Starting a role in the beauty industry can be hard work, but incredibly rewarding. We caught up with some friends of COPRA to find the key traits for success in beauty...
Agility
“I think the one thing about the industry at the moment is the constant change and pace, and agility is a key word. It’s a priceless quality, because every day is a different challenge.” - Margaret Attwooll, General Manager, UK & Ireland Parfums Christian Dior and winner of the Gordon Whitehead Award (Now Industry Excellence Award) Winner at the 2018 COPRA Awards
Tenacity
“I would definitely say tenacity: being tenacious and not allowing anything to get in your way; really finding ways round things, because the industry is changing a lot.” - Sarah Harbon, General Manager Benefit Cosmetics
Passion
“I think the most important quality for people to start in the beauty industry today is to have passion. It has to be a real, genuine passion. Whether you’re a Social Media Expert or a Beauty Expert, it really comes down to being truly passionate about the industry and really understanding the way that it’s moving and shaking. I’d say that if you’ve got that as your foundation, then everything else is just going to come naturally.” - Leighton Denny MBE, Founder of Leighton Denny
Integrity
“I think the most important thing is as it’s always been, to work hard and do your homework, but above all, I think it’s also important to act with integrity, because I feel like particularly in this industry, we are selling peoples’ dreams, and with that, comes a great responsibility.” - Lynette Lukes, Silver Skies Consulting
Hard Work
“I think starting a career in the industry has got to be about hard work, and about commitment to hard work... A lot of people are asking, ‘How can I get to be in X job’, or ‘How can I earn X amount of money or do X thing’, and I’ll say, ‘It’s not about what you’re doing tomorrow; it’s about what you’re doing today, to the best of your ability.’” - Alison Young, Consultant to the Industry, QVC & Beauty Knowledge