Image Consultant Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of an image consultant. Feel free to use our image consultant job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as an image consultant.
Who is an Image Consultant?
The term “image consulting” originated in the seventies in a book published by John T. Molloy in 1975 in the United States. The book focused on how dressing and personal image affect achieving personal and professional goals. This led to an increase in the public’s interest in how clothing affects one’s goals. The book was an international success. In the eighties, several firms sprung up to help shape an individual’s personal and professional image. Today, the concept of power dressing has become a part of work culture, helping establish a market for the field of image consulting. The practice has seen a rise in demand due to customer-centric verticals such as retail, hospitality, and public relations. Subsequently, the term has broadened to include etiquette, body language, communication, presentation, and personal branding. Thus, image consulting can be defined as a professional field that aims to improve the image of the client personally or professionally through appearance, behavior, and communication. It is the process of evaluating the effect of a person’s appearance on their professional image. Undoubtedly, image consulting has become an essential industry that services the government, celebrities, politicians, companies, and businesses. Thus, who is an image consultant?
An image consultant is a professional that helps individuals present the best possible image to the world by advising them on their makeup, hair, wardrobe, etiquette, body language, and communication skills. Usually, an image consultant is an expert in fashion and marketing; they train their clients and customers to improve their image for social events or to achieve certain goals. The job of an image consultant is suited and ideal for people-oriented individuals who have an eye for fashion and style. Importantly, companies, schools, and businesses can be clients of image consultants not just individuals although many are executives and politicians. Starting in the field of image consulting can be difficult because there isn’t a clear path to getting clients. Image consultants focus on dressing, clothes buying, personal styling, etiquette, and body language. They take a customer through a process of evaluating their lifestyle and help them change their body language and attire to help improve their image. Crucially, there is certain training and experience that can set an individual up for success in the industry as long as he or she is willing to put in the work. Most image consultants often attend workshops and take courses to sharpen their skills.
Additionally, an image consultant works with people from several industries and sectors to cultivate their professional and personal outlooks. Although image consulting seems to focus on an individual’s outward or visible appearance, the services and guidance an image consultant provides can inspire confidence and improve a client’s self-esteem. A politician or organization might want to repair a damaged image or create a new image that aligns with their professional and personal goals; the image consultant employs his or her specialist knowledge to comprehensively guide such clients. The function of an image consultant isn’t restricted or limited to helping clients enhance, repair, or upgrade their physical appearance, they also help clients develop voracious interpersonal skills that make them feel more confident and present the best versions of themselves. The profession offers flexibility and allows image consultants to tailor their services to fit their interests. Also, an image consultant takes a systematic approach to develop an image strategy for the clients. He or she meets with the client to decipher their goals regarding self-presentation, outlook, and appearance and to guide them through a series of processes that lead to visible, evident, and positive changes.
Depending on their specialty and niche in the field, an image consultant provides targeted and precise consultations on grooming, damage control, and styling. In addition, they provide guidance and coaching on communication through seminars and workshops on image development. Subjects like the importance of first impressions, the importance of image in the workplace, what to wear and what not to wear, corporate hospitality, and speaking at conferences can be covered in the workshop. They enhance, augment, and improve a client’s behavior to ensure it is consistent with the desired professional and personal goals. Furthermore, an image consultant utilizes a holistic public relations strategy to overhaul, redesign, and refurbish image; they may help them capitalize on current fashion, style, and social trends. Success in image consulting is determined or measured by improvement in the client’s standing with intended audiences. Normally, a one-to-one session with a private client covering style and color analysis takes at least one hour. The image consultant explains which colors are most flattering to the client and demonstrates how to use them. They also help the client to identify their style, fabrics, and patterns that flatter the body line, face shape, and proportions. Some self-employed image consultants work with groups offering make-up demonstrations or color parties; this helps to promote their business or tact.
In addition to working directly with clients, an image consultant spends time on administrative duties, professional development, and marketing and public relations. Some image consultants write articles for magazines and newspapers as a way of promoting their careers. Working hours vary and may include evenings, early starts, part-time, and weekend work. An image consultant can travel to a client’s home to provide services such as wardrobe planning for example. While self-employed image consultants tend to work from their homes or a studio, corporate image consultants often work in the employer’s premises. Most image consultants start by working with private clients before delving into corporate work once they have gained experience. Networking and personal recommendation are often the best way of finding clients.
Image Consultant Job Description
Below are the image consultant job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write an image consultant job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of an image consultant include the following:
- Assess, improve, and transform the client’s image, behavior, and communication skills that will distinguish them from the crowd.
- Schedule comprehensive initial meetings with clients to ascertain their personal and professional goals.
- Engage with corporate clients through professional brand coaching and projects.
- Engage in active networking to build a solid client base.
- Promote the client through articles and write-ups via magazines, newspapers, social; media, and other appropriate forums.
- Initiate and facilitate corporate seminars and workshops based on the organization’s professional goals.
- Engage in active networking to build a solid client base.
