Hairdresser
What the work is
Cuts, styles, colours, straightens and permanently waves hair, and treats hair and scalp conditions.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Consults with clients to determine their desired hair style, and hair and scalp conditions
- Analyses clients' hair and features to design and recommend styles
- Cuts hair using scissors, clippers, razors and other hair cutting tools
- Styles, straightens and permanently waves hair using brushes, combs, straightening irons and other styling tools
- Applies hair colour, highlights and lowlights using various techniques
- Performs hair treatments such as deep conditioning, moisturising and scalp massages
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a busy Saturday at a hair salon with a barber's chair in the corner. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A nervous client looks in the mirror and stands a little taller
- A regular who has sat in your chair for years books the next one before leaving
- A tricky colour correction finally comes out exactly as the client pictured it
Hard days
- Running thirty minutes behind with a full waiting area and a client who wants more done
- A client shows you a photo of a cut that will not suit their hair at all
- Standing for hours with sore feet while smiling and keeping the chat going
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 392132, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.