F8 Career Planning

Study Guide

Which of the following is NOT true of most of the top professionals in the beauty and wellness industry?

They were born successful.

Which of the following should you NOT do if you want to enjoy similar success to that of top professionals in the beauty and wellness industry?

Rely on others.

Which of the following is TRUE of jobs for entry-level beauty professionals?

There are more jobs available than there are people to fill them.

Which of the following will NOT be a required step toward landing that professional position you’ve been hoping for within the beauty and wellness industry?

Connect with a close friend or relative already in the industry.

Which of the following is the most important factor that will affect how well you perform during your state’s licensing exam?

your mastery of course content

To understand the strategies for successfully taking tests is to be ______.

test-wise

Which of the following is NOT considered to be a “whole you” or holistic hint to keep in mind when preparing for a written exam?

Avoid reviewing your notes too early in the course.

Which of the following should you do the morning of the exam?

Arrive to the test site early.

Which of the following should you AVOID doing when you take the exam?

Make changes to answers without a good reason.

Deductive reasoning is the process of reaching logical conclusions by employing ______.

logical reasoning

Which of the following is GOOD advice regarding your practical exam?

Make a list of equipment you are expected to bring to the examination.

When you chose to enter your field, your primary goal was to find a good job after being licensed. Now you need to narrow that goal into reality by answering all BUT which of the following important questions?

What fees must be paid and what courses must be taken to get you started?

Which of the following is NOT an example of a soft skill?

study habits

If you are interested in working at an establishment with secure pay and benefits, and one that will allow you to transfer should you relocate to a different state, where should you focus your search?

large national chains

If you are interested in working at an establishment that offers full-service treatments, such as full-body massages and luxurious pedicures, and where the clientele expects and receives complete pampering, where should you focus your search?

high-end establishments or day spas

When targeting potential employers, which of the following should you NOT do?

Begin your search immediately after graduation.

Which of the following should you AVOID doing when you decide to make your initial contact with a salon, spa, or barbershop?

Send text messages to the owners before making a phone call or in-shop visit.

If you want to subtly increase the breadth and scope of your professional contacts, you should start with ______.

networking

Which of the following BEST defines a resume?

a written summary of a person’s education and work experience

When preparing your professional resume, avoid ______.

making it longer than one page

When creating your resume, you should focus on ______.

including information that is relevant to the desired position

The average time a potential employer will spend scanning a resume before deciding whether to grant an interview is ______.

20 seconds

As you list former and current positions on your resume, you should focus on ______.

achievements

Why is it important to use action verbs on your resume?

Because it makes accomplishment statements more positive.

Which of the following should you do if you don’t feel comfortable writing your own resume?

Seek a professional resume writer.

After submitting a resume to and requesting an interview with the owner or manager of a salon, spa, or barbershop, you should make a follow-up contact within a ______.

week

When preparing for your first interview, you should make sure that you have all BUT which of the following materials in place to bring along with you?

report card from your most recent schooling

Your appearance and style are crucial to making a good first impression. Which of the following should you AVOID doing at the interview?

Wear strong but stylish cologne or perfume.

Which of the following is NOT one of the questions you should expect to be asked during an interview?

What is your native language?

Which of the following is GOOD behavioral advice for an interview?

Do not sit until you are asked to do so.

Which of the following should you NOT do if and when your interviewer invites you to ask them questions?

Say: “I don’t have any questions for you at this time.”

Which of the following should you do the day after your interview?

Follow-up with a thank-you note or email.

Which of the following is a LEGAL question an interviewer can ask a job candidate?

Are you physically able to perform this job?

Jolene is hoping to work as a beauty pro for a national chain. She has studied the industry and has a thorough understanding of career planning. In which of the following ways will this benefit Jolene?

It will provide her with the confidence needed to secure a job that suits her.

Jeremy is planning to someday own his own business. First, he must pass his requisite state board practical exam. In his preparations, it is BEST that Jeremy do which of the following?

Practice on the model or mannequin he plans to take to the exam.

Melania feels she is more than ready for this morning’s state board exam. She has told all her friends that her confidence comes from the fact that she is “test-wise.” What, exactly, does it mean that Melania is “test-wise”?

She understands the strategies for successful test taking.

It is finally test day for Matthew. He completed his training courses, studied and practiced for many weeks, and has just heard his alarm clock buzz to wake him. As he gets out of bed to dress, he wants to be sure he does everything he should in the last couple of hours before sitting down to take the state licensing exam. Which of the following is something he should NOT do?

Use the two hours to cram as much studying in as possible.

Liam just sat down to take his state board licensing exam. As the rest of the test takers are filtering into the exam room, he is trying to remember the test-taking strategies his instructor shared with him for best results. Which of the following was most likely NOT a test-taking tip given by his instructor?

