cosmetologist resume?

When outlining skills on a cosmetologist resume, make sure they are relevant to the opportunity by checking the job description to identify in-demand skills. Here are some hard and soft skills to include:

• Cosmetic treatments

• Make-up application

• Trend tracking

• Hair styling

• Skin care

• Client relations

• Artistic direction

• Communication

• Collaboration

• Team leadership