Michael Razzano is a licensed aesthetician at Philadelphia Facial Plastic Surgery & Medspa. After struggling with his own skin struggles, he found his passion for skincare. He specializes in acne and loves to share his knowledge in the treatment room and on social media. Here, he discusses ways to impress potential employers and how to use social media to land your dream job.
In an industry where employers are looking for experienced professionals, how can you stand out and impress when starting out? The power of social media introduced me to my dream job early in my career, and I wouldn’t be here without it. I was weeks from graduating from an aesthetics program and I remember asking the owner of the school how I could land a job at a medical spa immediately after graduating. She said it was possible but told me it was okay to start somewhere like at a day spa to get experience. After I graduated and was looking for employment, I found it difficult getting a job with no experience at a medical spa and ended up taking an esthetician position at a corporate company. I knew the lines this spa carried offered a lot of education and it would be a great first job in the industry.
I took advantage of all the continued education opportunities. I knew I would be slow in the beginning, so I held myself accountable and really took the time to figure out social media. I tried so many different types of content but found my niche in posting fun and educational content. Of course, I treated this platform as an online portfolio, and posted before-and-after photos and reels of treatments, as well. It took me about a year before I felt like I truly understood how to get the most out of social media.
One of the continued education courses I took was in microneedling taught by a seasoned industry professional. We exchanged Instagram’s at the end of the class, giving her the opportunity to follow my journey in my first year of my career. She had a peer, a plastic surgeon who was looking for an esthetician in his new medical spa practice. She gave him my handle and he was very impressed with what I was doing on social. After months of staying in touch and finally meeting in person, almost 5 hours from my hometown, we decided it was a good fit and I relocated to Philadelphia from Albany, NY.
The power of social media should not be taken lightly. It introduced me to an employer who wasn’t local to me at the time and helped me land a medical spa position a year into my career. I’ve had the amazing opportunity in coaching many estheticians on how to utilize social media in advancing their careers and I find that the number-one thing that stands in people’s way is themselves. Putting yourself out there on a public platform can be an uncomfortable thing to do, but I like to say get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Like I said earlier, it took me about a year before I was confident with social media.
Social media is free marketing and an online portfolio to impress potential employers. Everybody’s path can look different, but it’s an amazing tool that everybody can use to their advantage.
Michael Razzano will be teaching a class, "Entering Medical Aesthetics & Social Media Success" on October 14, 2024 at the IECSC Florida show. To attend Michael's class or any of the classes offered at IECSC Florida, be sure to register here to attend IECSC Florida from October 13-14, 2024. What's more, use code AMERICANSPA to get 20% off education classes.