If you’re a waiter or waitress wanting to serve up an impressive resume, you’re in the right spot.
We understand the importance of presenting your skills and experience appetisingly to potential employers.
Have a squiz at our waiter and waitress resume examples and writing guide that’ll help you get your foot in the door!
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Waiter Resume Example
Waitress Resume Example
These example Waiter and Waitress resumes showcase the optimal structure and great content to include in your own resume.
Designed to be professional and easy for recruiters to read, it serves as an excellent example of a good Waiter/Waitress resume.
Next, we’ll guide you through the process of developing a compelling Waiter/Waitress resume of your own.
Waiter/Waitress resume structure & format
Resume structure
The importance of a well-structured resume cannot be overstated for Waiter/Waitress positions.
For a resume that stands out to recruiters, structure it with these key sections:
- Contact details: Your full name and contact options.
- Resume summary: A succinct summary showcasing your expertise and skills.
- Core skills: A list of skills essential for Waiter/Waitress jobs, presented in bullet points.
- Work experience: Your job history, with the most recent roles first.
- Education: Your formal education and any relevant training.
- Additional info: Optional section for highlighting unique skills or interests that relate to Waiter.
How to format your Waiter/Waitress resume
Your resume needs to look stylish and professional, whilst being super-easy for time-strapped recruiters to read.
Here’s how to format your resume to achieve both of those goals.
- Resume length: Keep your resume between 1 to 2 pages long because recruiters see tons of resumes every day and only have limited time to read each one.
- Font & colour scheme: Choose a clear and easy-to-read font, steering clear of overly decorative ones that could hinder readability. Stick with a classic black-text-on-white-background for the body of the resume, but don’t shy away from adding a hint of colour elsewhere to make your resume stand out.
- Page layout: Ensure your page is divided into clear sections with bold headings or borders, as this enables readers to quickly pinpoint the information they’re interested in.
- Break text up: Make use of bullet points and short paragraphs to breakup text, simplifying the info for busy recruiters to digest.
- Photos: Photos aren’t necessary in Australia, but if you want, you can include a small headshot at the top.
Quick tip: Achieving a professional look for your resume can be difficult and time-consuming. If you want to create an attractive resume quickly, try our Resume Builder and use one of our eye-catching professional resume templates.
Contact Details
Employers need to know who you are, and how to contact you – so whilst your contact details section is fairly simple, it’s important to get it right.
Add these 4 essential details to the top of your resume, trying not to take up too much space:
- Your name and a professional title: (e.g. Marketing Manager or Management Accountant) Tailor the title to match your target jobs.
- Email address: Ensure that it look professional (e.g.shane.smith21@gmail.com) and don’t use an old one with your school nickname in like shanzeybwoySmitho666@gmail.com.
- Phone number: Ideally your mobile so that you can be easily reached. Don’t forget to tripe check the number is correct!
- Location: Add the general location of where you are looking to work (e.g. Sydney, Brisbane).
You can also add some of the following details optionally:
- Webpage links: You can link out to a relevant social profile such as LinkedIn or even a portfolio. Make sure anything you link to is high-quality and kept up-to-date.
- Photograph: Photographs aren’t normally required but employers in creative industries sometimes like to see them. If you decide to add, make sure that you look professional and don’t take up too much space on the page with it.
You do not need to add personal details such as your date of birth, full address, or gender. These details aren’t needed to make a hiring decision and will waste space on your resume.
Waiter/Waitress Resume Summary
Your resume summary is a vital, brief paragraph at the beginning of your resume that serves as a quick introduction to your capabilities and alignment with the job. This section is essential for making a strong first impression.
Engage recruiters right off the bat and prompt them to continue reading your resume by implementing these effective strategies:
- Keep it short: Hiring managers won’t have time to read an essay-sized summary when dealing with hundreds of applications – keep it between 3 to 5 sentences.
- Tailor to target jobs: For maximum impact, try to reflect as many matching skills from your target job adverts as you can. This will make recruiters more likely to pay attention.
- Avoid using cliches: Thinking about calling yourself a “hard working team player who thinks outside the box“? Don’t! These phrases are meaningless and don’t provide employers with the facts they want.
Waiter/Waitress resume summary example
What to include in your Waiter/Waitress resume summary
- Summary of your experience: Summarise the range of positions you’ve held and the companies you’ve been associated with to offer employers a complete understanding of your professional experiences.