Answer the hardest questions first, saving the easiest ones for the end.

Jamil is a bit nervous. He has recently passed his written state board licensing exam and must now prepare for the practical exam. As Jamil’s friend, which of the following would be the BEST piece of advice you could give him?

Look the part: neat, clean, and professional.

Martha has just been told by two of her beauty school classmates that she needs to improve her soft skills before she gets out there to try to land the perfect job. When Martha asked her friends to be more specific with their advice, which of the following were they LEAST likely to cite as soft skills that she can improve?

her service techniques

Adam is certain of the type of establishment he wants to work for after finishing his coursework and passing the state board licensing exam. He wants to be in a place that has between five and eight stations, where the owners are also professionals, and whose image, decor, services, and prices reflect their experience and taste. In which of the following types of establishments will Adam be happiest?

an independent establishment

After she passes the state board licensing exam, Gretchen is sure she’ll be working somewhere where her pay and benefits are secure, where she gets paid to train, and where there are management opportunities as well as plenty of corporate advertising. After she has been in her job for a year or two, she hopes to stay with the same company and relocate to the West Coast. In which of the following types of shops will Gretchen most likely work?

a large national chain

Bernie just passed the state board licensing exam and is anxious to get his career started. Although he knows it might be difficult, he is set on the idea of owning his own business immediately. Because Bernie has little money to invest, what is his best option for getting started in the beauty and wellness industry as the owner of his own business?

a booth rental establishment

Diana cannot wait to begin her career in the beauty and wellness industry. She attended all the requisite courses, studied, passed all the necessary state board exams, and attained her license. All that’s left to do is find the perfect job. In the meantime, she is going to make sure she joins as many professional organizations as possible, attends trade shows, subscribes to trade publications, and investigates online beauty communities and social media networks. Which of the following BEST describes what Diana is doing?

networking

Karen is about to embark on her career as a beauty pro. She has worked hard to get through school and studied long hours to successfully pass the state board licensing exam. All that’s left to do is the requisite work toward securing a job at an established shop. With this in mind, Karen is making a list of her course experience and achievements as well as her professional experience in preparation for putting them all down onto a formal document. Which of the following is Karen doing?

creating her resume

Joaquin is very interested in the entry-level position open at a local business. Because he wants to make sure he has the best chance at getting the job, he has consulted his friend Gabriel, who knows a lot about resume writing, for his assistance. Which of the following pieces of advice did Gabriel most likely NOT give Joaquin about his resume?

Limit it to three pages.

Gracie is getting ready for her big interview at the business where she has been hoping to work. She has printed copies of her resume as well as a nice portfolio of some of her work. All she needs to do now is decide what to wear to make the best impression. Which of the following should she NOT include in her ensemble today?

a very strong, heavy dose of fashionable perfume

Ursula quickly went from being excited about the prospect of a job at her town’s nicest establishment to being skeptical. This change of mood happened during her interview, in which she feels her prospective employer asked her a question it is illegal to ask. If Ursula is correct, which of the following questions did her prospective employer ask?

“What is your native language?”

You are an instructor of beauty courses at a local vocational school. Beatrice, one of your best students, tells you during class that she has heard other instructors mention the importance of being a “test-wise” student. Beatrice asks your opinion of what that means, exactly. What do you tell her?

Practice good study habits and time management.

As an instructor at a local beauty school, you have tried to prepare your students as best you can for their state board licensing exam by setting up a mock test in your class. The students' reward for preparing as they should is a 100 percent on that week’s quiz grade, while their failure to do so is a zero. Which of the following would have caused one student, Joanna, to receive a zero?

Joanna crammed as much of the material as she possibly could right before the mock test began.

You and your business partner have finally, after nearly 20 years in the beauty and wellness industry, opened the type of business you've always wanted. Although there are plenty of establishments in your city, you had both felt that none provided the slightly simpler services needed by walk-in customers without appointments. Your new business will offer this to customers by way of a talented staff trained to work fast and efficiently. Which type of establishment have you and your business partner just opened?

a basic value-priced establishment

Your instructor has a strict policy regarding the resumes of his students. “They must be PERFECT,” he is known to say. You have studied his lecture notes diligently in making certain that every single instruction he gave you went into the creation of your sample resume project. That is why, on the morning of his passing back the resumes to the class, you are horrified to see that he has given you a failing grade. “Perfect or Fail,” he has written across your resume in red ink. Where have you gone wrong?

You have included all your work experience, whether it was relevant or not.

You are the owner of a local high-end business. Recently, you’ve been interviewing people for both entry-level and experienced positions that you have open. One morning, the candidate refuses to answer a question you asked and informs you it is actually an illegal question to ask. After apologizing, you do your research to make sure it never happens again. Which of the following might you have asked during the interview that is considered illegal?

“How old are you?”