The best time to recruit talent is before they graduate. Partnering with beauty schools gives you access to trained, eager new professionals before they hit the job market. You can evaluate their work, build relationships, and make offers before competitors even meet them. Here's how to build productive school partnerships.
Why Partner with Beauty Schools
School partnerships offer advantages over traditional recruiting.
- Early access to talent before they're on the job market
- See candidates' work over time, not just in one interview
- Build your reputation as an employer among students
- Reduce recruitment costs compared to job postings
- Shape training by providing input on curriculum
- Get fresh perspectives and latest techniques from new graduates
- Create a reliable pipeline of entry-level talent
Types of School Partnerships
Partnerships can take many forms, from casual to highly structured.
- Recruitment events: Attend career fairs, give presentations
- Guest instruction: Teach classes on specialty topics
- Internships/externships: Host students for hands-on experience
- Salon tours: Invite students to visit your salon
- Advisory board: Help shape curriculum and standards
- Scholarship sponsorship: Fund student education
- Product partnerships: Provide products for training
Building School Relationships
Effective partnerships require genuine relationship building.
- Start by reaching out to career services directors
- Offer to speak at career events or classes
- Be consistent—show up regularly, not just when you need to hire
- Provide value before asking for access to students
- Follow through on commitments and promises
- Give feedback on graduates you've hired
- Treat students and staff professionally
Pro tip: Schools remember salons that treat their students well—and those that don't. Your reputation with schools matters.
Setting Up Internship Programs
Internships let you evaluate students before hiring decisions.
- Coordinate with school on timing and hour requirements
- Create structured learning experiences, not just free labor
- Assign a mentor to each intern
- Provide meaningful exposure to salon operations
- Give honest feedback to help them improve
- Make offers to interns you want to hire
- Maintain relationships even with interns you don't hire
What Schools Want from Partners
Understanding school priorities helps you build stronger partnerships.
- Employment outcomes for graduates (their success metrics)
- Professional treatment of their students
- Feedback on graduate preparedness
- Industry input on curriculum relevance
- Opportunities for student learning and exposure
- Positive representation of career possibilities
- Long-term commitment, not one-time recruiting
Hiring and Developing New Graduates
New graduates need investment, but they can become your strongest team members.
- Expect a ramp-up period—they're not fully productive day one
- Provide structured onboarding and mentorship
- Set realistic expectations for skills and speed
- Invest in continued education and training
- Be patient with the learning curve
- Pair with experienced mentors
- Celebrate progress and growth
Measuring Partnership Success
Track whether your school partnerships are delivering value.
- Number of quality candidates from each school
- Conversion rate from intern to hire
- Retention rate of graduates you've hired
- Time and cost to fill positions vs. other sources
- Performance of school hires vs. experienced hires
- Quality of relationship with school staff
- Student awareness of your salon as an employer
Frequently Asked Questions
Start with the career services director or school director. Express genuine interest in supporting their students, not just recruiting. Offer to speak at an event or host a tour before asking for access to graduates. Build the relationship first.
If they're doing productive work for your salon, yes. Unpaid internships are legally problematic if the intern provides value to your business. Even if the school doesn't require pay, compensating interns shows you value their time and attracts better candidates.
New graduates rarely are fully ready—that's expected. Invest in training and give them time to develop. If consistent issues arise, provide feedback to the school about curriculum gaps. Consider whether your expectations for entry-level hires are realistic.