Sample Hostess Resume

The perfect resume template would highlight your energy and enthusiasm to greet and serve people at a restaurant, your ability to provide prompt and courteous service. Restaurants are busy environments and you have a lot of work. The hiring managers are looking for people who can be part of an energetic team to lift the spirits of the team.

Writing a resume that communicates all this is not an easy task. Especially if you do not have much experience working in a similar position.

In this guide, we will show you the exact steps that would give you an extraordinary resume that would put you among the top 5% of the candidates in any recruitment shortlisting even if you do not have much experience.

Hosts and hostesses work in restaurants, lounges, and coffee shops welcoming patrons, seating them at tables, and maintaining the overall quality of service towards the guests. They often ensure a pleasant experience for the guests by offering menus, making recommendations, and responding to inquiries. Though these are the main tasks, the hostess job description could expand more.

As the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual pay for a hostess is $24,000 and it can even go upwards of $32,000.

Currently, 316,000 employees work as Hosts and Hostesses in the US and the numbers are growing with more restaurants, coffee shops, and lounges opening.

A candidate with little or no experience can also apply to hostess positions and, for the same reason, the demand for the jobs has gone up.

To get a hostess job, you need to convince the hiring manager that you are a customer service-oriented, proactive, and self-motivated personality with solid communication skills.

The only way to express your skills to recruiters initially is by creating a professional resume.

Example of a Hostess Resume

This hostess resume example is well optimized:

How to make a Hostess Resume

Writing your restaurant hostess resume is a well-organized task like you are serving a customer. These general guidelines would help you in that.

• Limit the resume to one page
• Read the job posting carefully and pick the important keywords
• Write to the point
• Write what they want from you, not what you want them to know
• Prioritize your strengths
• Follow a standard layout and a structure

On average a hiring manager spends about 5-7 seconds on an application. Most restaurant chains have one recruitment manager to manage the hiring for several restaurants. They often get hundreds of resumes every day for many jobs.

If you write a long resume or you do not follow a clear hostess resume format, they will instantly reject your resume.

The layout of the Hostess Resume

Start your resume writing by planning the layout. Then the rest is about filling in the information. Here is the layout we recommend for hostess jobs.

• Header with name and contact information
• Professional summary
• Work experience
• Education
• Skills
• Additional sections

The structure of the Hostess Resume

Standard resume structures fall into three categories.

Functional

Reverse Chronological

Hybrid

For a hostess resume, we recommend using a reverse chronological structure of resume writing in which the most recent information is listed first.

For example, when writing the experience section, write the most recent or current job experience at the top, with the rest following after.

In this way, the hiring manager can read your recent information first, saving them time. They generally find it interesting to see what you've been doing lately.

Start with the Header of the Hostess Resume

Name and contact information should appear in the header. You do not have to worry much about this section as those are basic information that goes in any resume. However, make sure you include all important information and get rid of what is unnecessary.

We have highlighted all the essential things you need to consider while writing this section.

Example of a good header / Example of a bad header for Hostess

CORRECT

Emma Smith

Hostess

emmasmith@gmail.com

+1 234 45 62 68

INCORRECT

Hostess

Emma Smith

emmalove@gmail.com

+1 234 58 22 88

101, main street, apt 38,

Washington DC

USA

This is what to do and what not to do while writing your resume header for hostess resume examples,

• Start: Mention your name (First name and Last name)
• Email: Use a professional email address
• Address: You do not have to mention your address. Most recruiters pay less attention to where you are if you are willing to come to work on time

Is a photo required in the Hostess Resume?

A photo is not required unless they specifically mention you to attach one in the job description. Most organizations do not request a photograph.

In fact the majority of US companies are strict about their policies on attaching a photo on a resume based on the grounds of discrimination.

For the safe side, do not put a photograph in the resume.

Professional summary for Hostess

This is your sales pitch. You should describe yourself in two to three sentences as to who you are, what you have done, and why you would be a great hire for them.

If this is the first job you are applying for, consider writing a hostess resume objective summary. It is similar to a professional summary in many ways, but you don't highlight your experience, rather you talk about your career objectives.

Write your own professional summary using this example. Identify the differences between the CORRECT and INCORRECT summaries.

