Career Fair Guide

Career Fair Guide

Use this page when you represent Amenities at a beauty school Industry Day, career fair, or classroom visit. It gives you the pitch, the worksheet answers, and scripted answers to the five questions students always ask. Every answer matches current policy in this handbook, so say it with confidence.

Fill in the bracketed items with the manager before the event. Related pages: Recruitment and Hiring, Onboarding, Payroll and Timekeeping, Scheduling and Attendance, Benefits and Leave.

Table of Contents

  1. Elevator Pitch
  2. Worksheet Answers
  3. The Five Questions Students Always Ask
  4. Before the Event
  5. At the Booth
  6. After the Event
  7. Facts to Confirm Before Each Event

Elevator Pitch

Aim for 15 to 45 seconds. Practice it until it sounds like you, not a script.

30-second version

Hi, I'm [your name], [your title] at Amenities Day Spa and Salon in Fresno. We're an Aveda concept spa on North Palm with a team of about twenty: stylists, estheticians, nail techs, and massage therapists. Every guest gets the full Aveda ritual, so you'd get to work the way you were trained, not rushed through it. You're paid hourly plus tiered retail commission, you keep 100% of your tips, and after ninety days you get Aveda at cost. Right now we're hiring [open roles]. If you want a place with high standards and a team that actually backs each other up, come talk to us.

15-second version

Amenities is Fresno's Aveda concept spa and salon. Hourly pay plus commission, you keep every tip, real training, and a team of twenty who look out for each other. We're hiring [open roles]. Let's talk.

Worksheet Answers

Aveda's Industry Day guide includes an elevator-speech worksheet. These are our answers.

Business name: Amenities Day Spa and Salon, 5054 N. Palm Ave, Fresno

Positions we typically offer:

  • Licensed cosmetologist
  • Esthetician
  • Nail technician
  • Massage therapist
  • Front desk / guest services
  • Spa attendant

What sets us apart:

  • Full Aveda concept spa. Every guest receives the Aveda rituals: aroma sensory journey, hand and scalp massage, tea service, heated tables.
  • Professional lines across every department: Aveda, Comfort Zone skin care, Jane Iredale mineral makeup.
  • Small team of about twenty, so you are known by name, not a number.
  • The owner is on site and reachable. "My door is always open" is in the handbook, not just a slogan.
  • [Years in business, awards, or recognition]

Value proposition for employees:

  • Hourly base pay plus retail commission that adds to your wage rather than replacing it.
  • 100% of tips are yours. No pooling, no deductions.
  • Structured first week with shadow shifts and product training, then 30/60/90-day check-ins.
  • Ongoing Aveda education, plus access to Comfort Zone and Jane Iredale training platforms.
  • 50% off Aveda and our other lines for personal use after 90 days, plus trade services.
  • A clear path from new hire to experienced to specialized and leadership roles, discussed at every review.

The Five Questions Students Always Ask

Aveda's guide lists the five questions every student asks at a booth. Use these answers as written or in your own words. Do not improvise numbers.

1. What are your benefits and compensation structure?

Every position is hourly, and the range is printed on the job posting: [$X to $Y per hour for this role]. On top of that you earn retail commission, and it adds to your hourly rather than replacing it. Sell $250 in product in a pay period and you earn 3%, $500 is 5%, and $800 or more is 10%. You keep 100% of your tips. Cash tips go home with you the same day and card tips are on your paycheck. We pay every other Thursday.

For benefits: 40 hours of paid sick leave every year, a 50% employee discount on Aveda and our other lines after 90 days, trade services with your teammates, and free access to Aveda PurePro and the other brand education platforms. We're a small business, so we don't offer group health insurance. I'd rather tell you that up front than have you find out later.

2. Do you hire someone who is still in school or not yet licensed?

For any role that touches a guest, you need your California license in hand before your first day. That's the law and we don't bend it. But there are two ways to start with us before you're licensed. First, we hire students for front desk and spa attendant roles, and that's honestly the best way to learn how the spa runs and move into a service position when you graduate. Second, if you hold an apprentice permit, we'll talk. Either way, take my card, tell me when your State Board date is, and reach back out the week you pass.

3. What do you look for in an ideal candidate?

Three things. First, you take the craft seriously. You want to do the full Aveda ritual for every guest, not skip it when you're busy. Second, you're a team player. Our handbook literally says you help your coworkers during a rush, and we mean it. Third, weekend availability. Saturday is our biggest day and everyone on the team works it. If you've got those three, we can teach you the rest.

4. How long is your training program?

Your first week is structured: at least two shadow shifts with an experienced team member, plus product training on Aveda, Comfort Zone, and Jane Iredale, and our safety and guest-service orientation. Massage therapists get private training sessions instead of shadow shifts. After that we do check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days so nothing gets lost. Training doesn't really stop, though. Aveda education sessions are part of the job, and when we add a new service, an experienced teammate trains you on it.

5. What is a typical schedule, and is there flexibility for part time?

We're open for services Tuesday through Sunday. Monday is retail only, ten to two-thirty. Everyone works Saturdays, including our 8:45 morning huddle, and we need Friday and Sunday availability too. Within that, yes, we have part-time positions under thirty hours a week, and a lot of our team started that way. What I can't promise a part-timer is a guaranteed number of hours every week; it flexes with bookings.

Before the Event

  • Confirm the date, arrival time, and table setup with the school's career counselor.
  • Pick two friendly, engaging team members to staff the booth. At least one should be a licensed service provider who can speak to the work.
  • Confirm the open roles and hourly pay ranges with the manager and write them into the pitch.
  • Pack branded table cloth or signage, business cards, Aveda samples or small swag (mini brushes, clips, pens, stickers), and a QR code to [careers page or Indeed posting].
  • Bring a sign-up sheet that captures name, phone, email, program, license status, and expected graduation or State Board date.
  • Rehearse the pitch and the five answers out loud at least once together.

At the Booth

  • Arrive early enough to be fully set up before students arrive.
  • Dress the way you would for a busy Saturday at Amenities. You are showing them the job, not attending a job fair.
  • Stand, smile, and open with a question: "What program are you in?" or "What are you hoping to find in a salon?"
  • Give the pitch, then listen. Students remember the booth where someone paid attention to them.
  • Write a short note next to every promising name on the sign-up sheet while it is fresh.
  • Offer a salon tour to anyone who stands out. It is the strongest follow-up we have and it costs nothing.

After the Event

  • Enter every contact into [tracking sheet] the same day.
  • Follow up with promising candidates within one week by phone or email. Mention something specific from your conversation.
  • Follow the school and tag it when you post about the event. Engage with student posts under #AvedaInstitutes or the school's own hashtag.
  • Schedule offered salon tours within two weeks.
  • Tell the manager how many contacts you made and who is worth a phone screen. Phone screens follow the process in Recruitment and Hiring.

Facts to Confirm Before Each Event

These change over time or are not yet recorded. Check them with the manager before you leave for the event.

  • Hourly pay range for each open role. California law requires it on our postings, so it belongs in the pitch too.
  • Which roles are actually open right now.
  • Years in business and any awards or press worth mentioning.
  • Where the QR code points.