How to hire a hair and makeup designer

How to hire a hair and makeup designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step hair and makeup designer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a hair and makeup designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new hair and makeup designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the hair and makeup designer you need to hire. Certain hair and makeup designer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a hair and makeup designer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a hair and makeup designer that fits the bill.

   This list presents hair and makeup designer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Hair And Makeup Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Hair And Makeup Designer	Barbers, hairdressers, and cosmetologists provide haircutting, hairstyling and a range of beauty services.	$7-25
   Cosmetologist	A cosmetologist specializes in offering various services ranging from haircuts, makeup, skin and hair treatments, manicures, pedicures, and even shaving beards. They must have extensive knowledge and experience on the subject, plus keep up with current trends... Show more	$12-25
   Stylist	A stylist is responsible for providing fashion advice, choosing the appropriate clothing for models, maintaining the fashion style, and supervising photoshoots. Stylists must always be updated with the latest fashion trends for recommendations... Show more	$12-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Stage Production
   • Wigs
   • Photo Shoots

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage social media outlets such as Instagram and Tumblr to reach a broader audience.
   • Provide exceptional customer service experience and demonstrate knowledge of products as well as Chanel history and heritage.
   • Provide Clinique makeup applications and ongoing product education to customers.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your hair and makeup designer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A hair and makeup designer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, hair and makeup designers' average salary in new mexico is 57% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level hair and makeup designers 72% less than senior-level hair and makeup designers.
   • Certifications. A hair and makeup designer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a hair and makeup designer's salary.

   Average hair and makeup designer salary

   $14.20hourly

   $29,543 yearly

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   Entry-level hair and makeup designer salary

   $15,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing a hair and makeup designer job description

   A good hair and makeup designer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a hair and makeup designer job description:

   Hair and makeup designer job description example

   Please submit an application via soona.co/collective.
   
   ABOUT THE SOONA HAIR & MAKEUP ROLE
   
   With an eye for beauty, the soona hair and makeup artist can make any model or client look picture perfect. The hair & makeup artist is exceptional at enhancing hair and facial aesthetics through natural looking hair and makeup, creating custom looks for clients, and working with models on studio sets.
   
   Our artists pay close attention to detail and understand how their work will display under studio lights and cameras. The hair and makeup artist brings a creative mindset and artistic personality to their work, making clients feel confident about the models and the looks.
   
   Requirements
   
   AN IDEAL CANDIDATE CAN:
   
   Perform hair and makeup on models or clients 30 minutes - 1 hour before shoot start time.
   
   Perform hair and makeup services on all gender identities, age groups, skin tones, and hair types. See examples of work at soona.co/inspiration,
   
   Understand and translate hair and makeup request from clients in the shot list.
   
   Provide creative expertise when a client is requesting hair and makeup recommendations.
   
   Provide hair and makeup tool and supplies for a variety of skin tones and hair types.
   
   Provider diverse knowledge of different color palettes and design natural makeup styles.
   
   Ability to hygienically remove hair and makeup looks after the shoot is complete.
   
   Follow directions from Photographers, Production Sidekick, and soona clients in regards to hair and makeup.
   
   Communicate with the Scheduler throughout the scheduling and coordination process.
   
   Work closely with Photographers, models, stylists, and clients to produce a desired look
   
   Maintain a positive and collaborative attitude and represent soona professionally.
   
   SHOOTS & SCHEDULING
   
   Stylists are available for 1 - 4 hour shoots. You will be required to maintain a calendar that reflects your ongoing styling availability for a 2 week scheduling period.There are no guaranteed hours at this time. We often schedule with 1 week or less advance notice.
   
   Benefits
   
   WE CAN OFFER
   
   hair & makeup: $50 per hour
   
   DISCLAIMER: Joining as a soona hair and makeup artist is a freelance contract role with fixed hourly pay rates.
   
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right hair and makeup designer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with hair and makeup designers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit hair and makeup designers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your hair and makeup designer job on Zippia to find and recruit hair and makeup designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit hair and makeup designers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new hair and makeup designer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the hair and makeup designer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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