Skills
Salon Manager Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in salon managers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do salon managers need?
Salon Managers need technical skills such as salon operations, scheduling software, and retail sales, plus people skills like leadership and customer service. They also use tools such as Salon management software and POS systems.
Technical (hard) skills
- Salon operations
- Scheduling software
- Retail sales
- Inventory management
- Staff training
- Licensing compliance
People (soft) skills
- Leadership
- Customer service
- Communication
- Problem solving
Tools, equipment and technology
- Salon management software
- POS systems
- Inventory tools
- Social media
- Scheduling apps
- Spreadsheets
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how salon managers put their skills to work:
- How to improve client rebooking
- How to handle a service complaint
- How to build a salon staff schedule around bookings
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Salon operations” and “Scheduling software.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “leadership,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Cosmetology or esthetics license near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our salon manager glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Salon Manager training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.