- Methodically transfer image information through an environment that facilitates the most effective and efficient learning.
- Coach and counsel clients with purposeful advice that contributes to a positive transformation of their professional and personal image.
- Aspire to create images that are authentic, suitable, appealing, and sustainable.
- Understand the client’s goals and conduct research into intended audiences.
- Formulate strategies to arrive at the desired image.
- Promote the client’s image through social media, magazines, newspapers, and other media platforms.
- Provide brand and organization coaching.
- Help clients develop style behavior and communications that enhance or promote their new image.
- Stay abreast of fashion and styling trends.
- Conduct seminars and workshops for small and large groups.
- Review photographs of clients to decipher their needs.
- Conduct fashion shows or events to help clients learn about new trends and styles.
- Help clients and customers choose an appropriate wardrobe for special occasions in their lives such as weddings, graduations, or job interviews.
- Offer advice on how to create a cohesive look when combining different items such as clothing, shoes, makeup, jewelry, handbags, and sunglasses.
- Ensure the customer’s body language is in sync with the particular situation.
- Polish, edit, and revise the client’s speech to conform to the theme of the event or presentation
Qualifications
Demand for image consultants is expected to come from the continued growth of e-commerce and online retailing. Image consultants will be needed to help online retailers create a sense of trust with customers and to ensure that their websites are easy to navigate. There are some requirements to becoming an image consultant. The candidate or applicant must fulfill certain educational, experience, and certification requirements to be fit for the role. Employers, individuals, and organizations are constantly looking for qualified image consultants to improve their personal and professional appearance. Thus, the qualifications for an image consultant include;
- Training and experience: An image consultant typically receives on-the-job training from his or her employer. The training might include shadowing an existing image consultant or learning the company’s procedures and software.
- Education: Most employers look for image consultants with a minimum of a high school diploma or GED. Some employers prefer candidates who have completed a bachelor’s or associate degree in fashion merchandising, fashion degree, or other related fields. these programs include courses in fashion, merchandising, business, marketing, and sales.
- Certifications and licenses: Though not compulsory, an image consultant can acquire several certifications that demonstrate his or her expertise in different aspects of photography and the post-processing of images.
Essential Skills
An image consultant needs certain skills to succeed in the role and create positive relationships. Key skills to develop to progress in the role include;
Fashion knowledge: Fashion trends change frequently, so an image consultant needs to be updated on the latest styles. They can develop fashion knowledge to help clients find clothing that fits their personality and body type. They also use this skill to help clients find accessories that complement their outfits.
Approachability: It is common for individuals to feel vulnerable when seeking advice about their image. Hence, an image consultant must be positive, approachable, and encouraging throughout the process.
Product knowledge: As an image consultant, you may be required to provide product recommendations to several clients. Product knowledge is the ability to understand the benefits and features of a product. A thorough understanding of the products can make the image consultant make the best suggestions to current and prospective customers.
Creativity: As an image consultant, developing an image strategy for clients requires a certain level of creativity. To accommodate the client variables, an image consultant must develop creative solutions tailored to the client’s needs, goals, and preferences.
Marketing skills: This skill is important for image consultants. It helps them create a marketing strategy to promote their products or services.
How to Become an Image Consultant
There are many paths an individual can take to become an image consultant. Described below are steps to take to start and build a career in image consulting.
- Obtain an education:A high school certificate can suffice for a role in image consulting.
- Attend related workshops and take courses: An image consultant benefits from having a background in related fields such as beauty, merchandising, fashion design, marketing, psychology, and communication. These fields can provide the individual with relevant knowledge and skills that apply to the work.
- Earn a certification in image consultancy: To receive official recognition of your abilities, you should enroll in certification courses. The International association for image consultants offers three certification levels for professional image consultants such as certified image consultants, certified image masters, and certified image professionals.
- Gain job experience: A great way to develop your skills is by gaining experience in roles related to image consulting including a sales associate in a clothing store, a personal shopper, a beauty consultant, or a hairstylist.
- Choose a specialization: Choosing a specialization can include targeting your services to a specific clientele.
- Network: Networking with established and well-respected experts within the field and from several related industries can lead to future job opportunities.
- Create a portfolio: Next, create a comprehensive portfolio of your work to attract prospective clients.
- Develop partnerships: Depending on your specialization, develop partnerships to create a shell of professionals to refer clients and provide them with the best results possible.
Where to Work
You can develop some of the skills necessary to be a successful image consultant by working as a personal shopper or stylist at a department store, a beauty consultant at a makeup counter, or a hairstylist. An image consultant can be hired by corporations to train employees in soft skills that are required to thrive in the workplace. They can be employed by businesses to serve as etiquette consultants/behavior coaches. An image consultant can be hired by individuals to act as personal shoppers, body language and communication trainers, and brand strategists.
Image Consultant Salary Scale
An image consultant’s salary varies depending on their level of education, years of experience, and the type of clients they work with. The median annual salary is estimated to be $52,500 which is equivalent to