CAN YOU SUCCEED AS AN INTROVERT IN HAIRDRESSING?

Most Wanted Education Expert, Conor James Doyle, is killing it on social media. But it doesn’t come easy...

Do you like small talk? Can you maintain an energetic conversation? Can you approach each new potential client with the same friendly demeanour, day after day?

Up until, well, quite recently, these were the only obstacles the introverted hairdresser needed to navigate. I vividly remember the days when my social battery was staggering at about three per cent. I would hold on to one concrete certainty; this day will end soon. In a matter of hours, I can slither out of my human social suit and back into the quiet respite of silence. The world of my job and all its demands of my social attention ended at the salon door. I could, at least for a short time, recharge in solitude.

“Surprise! I’m a massive introvert, despite my online presence”

Those days have long since been washed away by the all-consuming online hurricane. Our careers spilt first onto social media, social media then crept onto our phones and with it, so did our careers. My job now follows me not only after the salon closes but also pretty much everywhere I go. Each little red notification was like a spoiled child tugging at my sleeve, with zero regard for the day I was having. Surprise! I’m a massive introvert, despite my online presence. I’m talking about ‘regularly having to remind myself to socialise and leave the house’ type of introvert. I enjoy the company of friends, family, and clients and even working on stage, but if I don’t balance it out with time alone to recharge, I quickly start to fall apart.

Introverts often enjoy socialising. The core difference is that to exist as an introvert simply means you recharge in solitude. Extroverts, by contrast, generally recharge in socially stimulating environments.

In that lies my first piece of advice. Your downtime is nonnegotiable. My life changed when I began to value time to myself as preciously as eating/sleeping. Book your recharge time into your calendar.

My second tip: The art of recharging can often be found in small pockets or little adjustments in the day. There is transformative magic in the mornings if you can steal 10 to 15 minutes to yourself. It requires discipline. You will fail sometimes but it’s not about perfection. I urge you if you’re reading this to look to your next busy day. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier the night before, and get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning. When you wake, refrain from immediately jumping into urgency and morning chaos. Simply take those few minutes you have earned to really sit with yourself, alone.

My third piece of advice: you do not need to imitate extroversion. You do not need to be someone you are not. It can feel like we live in a society that is ever-evolving to champion extrovert personality types. It often seems like we are penalised for choosing to pursue the thing we need: a moment’s peace.

Social media further compounds this uncomfortable pressure. Do you need to conform to trends and motifs to attract attention? Is talking-to-camera, energetic personality and clickbait-y hooks the only way you will succeed? No.

My greatest piece of advice is: if you don’t feel like creating content on a particular day, don’t. If it is something you really want to do, have faith in yourself that on another day your energy will guide you to it. Then strike. By embracing our real nature, guarding our peace and approaching an online presence with authenticity, introverts can succeed and shine in our industry.