Career Advice Recruitment tips

Combing the land

A hair salon that targets high-end customers is looking for hairdressers and assistants to help with its expansion on the mainland and overseas.

“We currently have four Salons in China – in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Suzhou – and three in Hong Kong,” says Jofee Lee, director of Hair Corner. “We are expecting major growth in mainland cities such as Beijing and Tianjin, as well as in Dubai, Taiwan and the UK. Staff in Hong Kong are going to have plenty of opportunities for career development.”

Managers at Hair Corner maintain a good relationship with their staff and actively help them fulfil their ambitions. “Our management culture is very open. If there is a direction that a staff member wants to pursue, we will try our best to help. For example, we have receptionist who went on to pursue a career as a make-up artist. If they show interest we are happy to help. Depending on our business needs and an employee’s career interests, we will place them in a suitable position,” Lee says.

Allen Chau, PR and marketing executive at Hair Corner, started out at the company as a stylist. He joined the hairdressing industry after finishing his secondary school education and completing a diploma course in hairdressing offered by a global hairdressing academy. He worked as a stylist for more than 10 years, serving a wide range of clients from Hong Kong, China, the US and Europe before assuming his current position.

“Hair Corner provided me with a great opportunity to further my career in the hairdressing industry by allowing me to focus on PR and marketing,” he says. “I now have a better view of what it is like to run an expanding salon in the dynamic hairdressing industry.”

Chau’s main duty is to organise stylists and make-up artists to work at fashion shows, photo shoots and video shoots. He is also responsible for advertising and helps the salon look for press coverage. “As a stylist, I am familiar with the operation of the salon and the needs of stylists and make-up artists. It is easy for me to co-operate with them during shows. It is important for marketers in hairdressing to be familiar with the industry and have a sense of fashion and style,” he says.

Chau thinks Hair Corner’s open culture has helped him with his career development. “I share the Hair Corner values of commitment, openness, team spirit and customer-orientation. I value the friendliness among colleagues. The open atmosphere encourages creativity and further facilitates the team to provide professional services to our clients of diverse cultures,” he says.

Hair Corner provides a structured training programme as well as opportunities for staff to grow their professional skills.

“Our training includes comprehensive curriculums in cutting, perming and hair colouring. We also provide training on hair products. Together with practice sessions, such as a weekly model night, and supporting fashion and hair shows, our assistants can grow themselves in different areas,” Chau says.

The future for stylists on the mainland apparently looks bright. “Mainlanders have a great appreciation for stylists from Hong Kong. Stylists can expect to be handsomely rewarded if they work on the mainland,” Chau says.

New staff at Hair Corner will find themselves in an open and team-orientated working environment. “We value open-mindedness, teamwork and respect for others. We are looking for people who are committed, polite, good with languages, are customer-orientated, and have good potential and a positive attitude. We want to develop our staff into mature professionals,” Lee says.

Chau says the company provides a broad and expanding platform for its employees’ development. “It’s a great development opportunity for young people like me to grow in the industry. As well as being exposed to PR and marketing, I am also granted the opportunity to provide hair-styling services to clients, enabling me to keep up my craft as a stylist and further develop in other aspects. This is a precious opportunity for me to expand my career horizons,” he says.