INCORRECT

A hostess with 2+ years of experience in a fast-paced restaurant greeting customers and responding to customer service requests, now looking for a job in John’s Pizzeria

CORRECT

Proactive hostess with 2+ years of experience in a fast-paced restaurant in New York, looking for an opportunity to serve in John's Pizzeria to create an excellent customer service environment. In my previous position, I became the best hostess in the restaurant chain for 3 consecutive months, and increased the customer satisfaction rating by 15% in a year

Work Experience in the Hostess / Host Resume

If you have some solid experience working in the field, you will get 10 times more calls for interviews than the average candidate.

That is because 80% of recruiters only check your experience section in your restaurant hostess resume.

That is why you should spend most of your resume writing time on this section. This will not be a difficult task as we walk you through this section step by step.

Describe your professional experiences on your Hostess Resume

The following guidelines will help you describe your professional experience on your resume:

• Use numbers to express your past achievements
• List your experiences in reverse chronological order
• Give more space to the latest experience
• Match the job description

Examples of professional experiences for Junior Hostess

This is an example of a work history section for an entry-level hostess job

INCORRECT

Aug 2019 to Present

John’s Pizzeria

Provided excellent customer service

Answering phone calls and taking orders

Inform guests about the offers

Responds to guest requests

Assigned patrons tables

Assisted patrons personally

Arranged restaurant tables and seat guests

CORRECT

Aug 2019 to Present

John’s Pizzeria

Took more than 10 dining reservations a day through phone calls

Increased the guest satisfaction ratio by 20%

Planned seating arrangements for 50+ guests daily

Scored 98% menu knowledge for customers' concerns and inquiries

Maintained great communication with the dining room personnel

Created an inviting atmosphere at John’s Pizzeria working together with the staff and the management

If you are applying for a junior position with little or no experience, try to align other relevant experiences emphasizing courtesy, customer service orientation, and enthusiasm.

Examples of work experience for Senior Hostess

This is an example of a work history section for a senior hostess job

INCORRECT

Aug 2015 to May 2019

MAX Burgers

Seated guests

Preparation and service areas cleaning

Ensure guest satisfaction

Answered phone calls

Reservation bookings

Making a pleasant dining experience for guests

Communicate dining details to staff

CORRECT

Aug 2015 to May 2019

MAX Burgers

Performed all hostess duties in an efficient manner

Managed the computer system for taking down customer orders

Managed the dining room capacity for daily demand

Contributed to increasing the customer satisfaction ratio by 25% and Google review score to 4.8/5

In-depth knowledge of the menu resulted in a 15% reduction in lead time

As a senior hostess, you should showcase how you managed the restaurant premises and how your expertise resulted in increasing efficiency at the workplace. Also, use numbers whenever possible to quantify your achievements.

Examples of work experience for a Hostess with little experience

INCORRECT

No working experience as a hostess, but I am a fast learner and willing to learn on the job

CORRECT

Hostess experience

Dishwasher at Charlie’s Burgers for 6 months

Worked as a host in busy times

Cleaned the tables

Managed the school restaurant in a charity program

Education in the Hostess Resume

The more qualifications you possess, the more chances you get called for an interview.

Hostesses have no defined education requirements. The most common education qualification is high school. However, when you list your education, make sure each of your qualifications and experience in your schools adds value to your job.

Should you start with education or work experience as a Hostess?

Education is not the critical factor when it comes to shortlisting your hostess resume. Your experience is the most important consideration here.

Therefore, start with the experience section.

However, if your strength is education and you do not possess much experience, you may consider starting with the education section.

How to properly list your education in a Hostess Resume?

Present your education credentials in a consistent format. Here is what we recommend,

• School name and the degree
• Years of education
• Related learnings

Example of the education section of a Hostess Resume

Hostess Resume Skills

The skills section of your hostess resume could be a critical section if you do not have much experience in the field. The recruiter will look for the skills you have listed.

However, the mistake most candidates make is listing generic skills in this section. When most candidates do this the wrong way, it is your chance to do it right and make your resume stand out from the crowd.

What are the main skills sought for in a Hostess Resume?

There are two types of skills: soft skills and hard skills. For a hostess resume, you should list down a mix of soft, hard and IT skills.

