When you’re job hunting for any job it’s important to have a complete and professional resume to give to your potential employers so they can see all of your skills and abilities up front. The reason this is important is because sometimes even though they won’t hire you right away because they don’t have an open spot, most times employers will hold on to these resumes so that when a spot does open up they already have some possible candidates for the job. They hate doing interviews just as much as you do, so if they can skip that part they will. Here I’m going to teach you how to make a convincing bartender resume for when you are just starting out.
According to mobile Austin bartenders, Austin Bartending Co, if you’ve never made a resume or just haven’t done one in a long while, then here is a quick refresher. If you’re familiar with the layout of a resume then feel free to skip to the next paragraph. A resume consists of about 7 or 8 sections depending on your situation. These sections consist of Objective, Key Qualifications, Expertise, Achievements, Relevant Experience, Education, and Other Skills. I’ll go over each of these sections below in the order they should appear on your bartending resume.
Objective
Basically, the objective section of the resume should be a brief sentence or two about what it is you want out of a job in bartending. Don’t be too cheesy just be honest, and then move on. You don’t want to sound like you’re trying to overcompensate for lack of experience or skill. If you’re stuck, then here are some examples you could use:
If you are a newbie or don’t have too much experience, try something like this:
“To obtain an entry level position as a bartender at *insert employer name here* in order to develop my skills further and learn as much as I can about bartending.”
For a more experienced bartender, something like this could be suited better:
“Looking for a bartending job at *insert employer name here* that I can use my extensive bartending skills to help better serve customers. I would also like to further challenge myself and grow as a bartender.”
The objective is the shortest but also sometimes the hardest part of a resume because it’s hard to come up with something other then “I want a job so I can have money to buy stuff.” Some people just skip it completely because everyone’s objective is the same, to get a job. So you can choose to include it or not include it just use discretion based on the job you’re applying for.
Key Qualifications
This part is easy, this is where you list your reasons for being qualified to be a bar tender. It can just be a numbered or bulleted list. Some examples of what you can include in this list are:
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# of years of bartending experience.
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Any training or classes you’ve taken related to bartending.
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Experience with cash handling and cash register services like Micros.
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Customer service skills.
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Computer skills like Microsoft Word or Excel.
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If you can drive and have a vehicle of your own.
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Organization skills.
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If you are bilingual, definitely include it.
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Plus any other qualifications you may have.
There are probably lots more but those are the most popular ones. Remember to only add qualifications that are relevant to bartending, they aren’t going to care if you had an office job prior to this or if you can play guitar.
Bartending Expertise
This should be a short and sweet list of the areas of bartending you are best at. If you know hundreds of recipes off the top of your head, include that here. Also include things like being able to take drink orders quickly and accurately and being able to suggest drinks based on customers tastes. But remember, only include things that you are actually really good at, otherwise once you have the job they will see you actually lack in these areas rather than shine. This section can also be a bulleted list, no need to write out a paragraph.
Achievements
List here any awards or achievements you have earned related to bartending or customer service. This list may be very short or even non existent, that’s okay, don’t make something up just to have it here. It’s just something extra to include and isn’t absolutely necessary. Awards can be anything from employee of the month to a certificate in outstanding customer service.
Relevant Experience
Here is where you would list any prior bartending experience starting with the most recent. Be sure to include the months and years that you worked there, the company name and location as well as the specific tasks you were responsible for during your work there. This should also be a bulleted list. For the tasks part, don’t just say “bartending” be more specific, including things like cash handling, clean up, opening or closing the bar, preparing garnishes, and anything else you were actually responsible for at your previous bartending jobs.
If you don’t have any bartending experience, then include what other jobs you have had and explain to the employer at your interview that you don’t yet have any job experience with bar tending but that you’re confident you could succeed at it. Never completely leave out this section because even if you don’t have relevant experience, you don’t want it to look like you have no job experience what-so-ever.
Education
List any education you’ve had after highschool, highlighting areas that are relevant to bartending. By that I mean if your college offered any bartending or hospitality classes or courses, be sure to mention that. Also include the years you attended the school, the name of the school and your GPA. You can throw in any other bartending schools or classes that you’ve attended too. Workshops might be able to fit in here too depending on how much weight they carry.
Additional Skills & Capabilities
Include here a list of any other skills you posses, things that may or may not be related to bartending. Attention to detail, communication skills and knowledge on certain subjects can all be included. If you feel that you covered everything in the qualifications section, then it’s okay to leave this part out.
References
It’s good to include some work references from your previous employers, even if none of them are actually contacted by your employer sometimes they just like to see that you have them. Keep the list short, 3 or less is perfect.
Other Stuff & Formatting
One more thing you should include is a header, in this header should be your full name, phone number, cell phone number and mailing address. If you don’t have this info how is any employer supposed to contact you?
As far as formatting goes, it’s really simple. Type everything out in your preferred word processor, Microsoft Word is great but an awesome free version is Open Office. Center the heading, everything else should be aligned to the left. Make a heading for each section. Double check your bullets and lists look okay and then save it. Here is an example of a finished bartending resume, yours should be formatted somewhat similar to this, but it’s okay if it varies a little bit. The most important part is the information so don’t worry too much about how it’s formatted. If you need an example, check out this completed bartender resume sample.
There, all done! Now you’re ready to print it out and go get yourself a job! If you have any questions please feel free to leave me a comment below, I’d be happy to help you!