I get this question all the time from people interested in becoming a home stager:
"How do I get "hired" as a home stager instead of owning my own company?"
I get it...not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, so I'm going to tell you my 5 hot tips for getting hired on for home staging jobs, as well as give you real life examples of how it happened and their photo transformations...ready?
Get "Formal" Training in Home Staging
This really should not come as a surprise to anyone right? If you want to become a hair stylist, you go to cosmetology school. If you want to become a real estate agent, you take the classes and get your license. Why should the home staging industry be any different?
Certainly you don't have to have "home staging certification" in this industry to become a home stager (that's one of the beauties of the industry)... BUT if you want another home stager to hire you and see you as a credible, talented, employee it REALLY HELPS!
HSR Grad and one of my FAVORITE stagers in the world, Orlando Reyes a home stager based out of Orlando, Florida is a RESA Chapter President and one of my amazing Staging Mentors. The before-and-after photos you see on this page were from a vacant staging job Orlando mentored a recent HSR grad (Keithia) and also hired another HSR grad, Sarah Wake Davies for this job. He has since hire more HSR grads for his ongoing jobs.
Look how great they look in this on the job "selfy"!
Orlando, Keithia and Sarah working hard!
How did Orlando connect with so many HSR Grads for help on his home staging jobs? Stagers Connect. At the Home Staging Resource, we have a very active, private Social Network called Stagers Connect where members collaborate, connect and many times post jobs in our "job posting group" in order to get other qualified, similarly trained HSR stagers to assist.
Living Room BEFORE
Living Room AFTER
Connect With A Veteran Staging Mentor
Once you get some training, I recommend connecting with a Staging Mentor in your area right away! I have a formal program Staging Mentors program where you can pay to connect with "the best of the best in the industry" for a job shadowing day that will show you all the in's and out's of the job.
What's makes our Staging Mentors program unique, is that the money goes directly to the pre-qualified, veteran, staging mentor, so they give you an incredible training experience! You can try and contact mentors directly for work if you don't want to pay (especially if you've been formally trained), but you usually get what you pay for so don't expect them to be very responsive (the good ones get calls almost daily for this).
Kitchen BEFORE
Get A Referral from Your Staging Mentor
Frankly, I would be very surprised if the top two suggestions didn't land you a job if you are a super star. Staging Mentors are looking for employees all the time, so their best resource is usually the person they mentored already. BUT if your mentor is not hiring, then you should get a quick letter of recommendation from them for the job you did and use it to send as a reference to other stagers in your area.
A reference is invaluable and Staging Mentors are some of the most respected stagers in the industry!
Dining Area BEFORE
Dining Area AFTER
Network with Your Local Stagers Through RESA
Make sure to connect with your local Real Estate Staging Association chapter, so you can meet other stagers and find out if any of them are hiring. Most every Staging Mentor is in leadership at RESA, so they can also guide you to the meetings and best ways to connect with others. This is an incredible industry of generous individuals, so be open and willing to learn from them all.
Beautifully Staged Bedroom
Be Willing to Work Hard, Learn Tons and Get Along
One thing you learn as an Entrepreneur is that it doesn't matter whether you are working for yourself OR someone else...you have to produce results! If you are not working hard, connecting with prospects, bringing in business and staging/designing your heart out, then you may not be producing enough to be kept on. Staging is hard work but oh so rewarding!
This industry is all about learning and growing! You will NEVER stop learning about design, shopping resources or real estate if you are an awesome stager. There is so much to know in this industry that it can be overwhelming, so stagers by nature are constant learners.
These kinds of "After" results don't come without A LOT of hard work!
Great "After" Offfice
Finally, if you go through all the of the above and still can't find work with a stager then consider going into business for yourself...I've never had anyone regret that decision. I have a free video training that walks you through whether this industry is for you, so I encourage you to watch it.
Could “ Home Staging"
be a Career for You?
Don’t miss this..!!
- 7 Key Questions to Ask Yourself
- What the Cost is to Starting this Business
- Do You Have the Personality for This Industry?
- How You Know If You Have the Design Talent?
Here's a few more AFTER photos from Orlando that I never get tired of seeing...
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