In April, I profiled Jim Valenzuela, a businessman, raised in Tucson, whose V’s Barbershop concept can now be found in cities across the country.
Today, I’m applying to work for him.
I’m familiar with styling my own hair, but cutting the hair of others is a whole new world.
A V’s Barbershop manager at its Williams Center location, 5420 E. Broadway, was brave enough to offer his head for my audition.
A haircut always starts with getting the cutting cape right. Then it is time to get the tools ready.
I jumped right in. I focused on the bottom half to start.
“It feels like I am not doing anything,” I said.
Turns out I was right. I wasn’t pushing the blade in enough.
“There we go,” I said.
Now I was getting the hang of it. I switched out the attachment and kept going.
“Wow, I’m doing great,” I said.
A little self-praise never hurts during a job interview.
From there, it was time to line the neck.
“Wait, this isn’t bad,” I said.
“That’s what you want to hear from your barber,” my test subject joked.
If he could see the haircut so far, I think he’d agree.
After the neck, it was time to trim the top.
I wasted no time, but quickly realized I couldn’t rush the process.
“Aah, I cut myself,” I said, joking…kind of.
The trim must go on.
“I don’t want to stop,” I said. “This is so fun.”
After I finished clipping, the moment of truth had arrived. I broke out the big mirror.
“That’s not bad,” my test subject said, running his hand through his freshly cut locks.
The haircut finished off with a hot towel, tonic and a face massage.
That may have been the clincher for me. When it was time to learn if I was hired or fired….
“I’m hiring Heidi,” said the newly trimmed GM.
See you at V’s!