Working at Ulta??

amahoney

amahoney

New member
How did you get your job at Ulta? I know you have to apply online, but did they call you or did you call them and ask?
 
amahoney

amahoney

New member
junefontaine said:
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
smiles.gif
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How'd you get the Ulta job? I applied online to a couple stores near me who are hiring and I'm wondering what to do next. Any advice?
 
olivialove509

olivialove509

New member
lilqtpy85 said:
Just thought I'd add to this since it helped me so much when I was applying at Ulta. I guess I'll start at the beginning. I started working for MAC in a Nordstrom in December of 2009. It was a great experience and the most rewarding job I've had to date. Great pay, great team, great gratis, great training, great discount - all around wonderful. Unfortunately, I was let go in April of 2010 because of a status I posted on Facebook. Long story short, either don't be friends with your managers or leave social networking sites to social networking and leave your job out of it. Anyway, in May of 2011, I decided to get back into the retail side of makeup because honestly, gas is expensive and if I'm going to work a part time job, it should be in a field that I'm interested in. I applied at Ulta. A few weeks went by and I heard nothing so I decided to call the store and I talked to the manager who told me that my application was lost somewhere on the internet and that I should come in for an interview which we scheduled for the following weekend. I went in for the interview which was pretty basic - What is your employment background? Why do you want to work for Ulta? What would you do if you were dealing with a difficult customer? etc. I thought it went well and spoke to the Prestige manager who seemed really interested in hiring me. A week went by and I decided to call to check on the status but the manager was out and I was told to call back which I did every day for the following two weeks. Finally one of the other managers got a little tired of hearing from me and informed me that the General Manager was on vacation and that she would return the following week. I waited that week and called back and finally go a hold of the general manager who offered me the job as a Prestige Consultant. I had asked for $10 an hour but received $9 an hour which I guess is the max starting pay for Ulta. I've been working there for a month now.

Good:

  • I work with a great team. Everyone is really knowledgable and willing to help you find your footing.
  • Gratis is surprisingly good. I didn't expect it to be anything like MAC because of how awesome MAC is about gratis but I was pleasantly surprised. We get gratis every time there's training from a makeup brand.
  • Really relaxed atmosphere. No sales goals, no quota you have to meet.
  • You essentially get to play with makeup all day and they pay you for it.
  • Flexible schedule. I often have photo shoots or weddings on weekends and have not had a problem getting the time off.
  • Dress code is really good. Black pants, black shoes, black or white top. No restrictions on what kind of shoes, pants, tops etc. I usually wear capri pants, a t-shirt and some flip flops.

Bad:

  • Coming from the world of MAC where everything is go go go, to be thrown into a job where you literally spend hours doing nothing is kind of a shock. Time seems to drag on in Ulta where a 4 hour shift at MAC goes by like nothing.
  • Discount is only 25%. Yes I know it's better than nothing and I should be grateful for it but again, spoiled by MAC's 60%.
  • I literally only work 4 hours a week.
  • $9 an hour at 4 hours a week is only $36. Take out taxes and that's only $24. I'm not sure that's even worth the gas to get there.
  • No real artistry or skill required. I do often feel like my talent is wasted. We have brush belts and I make a point to wear one every time I work in the hopes that someone will as me to put eyeshadow on them so I won't feel like it's a waste of time.
  • I hear gratis doesn't come that often. I've only worked there for a month but we have about 6 weeks of training coming up. As I understand it, after that, we won't have training or get gratis for a long time.
  • When products are discontinued, we have to throw them out. Even though they're going in the trash, we can't take them with us. Too Faced just recently decided to discontinue a bunch of stuff and it's all sitting in this bin in the back room waiting to be thrown out. What a waste!
  • I understand theft is an issue but we have to carry all of our belongings in clear bags that get checked when we leave. uhh, not everyone needs to see my tampons.

Overall: Although I went into this knowing that I'd only be working a little bit of time during the week and that I'd only be getting $9 an hour, it's kind of disheartening to actually experience it. I've only worked there a month and already feel like I've gotten as much out of it as I can. There's only so many times I can play with Urban Decay's stuff or any of the other makeup and skincare they have on that side. I applied to work for a studio where they do hair and makeup for weddings, photo shoots, and the like and was hired today. I think I'm going to wait until training is done at Ulta and then leave. I imagine it would be a really great job for someone who is really just starting in makeup or retail sales. It's just that I realize what a huge step down I took coming from MAC.
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How much did you get paid hourly at MAC? Was it comission??
 
Jessica1017

Jessica1017

Member
how do you normally dress?
I was hired as a cashier and I was wondering what can I wear to switch it up from just a pair of black pants and a simple black shirt
Capris? Skirts? Dresses? Sleeveless?
Tshirts? Sandals? Sneakers? Flats?
 
Monsy

Monsy

Well-known member
no capris
skirts yes but not short
sleevless yes but not spaghetti strap
thsirts like plain ones no
pants can't be skinny they have to be dress pants
sandals yes but they have to look professional and if you wear open toes you have to have pedicure done
no sneakers
flats yes

this is official dress code but it depends a lot on your managers too
 
Jessica1017

Jessica1017

Member
My first work week at Ulta I only worked 1 day
then im off all next week
are the hours for part time usually this bad or gets better with time?
luckily i do have another job
 
nikhat123

nikhat123

New member
I applied at ulta for prestige consultant position and was wondering what questions do they ask? Anybody has any idea? Or been through the interview, I have an interview on Tuesday :)
 
feathermepretty

feathermepretty

Member
I interviewed for prestige, got the job but declined because of my beauty blog and freelance work. They told me I would have to quit all of it and there was no way I was willing to do that without full time hours and better pay. Sadly all they could offer me was part time kind of on call, very strict rules and very low pay so I had to pass. I do love shopping there though.
 
eyemaysing

eyemaysing

New member
I just got hired as a prestige consultant at a new store opening in my area. I am going for Orientation this Wednesday. I am curious about the clear purse/bag rule. Are you allowed to carry makeup in your bag? I mean, if you go into work with makeup in your bag, do they just check at the end of your shift that you don't have anything in there that you didn't have when you came in, or might they accuse you of stealing so you just shouldn't carry any of your makeup in your bag? I hope that question makes sense. I made this bag myself yesterday because I couldn't find any that I liked in stores. I hope it meets all their requirements!
.

Thanks for everyone's input!

~Lisa
 
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