Victoria Vilas, Operations and Marketing Manager at recruitment specialist Arc Aesthetic Professionals, details the ten tips to success you should incorporate into your aesthetic practice.
Whether you’re a newly qualified clinician at the start of your career, or a seasoned professional with a long-standing business, it is always worth taking the time to evaluate your work and think about the future. Those who are both successful and happy in their career won’t be the passive people who simply sit back and let external forces guide their decisions, they will be the proactive ones who have pride in what they do, are willing to take risks, but also remember to think of others as they carve out their path to success. Here are ten points to remember at all stages of your working life.
1 Listen to your colleagues or staff members, and learn from them
Even if you are an experienced clinician with many years of industry knowledge and practice behind you, you can still learn from your peers. Sharing knowledge with your contemporaries is a perfect way to stay abreast of industry changes and innovations, as there just isn’t time to attend every single conference, debate or product launch yourself.
Are you a hands-on practitioner in your own clinic? If not, then remember that your clinical staff have regular, direct contact with your clients, so can offer valuable insights into their needs and wants. Don’t simply assume that market trends will tell you all you need to know about your clientele, listen to your staff too.
2 Never stop your own career development and training
So you know your job role inside out, you’ve had a practice for a number of years, and you have a long list of regular clients. What more could you possibly train in now, and wouldn’t it just be a waste of time and money? You may be at a point where you feel you have reached the pinnacle of your career but remember that the industry moves on at a rapid rate, and if you don’t stay abreast of innovations and progressions, then your business may soon be left behind and seen as outmoded.
If you sit on the administrative or corporate side of a business, then don’t assume that regular training is only for clinicians. Business management techniques, products, and services are also constantly progressing, and you should take the time to consider what additional knowledge or skills could complement what you already know.
3 Don’t invest all your hopes and dreams into one venture, have a back-up plan
Despite all of your best efforts, sometimes life just doesn’t go exactly to plan. Prepare yourself and think about what else you could do if you had to change the direction of your career. There are some instances that cannot necessarily be avoided or pre-empted. For example, you may be faced with redundancy, or have to relocate for personal reasons. Think about where else your skills and experience could be applied if you have to change jobs, and the areas where you could expand your knowledge. Consider moving to a new role every few years to keep your skills and experience fresh. If you only work for one clinic for your entire career, chances are, you’ll become too familiar with one method and company culture, and may find it hard to adapt to a new workplace.
4 Don’t take on more than you can cope with just to try and impress
Do put your best efforts into your work, but don’t run yourself into the ground. If you’re a young clinician at the start of your career, you’ll want to impress your superiors and do what you can to move up the ladder. But, working harder rather than smarter isn’t necessarily going to get you there. If you take on more work than you can cope with, and end up tiring yourself out on a daily basis, your work will be affected, and you’ll end up doing yourself more harm than good.
5 Don’t be afraid to try something new or make big decisions
If you’re not completely happy in your job, don’t torture yourself by staying there, look for something new and give yourself something fresh and exciting to look forward to. Unhappiness can lead to you losing confidence, which can in turn make it harder to dazzle a prospective new employer into giving you that amazing job you desire. It is a big decision to change your job. After all, many of us spend the majority of our week in our offices or clinics, and this work pays for our homes, supports our families, and provides for our lifestyle, so changing your job is a huge life decision. But, to get what you truly want out of your life and career, it’s likely you’ll have to do this, and do it more than once, so it’s best to try and plan and prepare, and make those big decisions with a confident mind.
6 Be a team player, but don’t do everything just to please others, think of yourself too
Working against rather than with your team members won’t help you prosper. From the trainees to the directors, every company structure is really one team that needs to work like a well-oiled machine. If it doesn’t run efficiently, cracks may start to appear and the business will not run as productively as it should. When problems arise, the causes will need to be analysed; and if poor teamwork is to blame, then your work may be good, but your solo effort may not be looked at favourably. Similarly, you shouldn’t let yourself become lost in a team of strong personalities. Don’t let another team member boss you around if they’re not a person charged with managing you. Keep your own voice and don’t let others take all the credit for a job well done.
7 Know your skills and strengths, be proud of them, and create your own brand
Don’t be afraid to be proud of what you do well. You don’t have to jump for joy every time you delight a client with a treatment, but you should recognise what skills make you stand out above other practitioners. This will help you focus your career, developing the areas of practice you are particularly adept at. Well-known industry names tend not to spread themselves too widely, acquiring their fame through being specialists, not generalists. This will help you to create your own brand, and develop your clientele, so you can become established in your field.
8 Don’t let confidence destroy your humility
Do be proud of your skills, but don’t get too carried away! There is a difference between confidence and arrogance, and you won’t win any friends by being the company egomaniac who constantly reminds others of how fabulous and talented they are. It’s fine to accept a compliment, but try sharing the praise and complimenting others too.
9 Don’t be a quitter when the going gets tough
We have to face the fact that in work, as in our social and family lives, there will be ups and downs, good periods and tough periods. Sometimes it’s hard to know how long a difficult situation will last, so it can be tempting to simply run away to pastures new. In some cases, especially if you have been unhappy for a longer period, then it may be the case that you do need to find a new job, but all businesses go through transitionary periods. If your clinic is short-staffed, it may be that you get overworked, but this could be only a brief issue. Similarly, you may fall out with a team member, but these situations can blow over in time. Remember that your resume isn’t going to look that impressive if you move to a new job every few months, as it will make you appear to have no loyalty or commitment.
10 Don’t make career decisions based on money alone. Like what you do, or change what you do
It’s not unusual or irrational to get drawn in by the pull of a job offering a higher salary. Though it’s tempting, there has to be more to your job than the money you earn from it, especially if you want to establish yourself as an industry professional. That isn’t to say that you won’t enjoy that new role that earns you more, but make sure you look past the salary and look at the job role, the company culture, and the team you’ll be working with. In the short term, you may be able to ignore certain niggles, but in the long term, if you dislike the people you work with or for, find your work too physically or mentally draining, or perhaps spend too much time away from home, then these things will catch up with you in the end. Your performance at work is likely to be much better if you actually enjoy what you do.
