Waitress Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Waitress resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Waitresses are the backbone of the restaurant industry. They’re the friendly faces you see when you walk into a new place or the familiar faces who know your usual order. They’re the ones who keep your coffee cups full and your plates clean.
Waitresses are often the first people you interact with when you visit a new restaurant or bar, so they need to be friendly, outgoing, and able to handle high-pressure situations. They need to be able to multitask, juggle multiple tables at once, and keep track of orders without writing anything down. And they need to be able to do all of this while maintaining a calm, cool demeanor.
Here are some resume tips plus an example resume for reference when writing your own waitress resume.
How to Write a Waitress Resume
Here’s how to write a waitress resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most effective way to showcase your experience and qualifications. But rather than simply listing your responsibilities, you can use them to tell a story about your work. For example, rather than saying you “served customers in restaurant setting,” you could say you “provided excellent customer service by greeting guests, taking orders, and delivering food and drinks in a timely manner.”
The second bullet point is much more descriptive and provides more detail about what exactly you did and the results of your work.
Related: What Is a Waitress? How to Become One
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you submit your resume online, it’s likely that it will be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS). This software looks for specific keywords related to the job opening in order to determine whether or not you are a good fit. If your resume doesn’t include the right keywords, the ATS might reject your application.
One way to make sure your resume makes it past the ATS is to include keywords that are commonly found in waitress job postings. Here are a few examples:
- Teamwork
- Food & Beverage
- Communication
- Time Management
- Customer Service
- Social Media
- Sales
- Organization Skills
- Adobe Photoshop
- Public Speaking
- Microsoft Access
- Hospitality
- Critical Thinking
- Research
- Interpersonal Skills
- Event Planning
- Problem Solving
- Catering
- Marketing
- Customer Satisfaction
- Multi-tasking
- Cashiering
- Fine Dining
- Restaurant Management
- Communication Skills
- Hotel Management
- Team Spirit
- Waiting Tables
- HORECA
- ServSafe
Related: How Much Does a Waitress Make?
Remember The Basics
As you draft your resume, there are a few basic rules to keep in mind.
Make Your Resume Easy to Scan
Your resume should be formatted in a way that makes it easy for a recruiter to read. This means using a standard font, left-aligning your text, and using bullets instead of paragraphs. You should also try to keep your bullets under two lines, use digits for numbers, and have a separate skills section. Finally, make sure you have some white space on your resume to help it look less overwhelming.
Be Concise
There is no one set length for a resume, but a one-page resume is typically the best option for most job candidates. You want to be succinct and get your point across quickly, and a one-page resume allows you to do just that. If you have a lot of experience to include, you may need to go over one page, but focus on the most relevant and recent experience. In general, you want to be selective about the content that you include.
Proofread
Proofreading your resume is important in order to make sure it looks professional and error-free. Spell checking is a must, as are punctuation and grammar checks. It is also helpful to have someone else proofread your resume for you, as they may catch mistakes that you have missed. Beware of easily confused words, and make sure that your tense is consistent throughout the resume.
Use a Summary
A resume summary statement can be an extremely useful way to introduce yourself and your experience to potential employers. By highlighting your most relevant skills and experiences, you can show how you would be a valuable asset to their team. Additionally, a well-crafted summary can help to clarify your intentions and goals, making it easier for employers to see how you would be a good fit for the role you’re hoping to land. If you’re unsure of how to write a summary, or you need some help translating your experience into a new role, be sure to reach out to a trusted career counselor for assistance.
Related Resume Examples
