How To Hire Beauty Professionals In the UK: An Employer’s Guide

Hiring in the beauty industry right now is tough, and anyone who says otherwise is not being honest. With aesthetics, wellness and luxury beauty growing so quickly, everyone is chasing the same small pool of skilled professionals.

People move on fast, expectations are high, and because these roles are so client facing, one wrong hire can damage your brand in ways you cannot always fix.

This is not like hiring in other sectors. Cultural fit, attitude and professionalism matter just as much as technical skill.

So what does hiring properly actually look like in this market?

How do you avoid costly mistakes?

This guide is here to walk you through it step by step.

Define the Role Properly (Not Just the Job Title)

One of the biggest mistakes I see employers make is relying too much on job titles. In the beauty world, titles can be misleading and often mean very different things from one business to another.

A beauty therapist in a spa is not the same as one in a high end clinic, just as an aesthetic practitioner or injector may be focused on medical results rather than retail performance.

Before you advertise, you need to be clear on the real purpose of the role. Is it clinical or commercial. Who is the client base. How do you want your brand to be perceived. Are you expecting upselling or is it purely service led. Is the role full time, part time or self employed.

These details matter whether you are hiring clinic managers, retail consultants, brand ambassadors, educators, trainers or sales and business development professionals.

So are you defining the role properly or just filling a gap?

This is where working with a specialist beauty recruitment agency Like SJR London makes a real difference.

Know What To Look For Beyond The CV

People get far too hung up on certificates in this industry, and it is one of the quickest ways to make a bad hire.

Qualifications matter, of course they do, but they do not tell you how someone behaves with real clients, how they handle pressure, or whether they can represent your brand properly.

Some of the best people I have placed over the years were not the most qualified on paper, but they had confidence, emotional intelligence and a natural way with people.

Can they build trust? can they sell without being pushy? Can they stay professional when things go wrong?

That is what actually keeps clients coming back.

This is why we look beyond CVs. Trial shifts, scenario questions, portfolio reviews and reference checks tell you far more than any certificate.

Safety and compliance still matter, especially in clinical settings, but they should be combined with real world assessment, not treated as the whole story.

Understand The Market You Are Hiring In

If you want to hire well in beauty, you need to understand the market you are actually operating in, not the one you wish you were in. There is a real shortage of experienced professionals, while aesthetic clinics and wellness brands are opening faster than ever.

That means good candidates are being approached constantly, often with multiple offers on the table at the same time. Add social media into the mix and you start to see why expectations around salary, flexibility and lifestyle are rising.

Many professionals now choose freelance work over employed roles, which shrinks the permanent talent pool even further.

So what happens when you move too slowly or hesitate on a decision? You lose them.

Speed matters because the best people do not sit around waiting. This reality directly affects salary expectations, notice periods and how quickly you need to act.

Build a Proper Hiring Process

If you want better hires, you need a better process. It really is that simple. Here is what that actually looks like in practice.

Step one is choosing the right places to advertise. Generic job boards bring volume, not quality. Most strong beauty professionals are already working and get roles through industry contacts, referrals and specialist networks. That is where the real talent lives.

Step two is proper screening. A quick look at a CV is not enough. You need to understand why someone has moved roles, what kind of clients they are used to and how they actually behave in a working environment.

Step three is structured interviews. Asking everyone the same core questions allows you to compare people fairly instead of going on gut feeling alone.

Step four is practical checks. Portfolios, case histories and real world assessments show you far more than polished answers ever will.

Step five is references. Always. No exceptions.

So ask yourself, does your process filter properly or does it just fill gaps?

Avoid These Common Hiring Mistakes

Most bad hires in beauty come down to the same few mistakes, and I see them repeated again and again. Rushing is the big one. When you panic hire, you usually end up rehiring a few months later.

Choosing personality over competence is another. Being likeable does not mean someone can do the job. Skipping proper checks on real work leads to disappointment fast, especially in client facing roles where results matter.

Trial shifts exist for a reason, and ignoring them removes one of your best safety nets. A lack of structure means decisions are based on gut feeling rather than evidence, which rarely ends well.

Thinking short term might fill a gap today, but it often creates bigger problems tomorrow. And ignoring brand fit damages consistency and trust.

So ask yourself, are you hiring for now or for the future?

How Long Hiring Actually Takes

One thing I always tell employers is that good candidates do not hang around. The best people are usually already in work, being approached by multiple businesses, and they make decisions quickly.

When your process drags on, you do not just lose time, you lose talent. In real terms, a typical hire can take around a month. Week one to two is sourcing and shortlisting, week three is interviews, and week four is offers and notice periods.

That is if everything runs smoothly. Delays cost you more than you think, from lost revenue to stressed teams. So how long is your current process really taking?

This is where specialists can compress timelines, because speed comes from knowing where to look and who to trust.

Why Use A Specialist Beauty Recruitment Agency

I will be honest, using a general recruiter for beauty roles is usually a false economy. They might be great at office jobs or warehouse staff, but this industry runs on personality, trust and reputation.

A specialist beauty recruitment agency already knows the people, the clinics, the brands and the realities of these roles. That means access to proper industry networks, not just whoever clicked apply on a job board.

Candidates are pre vetted, expectations are managed early and awkward conversations about salary, hours and pressure points are dealt with upfront.

Confidential searches matter more than people realise, especially when you are growing quietly or replacing someone. Compliance, cultural fit and long term placement are not nice extras, they are essentials.

And if a hire does not work out, replacement guarantees protect you. So ask yourself, are you looking for a quick fix or someone who will actually last?

If it is the second, this is exactly why working with a specialist beauty recruitment agency makes sense.

Final Thoughts

Hiring in beauty is different, and shortcuts nearly always come back to bite you. This industry is built on trust, reputation and real human connection, not just ticking boxes on a CV.

When you rush, cut corners or treat roles like they are all the same, you end up rehiring and paying for it twice. So what would it look like to get it right first time?

If you want long term hires who actually fit your brand, speak to one of our specialists call us on 0208 245 1992 and a member of our team will be happy to help.