Guide to Making It on the Spa Industry
Just because spas offer its customers full relaxation and respite from the daily stress and hustle and bustle of the metropolis, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the people working behind it are on Zen mode 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In fact, managing a spa or taking on a spa career comes with as many guidelines and technicalities as the average Windows operating system. While it may seem odd that we compare something deemed stress-relieving to something a little stress-inducing, this is the reality. A spa is considered a place for rest—but this only applies to the customer. For the people behind it, a spa is busy one-way street.
If you’re thinking about entering the spa world and taking on a career as an aesthetician, therapist, manager, or whatever, do not be disheartened just yet. Sure, while it’s true that running a spa is quite stressful, it can also be very rewarding.
A Growing Industry
Statistics shows that the job opportunities in the spa industry are among the fastest growing in the world. This is not a surprise especially with the rising population, growing consumer demand for physical excellence and beauty and quadrupling personal incomes all over the world. This is what globalization has done to most industries and, luckily, the spa world is among those that are likely to reap the greatest benefits.
It is for this reason that a lot of people are entering training programs to become manicurists, massage therapists, cosmetologists, barbers, electrologist, skin care specialists, and the like. Schools offering such courses are popping up everywhere, each offering a distinct style that when put together have only one thing in mind, that is, customer satisfaction. A spa’s greatest goal is to make each one of its clients happy when they step out. A spa is every distressed urban jungle hound’s wonderland and nirvana.
Easing the Worry Out
As mentioned, a spa’s goal is provide pampering. Thus, if you are seeking a career in this industry, you must also have this goal in mind. Sure, while the job opportunities in this industry is growing at an alarming rate, you must also know what you’re getting into and, at least, enjoy what you’re doing. For how can you ensure complete customer satisfaction when you yourself are not having fun in the process?
You see, working in a spa entails a job that entails touch and personal interaction with the client. Hence, a sunny or at least serene disposition is required of people who hold spa-related jobs. When customers go to a spa, they expect to be treated like royalty and positive energy. That’s why even if you’ve had a huge fight with your significant other right before you went to work, this should never reflect on how you perform your job.
Indeed, it is probably safe to say that spa employees are the best actors in the business industry, next to sales people, because their work requires them to temper their feelings and set aside their personal lives while they’re doing their jobs. As an effective spa therapist, you must be able to ward off the negative and wear the positive while you’re on your shift. This is quite challenging. However, if you do want to succeed and thrive in this industry, you should be prepared to do this once in a while. Otherwise, don’t have this job at all.
Service is Key
If you love what you’re doing, it will be easier for you to become good at it when the time comes. While money is key motivator to performing well, it should not be the only reason why you’d want to work in a spa. You can channel all your negative energy into taking additional spa-related courses and, instead, challenging this negativity by trying to advance in the field. For instance, if you’re the resident hairdresser, you might want to vent your frustration by enrolling in advanced hairstyling classes to further your career.
The key is to channel all your doubts into something that’s productive and constructive, and toward something that would help you grow further in your chosen field. This is not exclusive to spa careers, though, as you should practice this with any situation in your life.
The sooner you decide that you want a career in the spa industry, the better, because you will get an early headstart in terms of training and getting the right mindset. Just because working in a spa entails working in a quiet environment that doesn’t seem to have known conflict during its lifetime, it doesn’t mean you have to scrimp on the preparations. Again, because the spa industry is turning global faster than you can say, well, ‘global’, you must learn to ride with the times and get all the training you can get your hands on.
Of course, as with any career, you should know what you’re getting into before you ‘decide’ that a certain job is right for you. A spa career is no walk in the park. It will stress you out. However, if you find that this is your calling, that you are meant to be in the service industry, then you should exercise all means possible to get it done and done well.
If you need more advice on whether a spa career is perfect for you, assess your personality first or seek the advice of a career counsellor. You never know what’s best unless you take an outside looking in approach to your career options. Or you could go visit a nearby spa and observe how its staff and crew operate, and note how well they keep their composures and energy despite the entire day’s backbreaking work load. After that, if you still think that you’re fit for the job, then by all means, go for it. Good luck!
