Personal stylist to barber
A personal stylist already meets 35% of what the barber role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.6/ 100
1 How much of what a barber is expected to do is already part of a personal stylist’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 barber role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A barber role treats 6 of its required skills as things a personal stylist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on hair style
- communicate with customers
- listen actively
- maintain customer service
- stay up-to-date with hair style trends
- style hair
What stands in the way is 10 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A barber role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a personal stylist 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 style hair assisting and caring
- 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
All 11 carried skills, including the 6 the barber role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 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 treat facial hair required
- still to learn use equipment for hair care required
- still to learn work safely with chemicals 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 wash hair optional
- optional, not held dye hair optional
- optional, not held give massages optional
- still to learn hair required
- still to learn barbering techniques required
- still to learn hair products required
- still to learn manage personal professional development required
- still to learn process payments required
- optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- still to learn maintain equipment required
- optional, not held maintain relationship with suppliers optional
- optional, not held sell hair products optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held maintain work area cleanliness optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a barber 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 11 skills that carry over
- already held advise on hair style skill
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held listen actively skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held stay up-to-date with hair style trends skill
- already held style hair skill
- already held administer appointments skill
- already held maintain professional administration skill
- already held manage a small-to-medium business skill
- already held manage schedule of tasks skill
- already held recommend cosmetics to customers skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held keep stock records optional
13 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 keep stock records optional
- optional, not held maintain relationship with suppliers optional
- optional, not held sell hair products optional
- optional, not held wash hair optional
- optional, not held dye hair optional
- optional, not held give massages optional
- optional, not held maintain work area cleanliness optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
22 held skills the barber role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accompany people 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 customers on usage of cosmetics skill
- not needed by the target role advise on clothing 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 give advice on personal matters skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role keep personal administration skill
- not needed by the target role network with store owners skill
- not needed by the target role offer cosmetic beauty advice skill
- not needed by the target role perform services in a flexible manner skill
- not needed by the target role satisfy customers skill
- not needed by the target role teach communication to clients skill
- not needed by the target role teach fashion to clients skill
- not needed by the target role trends in fashion knowledge
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 barbering techniques required
- still to learn hair products required
Common questions about this move
Can a personal stylist become a barber?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A personal stylist already covers 35% of what a barber is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 6 of which the barber role treats as required.
What skills does a personal stylist need to become a barber?
10 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is hair.
How hard is the move from personal stylist to barber?
Its learning distance is 64.6 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.