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Manicurists and Pedicurists

Clean and shape customers' fingernails and toenails. May polish or decorate nails.
Related: Barbers  Hairdressers, Hairstylists, & Cosmetologists  Painting, Coating, & Decorating Workers  Shampooers  Skincare Specialists 
Industries: Service 

  • Summary

  • Details

    • Work Activities

    • Prepare customers' nails in soapy water, using swabs, files, and orange sticks.
    • Assess the condition of clients' hands, remove dead skin, and massage hands.
    • Assess the condition of clients' hands, remove dead skin, and massage hands.
    • Polish nails, using powdered polish and buffer.
    • Maintain supply inventories and records of client services.
    • Clean and sanitize tools and work environment.
    • Promote and sell nail care products.
    • 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.
    • Roughen surfaces of fingernails, using abrasive wheel.
    • Advise clients on nail care and use of products and colors.
    • Treat nails to repair or improve strength and resilience by wrapping.
    • Extend nails using powder, solvent, and paper forms attached to tips of customers' fingers to support and shape artificial nails.
    • Decorate clients' nails by piercing or attaching ornaments or designs.
    • Whiten underside of nails with white paste or pencils.
    • Shape and smooth ends of nails, using scissors, files, or emery boards.
    • Promote and sell nail care products.
    • Maintain supply inventories and records of client services.
    • Prepare nail cuticles with water and oil, using cuticle knives to push back cuticles and scissors or nippers to trim cuticles.
    • Apply undercoat and clear or colored polish onto nails with brush.

    Skills

    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    Abilities

    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.

    Knowledge

    • 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.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • 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.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • 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.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • 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.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • 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.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    Education

    Education
    Postsecondary certificate
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training
    Education and Training Opportunities

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    47840/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    23/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    8,390
    Yearly Projected Openings
    1100

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Attention to Detail
    • Self Control
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Concern for Others
    • Independence

    Tools

    • Air brushes
    • Carts
    • Cash registers
    • Dry heat or hot air sterilizers
    • Extremity hydrotherapy baths or tanks
    • Magnetic stripe readers and encoders
    • Manicure implements
    • Nail clippers
    • Nail dryers
    • Notebook computers
    • Pedicure implements
    • Personal computers
    • Pumice stone
    • Steam autoclaves or sterilizers
    • Tables
    • Tweezers
    • Ultraviolet sterilizers

    Technology

    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Office suite software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Web page creation and editing software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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