From scissors to scissor lifts
After 30 years of hairdressing, Jenny Steer swapped her scissors for scissor lifts as service coordinator for JLG.
Jenny Steer had never really thought about what she could do outside of hairdressing. Over 30 years, she’d built a successful small business with a loyal client base but with the shutdown of the hairdressing industry over COVID, Jenny had time to consider other options.
“Hairdressing is very physical on the body, and I ended up with a series of back injuries. It wasn’t until I stopped work during the COVID lockdowns that I realised how good my back could be—that’s when I knew I had to stop hairdressing.” Having gone straight from school into a hairdressing apprenticeship, Jenny didn’t think she was qualified to do anything else. “I thought I would have to do a course to get a job outside of hairdressing, not realising I had so many transferable skills and experiences I could bring to a new role and industry.”
With encouragement from her husband, Jenny applied for a role at JLG and was successful. She’s now their Service Coordinator (Victoria) for the west, organising units to be serviced, coordinating technicians, and delivering customer service.
“One of the main things I’ve taken from hairdressing, is how important it is to communicate. You have to listen to what people want before you start, then communicate what you’re going to do. That’s where my hairdressing experience has been critical.”
“When a machine is down it costs our customers money. So, it’s my role to keep them informed.” Jenny also brings organisational skills and has decades of problem-solving experience to draw on. Now, she’s part of the 2023 HRIA Women in Hire Development Program. “Having worked for myself for such a long time and only with other hairdressers, I thought it would be great to network with other women in the industry,” says Jenny. “I’ve been a mum for so long (her 19-year-old son is an apprentice plumber while her 17-year-old daughter is completing Year 12) and my story has
always revolved around hairdressing and kids. It will be nice to have this new chapter just for me.”
