In 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that waiters and waitresses held more than 2.5 million jobs together across the country.Waitresses ensure that customers are well-taken care of in dining establishments and is a great way to get started in the hospitality industry. Some of the duties include serving food, taking drink orders and food orders, and answering any customer questions about the provided menus.
Waitress jobs tend to be a favorite part-time or summer job for many, and restaurants tend to have many new employees due to that. You may need to check multiple waitress resume examples to write a resume that impresses the restaurant manager. This is especially necessary if you want to work at fine-dining restaurants that value customer satisfaction and need waitresses who act in a professional manner.
Here are some tips to help you write a waitress resume that sets you apart from other job seekers.
What to Include in Waitress Resumes
Writing a resume is not always an easy task. If you don’t know what to include in your resume, you can check some waitress resume samples to act as a guide. A waitress resume should be short and precise but also have all the relevant information. Let’s look at some of the sections you need to have in your resume.
The header section
The header in your waitress resume contains your name, title, contact information, and link to your portfolio or LinkedIn profile.
Resume summary or objective
A resume summary or objective highlights your professional achievements or skills and should compel the hiring manager to read the rest of your resume.
The work experience section
This is where you list your previous work history relevant to the waitress job you are applying for.
The education section
This section contains any education you have earned, whether it’s a bachelor’s degree or a high school diploma.
The skills section
Waitress jobs require a variety of skills that go to this section.
Additional sections
These include awards, volunteer work, or any certifications that will help your waitress resume stand out.
Professional Summary for a Waitress Resume
A professional resume summary is essential in any waitress resume because it gives the hiring manager a reason to continue reading the rest of your cv. A summary briefly talks about your best attributes, work experience, and professional accomplishments.
This short statement allows the hiring manager to see what value you will bring to the company based on your previous achievements. Always think of it as a sales pitch where you get a short time to talk about why you are the best person for the job. The summary comes right after your header section in your resume.
Examples of Professional Summary
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Attentive and conscientious waitress with strong customer skills and over three years of food-service operations. Always aims for the highest quality of service. Possesses exceptional attention to detail and expertise in promoting various menu items and specialty dishes and upselling 20% of customers served to increase revenue and staff tips.
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Waited tables for 2 years.
Gets to work on time.
Can use POS system.
Work History in a Waitress Resume Example
The work history section is one of the crucial sections in a waitress resume. Waitresses usually have many job responsibilities and should possess excellent multitasking skills. If you have previous experience working a waitress job, you should list your work history in this section. It is always best to start with your most recent job, and then the previous jobs follow.
Hiring managers tend to spend a little more time on this section as it allows them to see what you have previously done. Therefore, it is essential to list your duties and accomplishments in bullet points and figures, and facts to quantify your key achievements.
If you are an entry-level waitress who doesn't have much experience, you can add internship opportunities relevant to the job you are applying for. Since this is a regular part-time job for many students, restaurant managers understand that you may not have professional experience. Your resume should communicate that you are teachable and possess the interpersonal skills and communication skills necessary for the job.
Duties and Responsibilities
The duties and job responsibilities are essential in your waitress resume as they give the hiring manager an idea of what you can do. It would be best if you listed these duties in the work experience section under your work history. Waitress duties go beyond taking food and beverage orders and ensuring the dining area is clean and ready for the next customer.
Some of their other duties include:
Helping kitchen and bar staff to stock service areas.
Provide back-up to kitchen staff by preparing salads, desserts, and drinks when required and serving specialty dishes.
Waitresses set up the dining room before opening time and manage closing duties.
Put orders into the POS system and operate the cash register during their shifts to make it easy for customers to pay without any problems.
Welcome and seat guests to their assigned tables, especially during special events such as birthdays or company parties and ensure overall customer satisfaction.
Provide customers with information on various menu items and answer questions about menu selections making recommendations when requested.
Describe cooking methods to customers and give them a clear idea of the food items they want to order.
Serve food and alcoholic beverages to customers in a timely manner.
Communicate food safety issues to restaurant management.
Communicate customer’s special requests to kitchen staff to avoid any confusion
Education Section of the Waitress Resume
Waitress jobs do not require a bachelor’s degree since you can learn most of your duties on the job. However, it is still important to add this section to your resume, especially if you have any educational qualifications, as it will help your waitress resume stand out.
If you have completed your high school diploma, add it to this section but if you are still a student, mention that it is still in progress. Suppose you are applying for a senior role such as a restaurant manager. In that case, you will need to have formal education or a certain number of years of experience in the hospitality industry.
