Chili's Resume Examples + Writing Tips

If you’re looking to join the 50k+ ChiliHeads to start your career in an upbeat restaurant environment, this article is for you. Chili’s is a family – it’s famous for its friendly and welcoming culture – but that’s only true when you’re part of the team. Becoming a team member can still be challenging, and that's where a perfect Chili's resume comes into play.

Last update:
01/01/2024
Chili's Resume Examples + Writing Tips

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In this article, we cover everything you should know about sending a resume to Chili’s, including:

  • Perfect resume examples for Chili’s
  • How to pick the best resume template, format, and layout for Chili’s
  • Pro tips to make your resume stand out from the rest
  • What you should and shouldn’t do in the application process
chilis resume

Chili’s Resume Example

Mary Johanson
Hostess
maryj@gmail.com
(276)592-1422

Professional summary
Dedicated hostess with over 2 years of experience in fast-food seeking to join Chili’s to offer my excellent customer service. In my previous job at McDonald’s, 6 times awarded the hostess of the month

Experience
Aug 2019 to Present
McDonald’s
Hostess
  • Served 100+ dine-in customer orders per day
  • Helped customers choose food and informed them of the available offers and promotions
  • Increased the overall customer satisfaction by 13% in 2021
  • Maintained the cleanliness score at 9/10 throughout, carrying out scheduled and unscheduled cleanups
  • Welcomed the guests with a pleasant smile
  • Took the dine-in and party reservations and managed the capacity of the outlet, maximizing profit and customer satisfaction

June 2018 to Aug 2019
Domino’s Pizza
Crew member
  • Served 200+ customers for each shift
  • Scored 97% menu knowledge and handled 20+ phone inquiries daily
  • Greeted the customers and took down orders for take-away and dine-in

Education
High School Diploma
Somerset High School, 2012-2016
  • Accounting
  • Math
  • Art

Skills
  • POS system knowledge
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Cash handling
  • People skills
  • Clear communication
  • Pleasant smile

Interests
Volunteer at All Hands and Hearts

Chili’s Salary and Employment Benefits

The average hourly pay at Chili’s varies from $9.69 per hour for an associate to $20.49 for bartenders 💰 (Indeed.com).

Here’s a list of popular jobs at Chili and the respective average pay:

  • Cook $15.93
  • Line Cook $15.21
  • Prep Cook $14.24
  • Server $20.19
  • Hostess $11.40
  • Restaurant Manager $58,688
  • Shift Leader $50,823

Apart from the attractive base pay, Chili’s provides a variety of employment benefits to its full-time and part-time employees.

  • Free food at Chili’s
  • Stock and annual bonus program
  • Aniversary gift program
  • 401(k) savings plan
  • Medical, dental, and vision care plan
  • Prescription discounts
  • Tuition assistance
  • Career advancement opportunities
  • Exclusive pricing for clothes, theme parks, movie tickets, and a lot more

You can read more about Chili’s employment benefits on their company official website. Some of the benefits are only available for different positions and comes with conditions while job-specific benefits will be listed in the job description.

How to Make a Resume for Chili’s?

When making your resume for Chili’s, there’re three things you should clear out first:

  • Resume layout.
  • The format.
  • A template.

This will save you a lot of time in the writing process and help you create an awesome resume.

The Layout of the Chili's resume

The layout consists of a list of items that include in your resume – mainly the headings and the subheadings.

Following is the layout we recommend for Chili’s resume:

  • Header.
  • Professional summary statement.
  • Work history.
  • Education.
  • Skills.
  • Additional sections.
chilis resume

Choosing the Right Format

The format will help you define how the information in each section should be presented – in which order. This largely helps in writing your experience and education sections.

There’re mainly three standard formats widely used in writing resumes:

Reverse chronological format: Write the most recent experience first and the rest will follow. This format allows the hiring manager at Chili’s to get a quick idea about the candidate’s recent experience – most hiring managers make shortlisting decisions based on this.

Functional format: Write the experience section based on the skills attributed to each job. This format is mostly suitable for entry-level candidates and for candidates who are in career transitions without having related experience.

Combination: You can also use a mix of the reverse chronological and the functional resume formats

You may read more about these resume formats and how you could utilize them in writing your resume.

Template for the Chili's resume

The template determines the overall look and feel of your resume. The one you pick or make should match the industry you apply – the restaurant industry in this case – and should match the candidate's personality.

We have created tons of ready-to-fill resume templates that you can use to create your resume in no time.

