Hiring estheticians right out of school
Hi, I hired an esthetician about a month before her graduation from esthetic school. She was referred to me by the school and she came across very sincere and serious about being an esthetician. I hired her and started training her on prepping rooms, cleaning, products and services then basic facial. When I talk to her she seems to agree with everything I say and says she will learn it but after 3 months she was still having inconsistency with prepping and getting things in order (some days she would prep the room completely and other times she forgets things). I even sat her down and went over how to do basic facials and had couple people come in once a month for 4 months (free facials) for her to do facials and learn at least a basic facial. She thinks she is pretty good but how can you tell someone like that they are not as good as they think and need work (I gathered this by observing and asking the clients who came for free facials)?
Now it's been 6 months and she still doesn't quite know products and services we offer. Plus if I try to help her and point things that needs work she gets bent out of shape. She says "Yes" and nods her head but her eyes look like she is irritated and pouting. At first I thought maybe it's just me taking it wrong but I see it when she gets corrected. Who wants to help someone with an attitude like that? She expects me to sit her down and show her all the other treatments and my know hows but doesn't want to work her way up. She doesn't really seem to be interested in promoting herself and she is not ready to handle my clients or assist me with treatments.
Her goal this month is to learn the products and service menu.....that was her goal months ago....
If a person is sincere and really works on improving I don't mind taking my time but I don't need the "Yes, I understand" response and giving me attitude. I have wasted so much time and energy. I have been trying to be understanding and nice about it but I think I will let her go or put her on call.
Maybe I didn't handle this right from the beginning. Any suggestions?
Tags: Employee
Views: 279
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by coldsalineplexus on
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Oh dear. Learning the service menu is third-week stuff, tops, and product knowledge should be at about 60-70% by that point (some knowledge on every product, although they will learn more about individual products and results by working with them.
At this point, it sounds like you might have a lemon.
For future reference, the way I have seen this done best is by having a "training program." Even if she is the only one in your training program for the foreseeable future, just having a training program, with deadlines, incentives, and consequences, will get many people in gear.
But as I said, for whatever reason, she's grouching around on you and that is just bad for business. I would not mess around with the "on call" thing (it might be just what she wants, and allow her to be a mediocre esthetician perpetually); if you're done, call it.
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Permalink Reply by Lisa Fulton on
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Thank you for your advice. I just felt sorry for her and kept thinking if I give her some more time she will get it together but I was wrong. I did give her deadlines but ended up extending it many times. If I was in her shoes I would be so excited to learn about different products and treatments. I had to travel a lot to get training and pay for advance training after school and it wasn't cheap. I will try to be firm and create a training program for the new hires.
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Permalink Reply by Samantha Maline on
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Either people get it or they don't. I've done a lot of interviewing and hiring and I can tell you that I can tell based on the initial hands-on facial (performed on me) whether people are going to get it or not. By the time they're out of school they should have touch down pat. If she didn't show signs of this from the beginning then it was never likely she was going to excel. Also, being a "yes" man doesn't mean they have enthusiasm. Since school does go over extensive skin histology, you should be able to have a decent conversation about skin on a peer-level basis. Did you have dialogue or duologue? This question is asking, did you talk WITH her or AT her?
Be careful not to over-pick a person's methods. Even if you're training them, in this field, we're are our own little eagles and you can throw them out of the nest but how they flap their wings is going to be different than you. We should embrace this as estheticians even though many of us tend to be scrupulous and OCD, we all have our own style, even the newbies. I've learned hard lessons on this trying to train people and teach people what I've learned. What I learned about training is that you have to step back and let it happen, they're either gonna fly or fall.
In the end, pick them better. New esties can sound like they've been at it for years just because they're truly passionate. If they don't sound like this then don't hire them.
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Samantha, I will keep this in mind. Looking back I think I was mostly talking at her. Thank you so much for your comments. This will help me in the future.
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