Salon Mentor Brief Template

Hand it to the mentor before a new hire's first shift, whether the mentor is a senior front desk coordinator, a lead nail technician or the manager on duty. It keeps a busy mentor from teaching from memory, and it lets the manager see what was covered without standing beside them all day. Use one brief per new hire and role.

Fill in the header fields listed below. Then write each part in the order the shift needs it, from your approved lessons and rules rather than general advice. Keep it to one page: if a part runs long, it belongs in a lesson, not in the brief.

Before you name the mentor, count their monthly hours: new hires a month × (weeks × (weekly sessions × session length + other weekly time) + sign-off time).

• New hire: name as it appears on the schedule
• Role: front desk coordinator, receptionist, nail technician or another role
• Location: the salon where the first shifts happen
• Mentor: the person beside the new hire on day 1
• Start date: the first shift
• Manager who signs off: the person who observes the tasks

Download the blank template: CSV · Markdown (.md) · Word (.docx)

At the end of day 1, the manager reads the brief with the mentor. Every practice task should have a count next to it, and every question the new hire asked should have an answer or an owner. The sign-off line stays empty until the manager has watched the tasks, not just heard about them. Two more things to look for:

• For a service provider, the observed tasks come from your reviewed station setup procedure, never from the mentor's own habits; BLS counts cleaning and disinfecting tools as part of a manicurist's job
• If the same question appears in two briefs, it belongs in the lesson for that role

The manager decides when a new hire works alone, and nothing in the brief changes that. The mentor shows how your salon works; Elvina does not teach lash, permanent makeup, laser or other service technique, and the brief does not replace required licensing or supervised training. From the lessons approved in Company Knowledge, Elvina drafts the brief, a job aid and the manager's check for each role, available now.

• The manager approves the brief before the first shift and signs off on the observed tasks.
• The mentor records what was covered and what the new hire asked.
• Licensing and any required supervision stay with your licensed professionals and the rules where each location operates.

Public sources, checked on the date shown.

• BLS lists cleaning and disinfecting the work area and tools among the duties of manicurists and pedicurists, and says they must complete a state-approved cosmetology or nail technician program and pass a state exam. Source: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/manicurists-and-pedicurists.htm (checked 2026-10-13).