• Communication
• Positive Customer service
• Time management
• Listening skill
• Interpersonal skills
• High energy
• Teamwork
• Organized
• Attention to detail
• Flexibility
• Business intelligence

Hard Skills and IT skills: Easy to measure (specific)

• Greeting guests
• Menu knowledge
• Complaint resolving
• Cleaning tables
• Taking phone calls
• Layout planning
• Microsoft excel
• General mobile and desktop application handling
• CRM system entry

What skills for a Junior Hostess

A junior hostess should focus on writing more operational skills in their skills section. You should be a doer and should showcase the energy and enthusiasm you have in doing work.

• Time management
• Teamwork
• Listening skill
• Interpersonal skills
• High energy
• Cleaning tables
• Greeting guests
• Menu knowledge

What skills for a qualified Senior Hostess

A senior hostess should focus on writing a mix of operational and managerial skills related to the position. A senior hostess is someone who involves themselves in work with high energy and also assists the junior hostesses in carrying out their work in a timely and accurate fashion.

• High energy
• Business intelligence
• Teamwork
• Organized
• Staff management
• Flexibility
• Taking phone calls
• Complaint resolving
• Greeting guests
• Microsoft excel

Additional Headings for your Hostess Resume

There's good news and bad news. The good news is that a hostess position does not require a particular set of experience or expertise. The bad news is due to the same reason, there are so many applicants applying for hostess jobs.

To stand out from all those applicants and get your resume to the top 5% of the applications, additional headings could be massively helpful.

Computer skills and certifications in a Hostess Resume

If you completed or followed a certification course in computer, IT, or a relevant field, that itself would lift you to the top resumes.

There are professional certifications related to customer service such as,

• Client service specialist certification (CSSC)
• Customer service leadership certification
• Customer training certificates by Alison
• Customer service certifications by Hubspot academy
• A+ customer care by WorkLifeBalance
• Certificate in hospitality management

Also, following IT and computer skill certificates would be valuable additions,

• Microsoft Office Certification course
• Google Digital Garage

Interests in a Hostess Resume

Your interests would be a valuable addition to your hostess resume especially if you do not have much experience to showcase. The recruiter will scan through your resume to see whether you are involved in any activity that aligns with the hostess job description.

Languages in a Hostess Resume

Your language proficiency would come in handy for your hostess resume. Refer to the job description. Especially if the restaurant you are applying for is in a location where multiple languages are being used and you are fluent in a few of them, you have a great chance to get the job.

Summary: Key Points for Writing a Perfect Hostess Resume

• The name and contact information for your resume should be listed at the top
• The summary of your accomplishments, experience, and skills should be limited to a few sentences
• List your experiences in reverse chronological order
• List down your education qualifications and describe their relevance to work as a hostess
• Put together a mix of soft skills, hard skills, and IT skills
• Include certifications, interests, and languages in the CV to give a pleasant surprise to the hiring manager

Write a Cover Letter That Goes With Your Hostess Resume

A cover letter always compliments a great resume. The cover letter is your sales pitch as a hostess to show them why you will be a good hire for the particular position.

Have a solid understanding of the job description and understand what they are looking for to create a perfect cover letter template.

However, some restaurant hiring managers do not request cover letters as they do not have time to go through them.

Frequently Asked Questions for a Hostess Resume

How do you list Hostess on a resume?

To list hostess experience and skills on a resume, use a standard layout that showcases your alignment with the job description. The right resume format will make the recruiter's life easy which would eventually be beneficial to you. Use the following sections,

• Header with name and contact information
• Professional summary
• Work experience
• Education
• Skills
• Additional sections

How do I make my hostess look good on my resume?

Write a compelling professional summary and a great skills section. The professional summary should reflect your expertise and experience in the position. The skills section should be a mix of Soft, Hard, and IT skills.

Refer to the job ad and reflect your expertise in the restaurant industry. Check out our resume examples for more details.

What are good skills for a hostess?

A mix of soft, hard, and IT skills would be a good skill set for a hostess job. Here is an example key hostess skills section,

• Time management
• Listening skill
• Customer service skills
• High energy
• Teamwork
• Organized
• Menu knowledge
• Complaint resolving
• Cleaning tables
• Taking phone calls
• Layout planning
• Microsoft excel

How do you write hospitality on a resume?

If you have completed or are reading for a certificate course in hospitality management, you could highlight that under Skills Certifications.

In addition, use words that emphasize courtesy, customer service orientation, and enthusiasm for the position in your professional summary, experience, and skills sections.