Archive for the ‘Career Management’ Category
About Spa Career/management
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010Career Management Planning
Sunday, August 22nd, 2010Years ago it was the norm to get a job at 18 or so and remain with the same company until retirement. Times have changed since then and with todayâ??s technology and ever changing environment, this is no longer the case. Matching up jobs and people can be an extremely difficult task and in any work situation there are people who are mis-employed whereby their jobs donâ??t make use of their talents and skills, and those who hold jobs they are no longer qualified to do due to reasons such as new technology. When an organization needs to restructure it has to deal with these people, either by finding them alternative positions within the company, retraining them to fit an existing position or make redundancies. When it comes down to termination, redundancy, downsizing or outplacement, whatever you want to call it, it is extremely important that it is dealt with using tact, sensitivity and especially understanding. The effects, on such individual, of a job loss, will be of huge impact as all of a sudden life has to be looked at and planned without the habituate such as a regular paycheck, health insurance, company car, overtime and other benefits. Although the financial/material effects are a big factor to deal with, there are more important effects such as psychological factors to be taken into consideration, like stress, self confidence and the worry of their place in society. Companies also need to be concerned about the other employees not facing the same thing as they might feel guilty, fear for the foreseeable future and de-motivated.Our work often gives us our sense of personal identity, providing us with self-respect and social status. When meeting someone for the first time, one of the most common questions asked is â??what do you doâ??? Although we like to complain about our jobs, generally work is seen as a positive thing and if we didnâ??t have work to occupy us our lives would lose a lot of its meaning. Some view work as their main supply of satisfaction in life, finding it a deeply rewarding experience and crucial for a successful society. In order to keep up with competition and survive in the ruthless world we live in every company has to restructure at times. There are going to be decisions that some individuals will not like, but if you can make these people see that the company supports their staff through transition programs, it will reassure them and give a sense of security. A career change can be scary and if you have had no choice or thought in the decision this can make it even harder. Sometimes though, we all need a little push to get us motivated in deciding on a new direction, a new job or a new career that will offer stimulation and challenge. If you do find yourself in this position then career management and outplacement consultants can maximize your chances of finding a suitable and exciting career, involving planning, preparing and even retraining and acquiring new skills. With cut backs, redundancies and other economizing causes affecting both public and private areas, outplacement consulting has gone from being dealt with by the human resources department into a specialist profession. Redeployment specialists work with organizations that are facing change either through closure, restructure or integration and help them decide on the best methods of dealing with their staff. There are a number of services available to the employees facing redundancy and also to the staff not affected by the redundancy as the change to the environment will affect everyone.For organizations or individuals, career management and outplacement specialists can offer a wealth of experience in a range of business environments. Qualified to support a diverse variety of needs they are the perfect place to consult if your organization is facing change
Coaching – the way to successful career management
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010Why coaching is the way to successful career?
When you hear the word “coach”, what comes first into your mind? Do you picture a basketball team with a man/woman shouting out directions? Or perhaps a football team with a man/woman pacing to and fro and calling out the names of the players?
Coaching is no longer reserved to sports teams. It is now one of the key concepts in leadership and career management. Why is coaching popular?
Coaching is a solution-focused approach and recognized discipline used in people development to help clients articulate their dreams, desires and aspirations, clarify their mission, purpose and goals. It is a unique form of helping people to build self confidence realise your true potential through a process of uncovering and eliminating limiting thinking patterns and behaviours in your life. This is achieved by empowering individuals with specific tools and scientifically tested techniques that work.
Coaching is one of the six emotional leadership styles proposed by Daniel Goleman. Moreover, it is a behaviour or role that leaders enforce in the context of situational leadership.
Coaching builds up confidence and competence.
Individual career coaching is an example of situational leadership. It aims to mentor one-on-one building up the your confidence by affirming good performance and increase competence by helping the individual assess his/her strengths and weaknesses towards career planning and professional development.
Coaching promotes individual and team excellence.
Excellence is a product of habitual good practice. The regularity of meetings and constructive feedback is important in establishing habits. Coaching sessions constantly highlight and expose individuals’ strengths and direct focus on actions linked directly with developing his/her excellence.
Coaching develops high commitment to goals.
Coaching helps you to balance the attainment of immediate targets with long-term goals towards the vision of an organization you work for or you own. As mentioned earlier, with the alignment of personal goals with organizational or team goals, personal interests are kept in check. By constantly communicating the vision through formal and informal conversations, the individual is inspired and motivated. Setting short-term team career goals aligned and making an action plan to attain these goals helps sustain the increased motivation and commitment to the long-term broad goal.
Coaching produces valuable leaders.
Leadership by example is important in coaching. A coaching leader loses credibility when he/she cannot practice what he/she preaches. This means that a coaching leader should be well organized, highly competent is his/her field, communicates openly and encourages feedback. By vicarious and purposive learning, coached individuals catch the same good practices and attitudes from the coaching leader, turning them into coaching leaders themselves. If the individual experiences good coaching, he/she is most likely to do the same things when entrusted with formal leadership roles.
For more information on different types of coaching and its benefits for both, individuals and business, go to www.aleksandracichuta.com
If you are interested in great ideas on how to build successful and fulfilled career follow www.aleksandracichuta.blogspot.com