- Relevant skills: Highlight your most valuable skills, focusing on job-specific skills for Waiter/Waitress jobs.
- Qualifications: Include a short note about any relevant qualifications for Waiter or Waitress roles to demonstrate your suitability for the position.
- Benefits of hiring you: Employers want to know what value you will bring them, whether it’s increasing their revenue or helping them to complete projects ahead of schedule.
Quick tip: Choose from hundreds of pre-written summaries across all industries, and add one to your resume with one-click in our Resume Builder. All written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset and style.
Core skills section
Enhance the impact of your resume by adding a section for core skills.
List your key skills that are highly valued in Waiter/Waitress jobs in bullet points and keep each item concise – no more than four words – to quickly draw the attention of busy hiring managers.
Skills for your Waiter/Waitress resume
Menu Knowledge – Being familiar with the menu, including dishes, ingredients, and preparation methods to answer customer queries confidently.
Order Taking Efficiency – Using shorthand or an electronic device to accurately take customer orders and communicate them to the kitchen staff.
Table Setting Standards – Preparing tables according to restaurant protocol, ensuring all necessary cutlery, glassware, and napkins are presentable and correctly placed.
POS Operation – Operating the Point of Sale system for order input, billing, and payment processing with precision and speed.
Wine Service – Understanding wine varietals, regions, and pairing with meals to provide recommendations and serve wine using proper techniques.
Food Safety Compliance – Adhering to food handling and safety regulations to ensure all dishes are served to patrons without risk.
Cash Handling Accuracy – Counting and handling cash transactions meticulously to ensure the correct change and balance of the till.
Special Dietary Requirements – Recognising and accommodating guests’ dietary needs and allergies, such as gluten-free, vegan, or nut allergies.
Barista Techniques – Preparing a range of coffees and other beverages to a high standard, understanding the operation of coffee machines and grinders.
Conflict Resolution – Handling customer complaints and issues calmly and professionally, working towards a satisfactory resolution.
Quick tip: Our Resume Builder contains thousands of in-demand skills for every profession that can be added to your resume in seconds – saving you time and greatly improving your chances of landing job interviews and getting hired.
Work experience section
Use your work experience section to highlight the value you offer to employers.
Arrange your employment history in reverse chronological order, concentrating primarily on your experiences from the past 3-5 years.
Structuring your jobs
To make your responsibilities clear to recruiters, present your previous jobs in the following format.
Outline
Start with a 1 to 2 line outline of the job, including what the employer does, where you sit within the organisation, and the overall goal of the job.
Key responsibilities
Add 5-8 bullet points to show what your main responsibilities are, emphasising key skills, knowledge and tools used.
Keep each point concise and demonstrate how your work feeds into the wider running of the company.
Key achievements
Round up each role by listing 1-3 key achievements that had a big positive impact on the employer (like saving them money or completing a project ahead of schedule).
Wherever possible, quantify them using hard facts and figures to prove the value you delivered.
Example job for your Waiter/Waitress resume
Outline
Work within a team of 15, including waiting and kitchen staff. Welcome, greet, and provide guests with a selection of services.
Key Responsibilities
- Take customer orders in a timely manner.
- Offer recommendations and providing customers with daily specials options.
- Ensure the delivery of an efficient service and promptly serve food courses and alcoholic beverages.
- Maintain customer satisfaction and safety of all patrons and staff.
Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our Resume Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.
Education section
Include your education near the bottom of your resume.
List your academic qualifications in bullet points, focusing on those most applicable to Waiter/Waitress positions.
If you possess considerable experience, you can keep this brief, however if you have less experience you should provide detailed insights into how your education has prepared you for the position.
This section can include:
- University degrees
- Industry specific qualifications for Waiter/Waitress jobs
- Vocational education and training (VET) diplomas
- Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE)
Additional information (optional)
At the end of your resume, you can consider incorporating a section for additional information.
This part is suitable for hobbies, interests, awards, publications, or technical skills that could enhance your appeal to employers.
When adding content here, ensure it is either directly relevant to your profession or exceptionally impressive.
Avoid listing everyday activities like watching television or casual socialising, as they are unlikely to influence hiring decisions.
Although creating a standout Waiter or Waitress resume is no small feat, following these steps will help you produce a resume that not only draws responses from recruiters but also results in a significant number of interviews.
Remember to thoroughly proofread your resume and adapt it to each specific job to ensure it remains relevant.
Good luck with your job search!