Mapping
Your Future Beauty Career
In partnership with
By Anne Moratto
www.modernsalon.com
Have you ever heard someone say, “I have no sense of direction”? Meaning, they find it difficult to navigate from one point to the next without some sort of guide to help show them the way. When determining your career journey—where to work, who to work with, and what kind of culture you’ll be supporting—it helps to hone-in on what really matters. MODERN SALON, in partnership with Ulta Beauty, conducted a survey of thousands of stylists to find out what they look for when determining their ultimate salon home destination. We asked stylists who already worked with Ulta Beauty and stylists who work elsewhere but they all agreed on what they want to see on their road map to success.
Here’s what they said…
Life doesn’t proceed in a straight line. A career, as well, generally takes some twists and turns, but depending on where you want to go, Ulta Beauty can help you get there. If you’ve always dreamed of sharing your love of beauty with others, there’s a path to becoming an Ulta Beauty educator. If you love mentoring, here’s how you can grow towards a management position. Interested in producing events? Those amazing Ulta Beauty happenings across the country don’t plan themselves! And if your greatest love is that creative collaboration in the salon between you and your guest, here’s how you can advance in your skills, your confidence, and your earnings. That’s right—there’s a map for that.
A Clear Career Path
“I love that there is opportunity for growth and improvement in areas beyond the chair. I feel like the company wants me to succeed.”
On-Ramps
Once you’ve jumped into the flow of traffic, so to speak, determining which direction you want to go as a beauty pro often starts with exploration. At Ulta Beauty, there are a variety of avenues you can take your beauty smarts and apply them in exciting ways. You have the option to work in the salon, in retail, education, management, and even to gain multi-unit management experience. A solid, sustainable career is open to you.
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Stylist
Management
education
brand services/events
Stylist
Management
education
brand services/events
There are different tiers of training that will move a stylist forward, personally and professionally. As they progress, hairdressers will find a team of enthusiastic, experienced coaches, passionate professionals that lead Ulta Beauty, directing them to their goals. Regardless where you start, you’ll have the potential to earn up to 70% commission even from Day 1 based on your sales.
Inside Ulta Beauty is a services manager – responsible for overseeing the salon business, events, and all services boutiques, like the benefit brow bar. If you have a passion for leadership and coaching a team – go for it!
Services District Educators are responsible for leading all ongoing education for the district. They visit stores in their community and help stylists develop foundational technical skills, while introducing them to trending techniques, and offering suggestions and support for their business.
In addition to the opportunities with the Salon at Ulta Beauty, associates can grow their career in retail leadership. If you love to help educate and lead teams, there are jobs with our Clinique, Lancome and Events teams!
I love that there is opportunity for growth and improvement in areas beyond the chair. I feel like the company wants me to succeed.”
Inclusivity Ahead
Because we spend so much time at work (often more time there than anywhere else), it needs to feel like a safe place. Ulta Beauty has earned a well-deserved reputation for embracing diversity, safe-guarding equity, and championing inclusivity. These are values that are part of the Ulta Beauty inner workings and they extend to the Ulta Beauty organization. People who work at Ulta Beauty prize the commitment to creating a welcoming culture for everyone on the team and for every kind of client.
Almost three-fourths of Ulta Beauty respondents agree that The Salon at Ulta Beauty is for everyone
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
53%
19%
15%
10%
3%
Front Runner
If we were to make a word cloud—an image composed of words used over-and-over in certain context—based on the responses to the question, “Why do you love Ulta Beauty?” you would see these words appearing:
Educational Growth
Everything starts with education. With paid training to boost both technical, business, and communication skills, a beauty professional is learning how to be better, all of the time. From our survey, Ulta Beauty employees said one of their main reasons for working at The Salon by Ulta Beauty is for the available paid training.
The Essentials tier class lays the foundation for stylists to build a successful career at Ulta Beauty and includes product knowledge and learning time-saving techniques for a confident, efficient service.
In the Mastery tier classes, the content progresses and becomes more specific on color and cut techniques, trends, and includes business building instruction.