Consider the following points if you’re making your own:

  • Define the color theme of your resume – background and fonts
  • Pick the fonts for headings, subheadings, and body text and stick to them throughout
  • Maintain consistent margins
  • Download the resume in PDF and MS Word formats

Start Your Chili's Resume with a Header

Your resume should start with the header – consisting of your name and contact information. A good header is short and comprised of the necessary information.

A good & a bad header

CORRECT
Rick Mulready

Assistant manager

rickmulr@gmail.com

(282)571-1924

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickmulr

INCORRECT

Assistant manager

Rick Mulready

rick@dominos.com

(282)571-1924

10, main street, apt 21,

Washington DC

USA


The following points distinguish a good header from a bad one:

  • Start with your name – make it bigger and more visible
  • Write your current job title if relevant
  • Put your personal email address
  • Include a link to your LinkedIn or relevant social media account
  • Do not write the full mailing address

Should I Include a Photo on My Resume?

If it is stated in the job advertisement to include a picture, you should. In all other instances, avoid a picture on the resume.

Requesting a picture on the resume is considered an act of discrimination in most regions (including the USA, Canada, and the UK) which could put the potential employer at the risk of a discrimination lawsuit. So they reject applications with pictures.

Put the link to your social media account in the header and update it with a professional headshot instead of putting a picture on the resume.

Professional Summary or Objective Summary

Write a professional summary if you have at least a couple of years of industry experience. If you’re new to the industry or applying for your first job, write an objective summary.

Both the professional summary and the objective summary serve the same purpose – the sales pitch to the hiring manager.

In this, you should state your interest to work at Chili’s, your key achievements in previous work, and how that experience would help you serve Chili’s better.

Example Professional Summary for a Restaurant Management Position

CORRECT

A dedicated restaurant manager with over 3 years of experience in the fast food industry is looking to join Chili’s Russell St outlet to make it the best-performing restaurant in the area. In my previous job at Domino’s achieved 21% revenue growth last year.


INCORRECT

A restaurant manager with 3 years of experience in the industry with a bachelor’s degree in marketing seeks to join Chili’s.


Example Objective Summary for a Cashier at Chili’s

CORRECT

A passionate business management student seeks to join Chili’s as a part-time cashier. My objective is to become a General Manager in a global restaurant chain and I consider Chili’s as a business with great potential for my future career growth.


INCORRECT

A student reading for the master’s in business administration looking to join Chili’s to earn an extra income.


chilis resume

Chili's Resume Work Experience

Chili’s hiring managers would be much interested in your work experience. It doesn’t mean you should have years of experience in the restaurant industry for the position you apply for – there’re many entry-level opportunities available at Chili’s, but still, you shouldn’t leave this section empty.

It’s all about how you write your experience on the resume. You could literary write any job experience on your Chili’s resume and make it relevant to the job. Your job experience is a reflection of how you utilized your general knowledge and people skills in practice.

Example Experience Section for a Cook

INCORRECT

Aug 2018 to Present

Cook

Taco Bell

  • Cook beef, chicken, and steak
  • Prepare Tacos, Nachos, and Burritos
  • Worked in the afternoon shift
  • Cleaned the kitchen
  • Packed the food for consumption

CORRECT

Aug 2018 to Present

Cook

Taco Bell

  • Prepares Mexican style tacos, nachos, and burritos – quickly learn any new recipe within a couple of days
  • Tested ingredients and worked with 20+ suppliers to purchase the best
  • Cooked over 1000 Tacos and other meals in a shift
  • Maintained a sanitary kitchen that won the most efficient Taco Bell kitchen in 2019
  • Carried out different responsibilities such as cooking beef, chicken, and steak – cutting vegetables – packing orders for dine-in and take-away
  • Scored 98% for menu items and ingredients

Example Experience Section for a Restaurant Manager

INCORRECT

Aug 2017 to Present

Restaurant Manager

KFC

  • Carried out budget preparation
  • Worked additional hours
  • Carried out a Christmas promotion campaign
  • Maintained kitchen equipment
  • Purchased ingredients

CORRECT

Aug 2017 to Present

Restaurant Manager

KFC

  • Managed a team of 12-15 full-time and part-time staff to smoothly carry out the outlet operations
  • Carried out interviews for applicants and hired over 30 cooks, customer assistants, and cashiers in the last three years
  • Achieved a 21% positive variance in 2020 Christmas sales with the help of motivated staff and received a Christmas bonus for all staff
  • Communicated with the group management and negotiated deals with suppliers for ingredients

Chili’s hiring manager will judge you based on how you write your experience section – a generic list of duties and responsibilities will take you nowhere. Here’re a few guidelines to write a job winning experience section:

  • Start each sentence with a power word. Eg: Maintained, Carried out, Developed.
  • Include relevant numbers as much as possible.
  • Write 4-5 sentences for one job position.

