Service
Manicurist

Manicurist / Nail Technician

Are your friends always coming to you to get their nails done? Love getting creative on your own nails? Learn how to do it like a pro!

Provide nail care services including manicures, pedicures, nail art, and artificial nail application in salons and spas.

Salary Range

$22,000 $45,000

per year (10th–90th percentile)

Median Salary

$27,870

per year

Growth Outlook

Average Growth

2024–2034 projected

Help people look and feel their best, Put your creativity to work, Work in a variety of settings, including salons, spas, hotels, resorts, and cruise ships!

Tasks & Responsibilities

  • Clean and sanitize tools and work environment.
  • Apply undercoat and clear or colored polish onto nails with brush.
  • Maintain supply inventories and records of client services.
  • Shape and smooth ends of nails, using scissors, files, or emery boards.
  • Prepare nail cuticles with water and oil, using cuticle knives to push back cuticles and scissors or nippers to trim cuticles.
  • Prepare customers' nails in soapy water, using swabs, files, and orange sticks.
  • Remove previously applied nail polish, using liquid remover and swabs.
  • Use rotary abrasive wheels to shape and smooth nails or artificial extensions.
  • Schedule client appointments and accept payments.
  • Assess the condition of clients' hands, remove dead skin, and massage hands.

Tools of the Trade

Manicure implementsNail clippersPedicure implementsPumice stoneExtremity hydrotherapy baths or tanksCartsUltraviolet sterilizersDry heat or hot air sterilizersMagnetic stripe readers and encodersNotebook computersCash registersAir brushesTweezersSteam autoclaves or sterilizersTablesNail dryersPersonal computers

Knowledge Areas

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. 59/100

English Language

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. 41/100

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources. 40/100

Personnel and Human Resources

Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems. 37/100

Sales and Marketing

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems. 36/100

Mathematics

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. 35/100

Production and Processing

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. 35/100

Psychology

Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders. 32/100

Sociology and Anthropology

Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins. 32/100

Design

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models. 31/100

Work Profile

Physicality
2/10
Training
3/10
Structure
7/10

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