Waitress Resume Skills
Waitress resumes should showcase your skills in a way that allows you to stand out, especially if you are an entry-level waitress. Most recruiters use an ATS system to filter out resumes that do not have the required skills. If you want to get a waitress job at a fine dining restaurant, it may help to go through the job ad and if you have the skills required, include them in your resume to increase your chances of landing an interview.
If you don’t have much experience, this is your chance to show the hiring manager the skills you possess that will be useful in the job. A waitress needs to have a pleasant personality and multi task as they are required to serve multiple tables. The perfect resume should reflect this for you to get the waitress job .
Let’s look at some of the waitress skills you need to include in your resume.
Hard skills
Proficient in the POS system
Cash register operation
Vast knowledge of different cuisines
Ability to memorize multiple menu items.
Knowledge of Ms. Word
Soft skills
Communication skills
Interpersonal skills
Conflict resolution skills
Excellent customer service skills
Team player
Time management skills
Multitasking skills
Decision-making skills
Critical thinking
Attention to detail
What is the Best Format for Waitress Resume?
The correct resume format is essential for any waitress resume as it presents your skills and experience in a professional manner. If you don’t know how to write a professional resume, you can check a waitress resume example or use a resume builder. You can check out our resume examples which will help you write a waitress resume that allows you to land an interview.
The best format for your waitress resume is the reverse-chronological resume which lists your most recent job first, then the previous jobs follow. This format works best for people with experience.
If you are starting as a waitress and don’t have much experience under your belt, the functional resume works better. This resume allows you to talk more about your skills instead of your experience.
Use a Waitress Resume Template
A waitress resume template helps you include all the essential information in your resume. You can consider it a writing guide since it helps you put everything in the appropriate place in your waitress resume. A resume template allows you to update your information quickly, making it easy for you to tailor the resume to many different jobs.
A resume template also helps you to prioritize the most critical sections of a resume. Most jobs are different, and each potential employer wants something different from the candidates. The right resume template helps you prioritize these needs and ensure they are clear in your waitress resume. Check out our resume templates .
Tips for Creating Eye-Catching Waitress Resume
When you are deep in your job search, the one thing that is on your mind is how you will create the best resume that will get you the job you want. One way to create an eye-catching waitress resume that will grab the hiring manager’s attention is by having additional sections on your resume.
Here are some additional sections to consider adding to your waitress resume
Volunteer experiences
If you have any volunteer experience, whether that’s taking food orders at a fast-food restaurant or serving food at a fine dining restaurant, you should add it in this section.
Language skills
If you know a foreign language, you should add it to the languages section and the proficiency level to help your resume stand out. Proficiency in Chinese might help you get a job if you are applying for a job at a Chinese restaurant if you include it in your waitress resume.
Cover letter
Most waitressing jobs do not ask for cover letters, but it is vital to accompany your waitress resume with one. If you want to be the best candidate and get the job, you need to write a cover letter that shows the hiring manager you are passionate about the job. The perfect cover letter template will help you write a cover letter that allows you to stand out and get the job you want.
Use Action Verbs
Most recruiters use an Applicant Tracking System(ATS) to scan through resumes for relevant keywords and action verbs to get the best candidate. Failure to add these keywords and action verbs will disqualify you, so it’s essential to have them in your waitress resume. Some of the action verbs you should consider adding to your waitress resume include:
Upsell
Execute
Prepare
Serve
Assist
Solve
Greet
Memorize
Order
Answer
Recommend
Correctly Display the Contact Information
The contact information on your waitress resume is vital and should always be accurate. If you write the wrong contact information, the hiring manager will not be able to reach you. The contact information is usually on the header section of your waitress resume. It contains the following:
Your full name
Title
Phone number
Email address
Location(optional)
Link to your LinkedIn profile(optional)
Example
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Chelsea Hann
Waitress
245-648-897
chelseahann@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/chelseahann
List Your Awards and Certifications
If you want your waitress resume to stand out, you should add an awards and certifications section. When you are tied on qualifications with other candidates, having these different sections on your resume helps you land the job.
Certifications
There are a couple of food handling and food service certificates and licenses that help your waitress resume stand out even without any formal education. It is wise to list them in a separate certifications section, as seen in most waitress resume samples, to make it easy for the hiring manager to see them.
Awards
If you received any awards at your previous workplaces, you should add them to this section as they can help set you apart from all the other candidates.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I describe waitress duties on my resume?
It's always best to list the duties in bullet point form under your work history.
What skills do you need to be a waitress?
A waitress requires both hard and soft skills. Some of the skills include customer service skills to serve customers in a professional and friendly manner, interpersonal and communication skills to work well with your co-workers and other service staff, and hard skills such as proficiency in the POS system.
How long should a waitress resume be?
A waitress resume should be one page long. Most recruiters take less than ten seconds on a resume and do not like lengthy resumes.
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