Issue 81: The Common Woman | Of ambitious careers
This is Part 5 of an ongoing series on the common women touching our lives
I have known D for a little over three years now. She’s a chatty woman, full of tidbits ranging from Bandra to Australia.
The first time I meet D, I tread with trepidation. For, I am pretty sure she would have a hundred thousand feedback points about my skin and hair, as beauty service providers usually do.
But no. D assesses, analyses, decides what to do, and gets to the job while starting to talk about everything else under the sun.
I am semi nodding till she tells me something that spikes my interest.
“See, I also need growth in my job na. I can’t keep doing simple things forever. I like experimenting with new things, keeping myself excited on the job. But, when some of my older clients ask for me specifically, I step in. Because client relationships are important too right.”
I prod a little more, because I have never before thought about the career trajectories of beauty service providers.
She talks about how she started off at the junior most level, working on hair shampooing and drying to now when she does interesting hair cuts and colours for her customers. D is also the supervisor for that branch, frequently putting in time at other branches training newcomers.
“So, you don’t want to move to another branch, just to explore something new?” I ask her once.
“No yaa, I like it here. I like hanging out here and all my clients are here. I don’t want to build new relationships all over again,” she says.
This is not a LinkedIn learning post, but I learn about careers, ambitions, and trade offs a bit more every time I meet D.
In corporate speak, she has risen up the hierarchy, is comfortable in her shoes, and collaborates in a bid to transfer knowledge.
Well… it isn’t all rosy with her career, as is the case with all careers across the world.
Once she says, “My boss na, he is simply not upping my salary but keeps sending me idhar udhar (here and there) to train people in his other branches. I have told him, you better increase my salary or else am leaving. He better remember I can take my clients along with me”.
At the risk of sounding politically incorrect but awfully right, I am reminded of consulting partners emigrating en masse with their teams and clients, from one consulting firm to another.
The next time I ask her, “So all sorted with your boss?” She laughs and says, “Yeah what to do. He and I are stuck with each other.”
The average hair dresser’s salary in India ranges from INR 10K to INR 50K per month, including tips and bonuses. Women form bulk of the beauty salon employee base, both organised and unorganised. Women were also the larger percentage to lose their jobs during the 2020 pandemic, as face-to-face stores shut down, directly impacting the services industry across hospitality and beauty services.
I don’t have to ask D about her career plans. I just know I will be one of the clients moving with her if ever she were to hive off.
Because, client relationships are two-way streets. And who better than a salesperson to know that.
Click through to read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part 4 in the Common Woman series.