Feeling bogged down & don’t know what to do

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ZoeCatherall

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Joined
Jul 21, 2020
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Location
Leicestershire
Hi everyone
I’ve recently finished college and within this time I have been job hunting, I sent off 6 different applications for beauty and spa therapy jobs and heard back from 4 getting interviews.
I got 2 offers in the end, one in a hotel spa which I worked a week there before being let go, and then accepted the other offer at a high end well-being and holistic retreat which was right up my street and the most amazing place I had ever stepped foot in. It was small with only 5 other therapists there, I expressed my concerns that I had just come from college and was feeling a bit nervous starting on ‘proper’ clients as due to the pandemic we haven’t really had the whole client experience for the past 2 years. Anyway, the night I got home from my second day there I had a phone call from the spa manager to say that I needed more experience and they were going to let me go.
Now I’ve applied for a couple more jobs on Indeed and have heard nothing back yet, feeling a bit knocked and just unsure what to do with myself to be honest.
The real question is how are you meant to get experience if nobody is willing to give you a chance?
 
I’m not surprised you’re feeling down, but you need to dust yourself down and try again. Don’t take anything too negatively, but look for ways to learn from all your experiences, both good and bad.

The benefits of being a raw recruit is that the Salon/Spa can train you up in the way that they want you to work on their clients. Learn their procedures and interact with clients in a specific way. Usually, that’s seen as a bonus as you won’t have had time to develop any bad habits.

Did either of the salons give you any feedback?
I wonder if you came across as a little bit too anxious?
There’s nothing wrong with being inexperienced but you need to exude a certain degree of calm confidence even when you’re feeling a bit lost.

Are you able to practise on family and friends in the meantime?
 
I’m not surprised you’re feeling down, but you need to dust yourself down and try again. Don’t take anything too negatively, but look for ways to learn from all your experiences, both good and bad.

The benefits of being a raw recruit is that the Salon/Spa can train you up in the way that they want you to work on their clients. Learn their procedures and interact with clients in a specific way. Usually, that’s seen as a bonus as you won’t have had time to develop any bad habits.

Did either of the salons give you any feedback?
I wonder if you came across as a little bit too anxious?
There’s nothing wrong with being inexperienced but you need to exude a certain degree of calm confidence even when you’re feeling a bit lost.

Are you able to practise on family and friends in the meantime?

Hi AcidPerm

Thank you for responding, I suppose I’m not great at hiding my anxiety! But I think there were some gaps in my qualifications such as body wraps and exfoliations and other specialised holistic treatments that I hadn’t heard of and needed more training in.
I also suppose it was to do with not having enough time to properly train me, as I was having to spend a lot of time shadowing the spa manager and having to organise the brand training that would be online and requiring models.
I’m not panicking just yet, but definitely need to keep practicing!
 
You’ve done amazingly well to be offered two great opportunities straight from college. Well done. That’s the first step. The second step is keeping the job.

Being let go so soon is all about your mindset and attitude and not at all about your ability to do the job. They thought you could do it, you didn’t agree and you convinced them very quickly that you were right! So you need to have words with yourself.

You need to acquire the knack of bringing yourself up to speed discreetly and efficiently and not “telegraph” your anxiety to your team members and your boss and most probably to clients. You need to project warm competence and reassuring confidence, no-one can teach you that skill and it’s more important than anything else. It’s ok to ask questions, just don’t look helpless, nod and smile and write notes. Ask specific questions “I have a pedicure today, do you have time to show me how I should set up”. Ask if you can take a photo of someone else’s set up. Be a team player ask if you can help set up for treatments and turn rooms around rather than sitting in a corner reading a manual. Look like you belong - empty bins, fold laundry, look busy and make yourself useful.

As a qualified therapist you are now expected to be competent to take bookings as soon as you’ve been trained. Training in house is “watch one, do one, have one” There are short cuts - so you tube might be the demonstration, and most therapists can do their first treatment on a live paying client that has no idea they are a guinea pig. This is because you already have enough transferable skills

Ive worked in plenty of high end Spas where the training was 5 minutes explanation from another therapist just before going into do a treatment I’d never done before. Terrifying - and two weeks later, having just done two or three treatments I’d find myself “training” another newbie in the same way.