The Education Section in Your Chili's Resume

The education of a candidate is not a mandatory requirement to apply for most Chili’s jobs. However, it would be an important addition to your resume. The recruiter knows that the educated candidates are fast learners.

When writing your education section: use a consistent format and keep the section short.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Music, 2014-2018

Eastern University

High school diploma, 2009-2013

Saint James school

  • Music
  • Law

What Skills to Put in Your Resume?

Chili’s resume needs a combination of soft skills and hard skills to make it a complete document.

The recruiter does not want to see a generic list of skills from the candidate – they expect a job-specific set of skills: writing them on the resume demonstrates that the candidate understands the skills required to perform the tasks.

Soft skills:

  • Attention to detail
  • Effective communication
  • Problem-solving
  • Ability to work under pressure
  • Teamwork
  • Organizational skills
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Willingness to learn

Hard skills:

  • Answer phone calls
  • POS system and cash registry
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Chili’s grill experience
  • Preparing tables
  • Menu knowledge
  • Working knowledge with mobile applications
  • Dining layout planning

Additional Sections for Your Resume

Use small targeted sections to provide a pleasant surprise to the hiring manager – the information that could go unnoticed otherwise can gain visibility.

Chili’s restaurant managers are busy people. When there's a vacancy, they would receive a couple of hundred applications. The manager would only spend a matter of 5 seconds on each resume to pick about 5% of them for interviews.

You need to make sure the information you include in your resume speaks for itself - and that it's arranged in a way that makes the information stick out faster.

Computing Skills & Certifications

Any education or professional qualification related to computer technology could be a great addition to your profile as most Chili’s restaurants use mobile applications and computer systems for operations.

If you possess any skill certification that is mandatory to carry out your job in your region, you may write it here.

Eg:
  • Certified Food Professional
  • Certified Pastry Chef
  • Master Certified Food Executive
  • Certified Food Manager

Languages

You can’t expect all Chili’s customers to speak one language – most Chili’s outlets expect tourists, business travelers, and immigrants who speak different languages. Your proficiency in a couple of languages would give you an edge in such cases.

Make sure you use a modern resume template that facilitates including your language skill with the respective proficiency level.

Eg:

English Native

French Intermediate


chilis resume

Hobbies and Interests

Include your hobbies and interests only if they add value to your profile. Interests related to food, working with people, customer servicing, and social media could be relevant to working at Chili’s.

Tips to Boost Your Resume

  • List your skills and pick the skills mentioned in the job advertisement – make a list of relevant key skills required by the employer to include on the resume.
  • Do the research: visit your nearest Chili’s outlet and experience their product, people, and culture.
  • Use a modern resume template to create your resume.
  • Tailor your resume to Chili’s – do not use that generic resume you send to every restaurant job.

Summary:

  • Apply to Chili’s jobs through their official career website.
  • Start your resume writing with a header.
  • Write an attractive professional summary to hook the reader.
  • Describe your achievements and accomplishments in your experience section.
  • Shortly state your educational qualifications.
  • Pick the right soft and hard skills to put in the skills section.
  • Add a couple of additional sections to present valuable information about your profile.

Distinguish Your Chili’s Job Application with a Cover Letter

Write a job-winning cover letter and send it along with the resume.

A cover letter is an extended version of your sales pitch to the recruiter. In this, you should describe how you could be a great asset to Chili’s and how your experience and skillset helped you to deliver a valuable contribution to your previous employer.

Check out some of the cover letter examples and templates we have created that would help you make yours.

FAQ

How Does Chili’s Hiring Process Work?

Chili’s hiring process consists of a couple of steps for most entry-level jobs. First, you need to send resume to Chili’s as a walk-in applicant or online through their website.

After shortlisting, you will be called for the first job interview which will be conducted by an assistant manager covering basic interview questions such as your experience, skills, and availability. As part of the first interview, there’ll be an examination consisting of a skill assessment and personality test – which includes tests designed to gauge the candidate’s IQ level and personality traits.

The second interview would be with a general manager. The applicant will be asked behavior-based questions with real-life scenarios.

The last step of Chili’s recruitment process would be a hands-on participation session to test the practical know-how of the candidate. This will be conducted in a Chili’s restaurant in a real-time situation.

What are the Popular Chili’s Interview Questions?

  • How will you deal with an upset customer?
  • How would you deal with a conflict with a co-worker?
  • What if the customer complains their meal is not hot?
  • What if a customer asks for a dish that is not on the Chili’s menu?
  • Why do you want to work at Chili’s?
  • What is your favorite dish at Chili’s?

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