When they reach the Elite tier class, stylists will be introduced to inspiring, aspirational content created in partnership with the Ulta Beauty Pro Team, that they can then take back into the salon and make their own.
environment
opportunity
atmosphere
diversity
reputation
culture
empowered
values
always growing
improving
changing
supportive
flexible
friendly
fun
Ulta Beauty is for everyone. Join us and enjoy the ride.
respect
The stylists surveyed said they care about culture, they care about awesome co-workers and they care about being in a business that is thriving. With 1,268 stores and 33 million loyalty members every day, Ulta Beauty salons and stores are familiar, trusted spots in their communities, where the beauty is always buzzing. With paid training, discounts on products, a solid benefits plan and many ways to build a strong career, there’s so many ways to WERK it.
a great place to work
I love that there’s opportunity to not only advance in my cosmetology career but if the opportunity presents itself, or I am not able to do hair anymore, I can move into another position within the company and know I am welcomed.”
During the COVID-19 closures, Ulta Beauty offered support to their associates to help them negotiate through very difficult, confusing times. When locations started their phased openings, there was careful communication of all procedures and reassurance which let associates know that their health and safety was at the forefront of all planning.
This care extends to the things that matter to you most—pay, schedule and training. Having flexibility is huge—you want to be able to manage your own time. And Ulta Beauty has an excellent commission rate. Plus, did we mention that paid training?
If you’re ready to get going, Ulta Beauty is ready to go the distance with you.
a secure future
of Ulta Associates Agree that Ulta Beauty is a place for everyone
74%
18%
6%
1%
1%
Virtually all Ulta Beauty respondents agree that
The Salon at Ulta Beauty is a brand that I would be proud to be associated with
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly disagree
92%
Main Reasons to Work at Ulta Beauty
Paid training is available
Offers discounts on products
Offers opportunities to enhance my skills
Offers opportunities to grow my clientele
Enjoy the people I work with
Offers discounts on services
Offers desired benefits
Offers opportunities for advancement
Enjoy the working environment
Hours worked fit my schedule
Enjoy working with salon management
Allows flexibility in scheduling clients
Offers online scheduling of appointments
Offers flex scheduling
Offers opportunities for retail revenue
Other (click for details)
86%
84%
84%
84%
84%
82%
80%
79%
75%
73%
69%
65%
62%
35%
2%
67%
A steady flow of walk-in clients
69%
Offers the right to service commission perecentage
• A high-end salon environment with accessible price point
• All over the country
• All of the above
• Amazing company to work for
• Best Insurance
• Can make great money• Career pathing
• Client appreciation and loyatly benefits
• Diversity and inclusion
• Enjoy being salon manager
• Great retail management support
• Great communication with management team
• Great field team
• Great opportunities
• Growth opportunities
• Hires too many stylists not enough walk-ins
• Hourly pay• I’m living my best life with Ulta
• I enjoy my salon coworkers not the management on the retail side
• I love the salon I work for• It’s an amazing company
• It’s the only large commsion paid company in a small town
• Love this place all beauty
• Money
• Offers commssion or hourly
• Open possibilties to transfer out of state
•They empower their employees
• Ulta Beauty is a leader in the industry and successful
• Ulta is just amazing all around truly care about their employees
72%
See opportunities!
Strongly Agree
of current Ulta employees say they are proud to be associated with The Salon by Ulta Beauty.
92%
—Ulta Beauty associate in our survey.
“The environment encourages me to be my best me and to push myself, knowing I have support from everyone around me. The continued education is amazing. I am extremely happy here.”
— Ulta Beauty associate in our survey.
“Ulta Beauty cares so much about their employees and loves all of us. We embrace people of all skin colors, genders, and sexuality.”
— Ulta Beauty associate in our survey.
“I love that there’s opportunity to not only advance in my cosmetology career but if the opportunity presents itself, or I am not able to do hair anymore, I can move into another position within the company and know I am welcomed.”
— Ulta Beauty associate in our survey.
That’s right, paid education comes out at the top of this list because who doesn’t love getting paid to learn? See the other top reasons Ulta Beauty Associates enjoy working here, from a steady flow of walk-ins to room to advance and a flexible, fits-your-life schedule.
When we asked Ulta Associates “How much do you agree or disagree with the statement “Ulta Beauty is for everyone”, 72% of Ulta Associates agree.
How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements about THE SALON AT ULTA BEAUTY?
"The SALON AT ULTA BEAUTY is a brand that I would be proud to be associated."
92% Ulta Beauty Associates Agree that Ulta Beauty is a Brand I am proud to be associated with
neutral
6%
2%
disagree/strongly disagree
— Ulta Beauty associate in our survey.
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