Personal shopper to hairdresser
A personal shopper already meets 29% of what the hairdresser role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
71.1/ 100
1 How much of what a hairdresser is expected to do is already part of a personal shopper’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 hairdresser role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A hairdresser role treats 6 of its required skills as things a personal shopper already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on hair style
- communicate with customers
- identify customer's needs
- maintain customer service
- satisfy customers
- stay up-to-date with hair style trends
What stands in the way is 11 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 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A hairdresser role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a personal shopper background worth leading with.
- already held advise on hair style communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held stay up-to-date with hair style trends information skills
- already held satisfy customers communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held offer cosmetic beauty advice communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain professional administration management skills
- already held administer appointments management skills
All 9 carried skills, including the 6 the hairdresser role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 missing skills fall into 7 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 curl hair required
- still to learn use equipment for hair care required
- still to learn wash hair required
- still to learn dye hair required
- still to learn style hair required
- still to learn work ergonomically required
- optional, not held apply hair cutting techniques optional
- optional, not held help customers with hair problems optional
- optional, not held treat facial hair optional
- optional, not held treat scalp conditions optional
- optional, not held design hair style optional
- still to learn hair required
- still to learn hair colouring required
- still to learn hair products required
- still to learn process payments required
- optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
- optional, not held manage a small-to-medium business optional
- optional, not held manage schedule of tasks optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- still to learn maintain equipment required
- optional, not held maintain relationship with suppliers optional
- optional, not held organise product display optional
- optional, not held recommend cosmetics to customers optional
- optional, not held sell hair products optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held maintain wigs optional
- optional, not held maintain work area cleanliness optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a hairdresser 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 9 skills that carry over
- already held advise on hair style skill
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held satisfy customers skill
- already held stay up-to-date with hair style trends skill
- already held administer appointments skill
- already held maintain professional administration skill
- already held offer cosmetic beauty advice skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply hair cutting techniques optional
- optional, not held help customers with hair problems optional
- optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
- optional, not held maintain relationship with suppliers optional
- optional, not held maintain wigs optional
- optional, not held manage a small-to-medium business optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held organise product display optional
- optional, not held recommend cosmetics to customers optional
- optional, not held sell hair products optional
- optional, not held treat facial hair optional
- optional, not held treat scalp conditions optional
- optional, not held design hair style optional
- optional, not held maintain work area cleanliness optional
- optional, not held manage schedule of tasks optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
21 held skills the hairdresser role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accompany people skill
- not needed by the target role achieve sales targets skill
- not needed by the target role advise customers on clothing accessories skill
- not needed by the target role advise customers on jewellery and watches skill
- not needed by the target role advise on clothing style skill
- not needed by the target role advise on furniture style skill
- not needed by the target role apply fashion trends to footwear and leather goods skill
- not needed by the target role assess character skill
- not needed by the target role assist clients with special needs skill
- not needed by the target role assist customers skill
- not needed by the target role assist with dressing skill
- not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role implement customer follow-up skill
- not needed by the target role listen actively skill
- not needed by the target role network with store owners skill
- not needed by the target role perform services in a flexible manner skill
- not needed by the target role sales argumentation knowledge
- not needed by the target role teach fashion to clients skill
- not needed by the target role trends in fashion knowledge
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
3 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 hair required
- still to learn hair colouring required
- still to learn hair products required
Common questions about this move
Can a personal shopper become a hairdresser?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A personal shopper already covers 29% of what a hairdresser is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 6 of which the hairdresser role treats as required.
What skills does a personal shopper need to become a hairdresser?
11 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is curl hair.
How hard is the move from personal shopper to hairdresser?
Its learning distance is 71.1 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.