Hairdresser to manicurist
A hairdresser already meets 35% of what the manicurist role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.5/ 100
1 How much of what a manicurist is expected to do is already part of a hairdresser’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the manicurist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A manicurist role treats 4 of its required skills as things a hairdresser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- identify customer's needs
- maintain customer service
- maintain equipment
- work ergonomically
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A manicurist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a hairdresser background worth leading with.
- already held offer cosmetic beauty advice communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held recommend cosmetics to customers communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage a small-to-medium business management skills
- already held maintain professional administration management skills
- already held administer appointments management skills
- already held process payments management skills
All 15 carried skills, including the 4 the manicurist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn apply nail polish required
- still to learn decorate nails required
- still to learn shape nails required
- still to learn treat nails required
- still to learn conform to cosmetics regulatory requirements required
- optional, not held use hair removal techniques optional
- optional, not held comply with legislation related to health care optional
- optional, not held give massages optional
- still to learn cosmetics required
- still to learn cosmetics industry required
- still to learn cosmetic manicure required
- still to learn cosmetic skin treatment required
- still to learn skin types required
- still to learn advise customers on usage of cosmetics required
- optional, not held perform body piercings optional
- optional, not held sell cosmetics optional
- still to learn sterilise working environment required
- optional, not held manufacture cosmetics optional
- optional, not held test make-up optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a manicurist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held maintain equipment skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held administer appointments skill
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held issue sales invoices skill
- already held maintain professional administration skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage a small-to-medium business skill
- already held monitor stock level skill
- already held offer cosmetic beauty advice skill
- already held order supplies skill
- already held process payments skill
- already held recommend cosmetics to customers skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manufacture cosmetics optional
- optional, not held perform body piercings optional
- optional, not held test make-up optional
- optional, not held use hair removal techniques optional
- optional, not held comply with legislation related to health care optional
- optional, not held give massages optional
- optional, not held keep personal administration optional
- optional, not held sell cosmetics optional
23 held skills the manicurist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on hair style skill
- not needed by the target role apply hair cutting techniques skill
- not needed by the target role curl hair skill
- not needed by the target role design hair style skill
- not needed by the target role dye hair skill
- not needed by the target role hair knowledge
- not needed by the target role hair colouring knowledge
- not needed by the target role hair products knowledge
- not needed by the target role help customers with hair problems skill
- not needed by the target role maintain wigs skill
- not needed by the target role maintain work area cleanliness skill
- not needed by the target role manage schedule of tasks skill
- not needed by the target role organise product display skill
- not needed by the target role satisfy customers skill
- not needed by the target role sell hair products skill
- not needed by the target role stay up-to-date with hair style trends skill
- not needed by the target role style hair skill
- not needed by the target role supervise staff skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role treat facial hair skill
- not needed by the target role treat scalp conditions skill
- not needed by the target role use equipment for hair care skill
- not needed by the target role wash hair skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn cosmetics required
- still to learn cosmetics industry required
- still to learn cosmetic manicure required
- still to learn cosmetic skin treatment required
- still to learn skin types required
Common questions about this move
Can a hairdresser become a manicurist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A hairdresser already covers 35% of what a manicurist is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 4 of which the manicurist role treats as required.
What skills does a hairdresser need to become a manicurist?
12 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is apply nail polish.
How hard is the move from hairdresser to manicurist?
Its learning distance is 65.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.