Work Update: My First Week

My First Week With Clinique

As some of you may know, I recently started working as a beauty advisor at a Clinique counter in Herberger's. Since I know there's a lot of questions out there as to what the job entails (I know I had them!), I plan on updating this blog as I go so that everybody who wants to become a beauty advisor can have a more clear picture of what the job will look like.

The first day I was asked to come in was pretty basic. I was asked to sign paperwork, read through employee manuals, tour the store, got a key/nametag/employee id card, etc. Easy stuff right? Since I've had jobs before I thought to bring in my Social Security card, a state issued id, and a voided check (for direct deposit). These definitely came in handy because even though they didn't ask me to bring them, they still needed to have them. So be sure to come prepared...wouldn't want to make a bad impression on your first day!

The second day was training on a computer. It was store training, not necessarily Clinique training. It was a lot of learning how to ring things up, how to sell store charge cards, store history, things like that. At the end of each segment they had you take a quiz to make sure you learned everything. The computer training took about four hours.

The next day was all about Clinique! I had my own office for the day to watch videos about the brand. I always suggest taking notes. The more you know and remember, the better. Thankfully I was provided with a little Clinique workbook that had some extra pages for notes. The videos were about the history of Clinique, product knowledge, how to skintype each client, how to do consultations, etc. It was a lot of information so I was glad I took notes! The videos probably took about two hours to complete, tops. They went by pretty fast.

Now, onto yesterday. It was my first day behind the counter! I got to meet and train with a regional manager. She was so nice and pleasant to work with. I also got to meet some of the staff. Right now it's just me and two other ladies working at the counter! I learned so much product knowledge and even got to try on products. I also made a few sales and got to experience working with customers.

I think I'm really going to love this job. They're sending me off to training in the Twin Cities on Tuesday, so of course I'm very excited for that!

Clinique Interview

So I had my Clinique/Herbergers interview on Friday, I think it went pretty well.
I was pretty nervous because I don't have a lot of sales experience and having a passion for makeup isn't always going to make a sale. However, I think I would succeed in a sales environment.
The manager was really nice. She took me to her office then started the interview by watching a video to get a feel for the job. After the video she interviewed me, and asked a few questions I wasn't necessarily expecting. She asked me a lot of situation specific situations. Like "describe a situation with a difficult customer and how you handled it" "describe a time when you provided great customer service". Maybe I should have been prepared for those types of questions, but I've interviewed with plenty of jobs that haven't asked those. I even interviewed with a full service salon and they didn't ask me those kind of questions. Same with a marketing firm I worked with. So I guess I thought a department store interview would be about the same/ easier. WRONG. It was probably the most difficult interview I've had. And I've done a technical interview at a salon where a manager watches you perform services as the interview. That was way more laid back than this. So basically Clinique/Estee Lauder is going to do an over the phone interview with me they call Talent Plus. I'm pretty nervous for that, but I've been preparing.
So here's my overview of information about this job so far:
PROS
You get to work in a sales driven environment
You get paid training and advanced training from Clinique
You get gratis
You make base plus commission, the more you sell the more you make
You get to work with makeup and skincare
You get to perform makeovers on customers
You get a great discount throughout the entire department store
CONS
Very strict dress code- All black, shirt must be above collar bone, no jewelry except earrings that need to be smaller than the buttons on your jacket, natural hair and makeup. (I went into the beauty industry to have the freedom to do my hair/makeup how I like and wear my jewelry, etc...It's supposed to be less conservative)
The commission is very lousy. An experienced salesperson is expected to make an extra $2/hour from commission.
Wages start low as it is 7.50-8 dollars an hour (I was making more than that at Panera Bread)
Somewhat stressful job. You need to make and exceed your sales goals.

I'm just waiting for my phone interview from Talent Plus to hopefully get the ball rolling.
In other news, I'm starting to plan out my professional makeup kit. This is something I really want to pursue.
I would love to do editorial work, bridal work, fashion, runway, prom, special events, etc. So I really want to get my freelance career going, and I can't really do that without a kit! There's an agency in my area who works with freelance artists and gets us bridal gigs. I also plan to contact photographers to get my portfolio started since that is huge in this industry. And of course, searching for whatever gigs I can in my area!

Got a lot on my plate for now, wish me luck :)
-Erin