So take a deep breath. Review what you learned in your previous opportunities. Ask yourself how you can do better. If you’re unsure about wraps and polishes, can you do a one day private course to cover the how to basics? Or at least check them out on you tube and book a couple of treatments so you understand them better? Can you ask in interview what the most booked treatments are so that you can focus your induction around the treatments you will be booked for immediately? Can you research the brands before your first day? Could you book a treatment before you start to understand the client experience? Can you engage with the receptionist to manage your bookings so that you do several similar treatments in a row to build your proficiency.

You’ve invested in yourself to get this far, don’t give up. Go back to the place you were let go from. Offer to do some work experience. Ask for part-time temporary work. Find yourself a placement somewhere else. And if you suffer with nerves and anxiety, focus on your passion and your desire to help people, that will get you through.

good luck and keep us posted.
 
Last edited:
You’ve done amazingly well to be offered two great opportunities straight from college. Well done. That’s the first step. The second step is keeping the job.

Being let go so soon is all about your mindset and attitude and not at all about your ability to do the job. They thought you could do it, you didn’t agree and you convinced them very quickly that you were right! So you need to have words with yourself.

You need to acquire the knack of bringing yourself up to speed discreetly and efficiently and not “telegraph” your anxiety to your team members and your boss and most probably to clients. You need to project warm competence and reassuring confidence, no-one can teach you that skill and it’s more important than anything else. It’s ok to ask questions, just don’t look helpless, nod and smile and write notes. Ask specific questions “I have a pedicure today, do you have time to show me how I should set up”. Ask if you can take a photo of someone else’s set up. Be a team player ask if you can help set up for treatments and turn rooms around rather than sitting in a corner reading a manual. Look like you belong - empty bins, fold laundry, look busy and make yourself useful.

As a qualified therapist you are now expected to be competent to take bookings as soon as you’ve been trained. Training in house is “watch one, do one, have one” There are short cuts - so you tube might be the demonstration, and most therapists can do their first treatment on a live paying client that has no idea they are a guinea pig. This is because you already have enough transferable skills

Ive worked in plenty of high end Spas where the training was 5 minutes explanation from another therapist just before going into do a treatment I’d never done before. Terrifying - and two weeks later, having just done two or three treatments I’d find myself “training” another newbie in the same way.

So take a deep breath. Review what you learned in your previous opportunities. Ask yourself how you can do better. If you’re unsure about wraps and polishes, can you do a one day private course to cover the how to basics? Or at least check them out on you tube and book a couple of treatments so you understand them better? Can you ask in interview what the most booked treatments are so that you can focus your induction around the treatments you will be booked for immediately? Can you research the brands before your first day? Could you book a treatment before you start to understand the client experience? Can you engage with the receptionist to manage your bookings so that you do several similar treatments in a row to build your proficiency.

You’ve invested in yourself to get this far, don’t give. Go back to the place you were let go from. Offer to do some work experience. Ask for part-time temporary work. Find yourself a placement somewhere else. And if you suffer with nerves and anxiety, focus on your passion and your desire to help people, that will get you through.

good luck and keep us posted.
Thank you so much! I do definitely need to have words with myself, I think I’ve always suffered with that imposter syndrome where I feel like I’m not good enough to work in salons, but I’ve got the qualifications with flying colours and good references, so I am!
I did send an email to the place where I was let go of asking if they would reconsider even if it was part time work, but I’m awaiting a response, so we’ll see how that goes.🤞🏻
 
Trust your manager. They have far more experience than you in assessing potential. They know what you do in collegem they’ll have a good grasp of what you’ll need to work on. They know how much you’ll improve over the next 12 months.

Imposter syndrome is the habit of asking yourself really bad, disempowering questions. Of course you aren’t the therapist you want to be one week into your first job. . .

Just ask yourself to try your best, That’s all you need to do.
 
Before applying, be sure to investigate the establishment. All the service descriptions, pictures of treatment rooms, products, etc. Read reviews if available.

I’ve looked at possible businesses and decided just from their menu descriptions it wasn’t for me.

Anyone who is willing to touch another person during a professional service is already confident. Your training enhanced your natural abilities.

When I was looking to sell my business I went all over town having services to judge the competence, professionalism and work ethic. Was I ever surprised and not nicely.

If you can afford to, choose a likely place and book yourself a basic service in your field and see what they do firsthand.
 
Ask the manager for feedback as to what you needed to work on
 
Hi everyone,

Just thought I’d update you, I’ve got a meeting with the spa manager where I worked first (where they let me go), so we’ll see what comes from it!
 

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