As a hostess, you know that first impressions stick. That the way a customer is treated when they enter a restaurant can set the tone for their entire night. Why would it be different from a resume? From the beginning, you want to cement the idea in the employer’s mind that you can do this job. You want to provide an experience to them while reading your professional resume. Imagine yourself in the job, and show that you fit the hostess job description.
Write a little paragraph about yourself and your palpable accomplishments under your name. That will go a long way into keeping you in the race. Nearly 60% of employers spend an average of 11 seconds on each resume. We’re here to show you how to describe a hostess job on a resume that keeps their attention for longer.
Three skills that should make the cut into your resume
Being a hostess is not the easy job many people think it is. It is much more than saying good evening and pointing to an empty table in the dining room. You know that, but are you showing this on your resume? There are many resume duties a hostess should list. Start with analyzing what makes you a good host/hostess before starting to write your CV. It takes a lot to be a fantastic host, but we are going to highlight three skills that should go on your resume. They will set you apart from the competition.
You know how the kitchen works and manage guest seating thinking about the restaurant’s flow.
Fast paced is not always better. A good hostess knows that seating guests too fast can clog up the kitchen, causing wait times in serving. To consider that, you need to understand how fast the kitchen works and how different tables work. Specials can interfere with the kitchen flow, making it faster or slower. A family eats at a different pace than a group of friends – even if the number of people is the same.
You are organized and consider several factors when making reservations.
Making reservations takes an eye for detail and requires you to think on your feet. You have to answer phones and keep an eye on the dining room. Booking two tables to close together in time can cause a big delay. Booking them apart causes the restaurant to lose money if there’s a big gap. Factors such as the profile of people and time of day influence that. If you know how to juggle those quickly, be sure to make that clear on your resume.
You do not get flustered easily.
It should go without saying, but a hostess should always be the most collected person in the room. Even if the restaurant is busy, the reservations are backed up and the chef is sick. This is when you shine – when you assure guests everything is fine with a calm look. This is a crucial skill and one many people overlook while writing their resume objectives.
A Great Hostess Resume – The Structure
Even though the educational background is important, always start with your years of experience. By doing that, the employer will have a clear idea of who you are in the professional world. After that, they can confirm you are right for the job by checking your educational history, whether that be high school or beyond.
Resume templates aren’t always the best. Don’t spell out your previous jobs with a date on the side. Don’t have a bullet point skills section. Merge the two into short bold paragraphs that flaunt your abilities. Let’s see an example. Instead of this hostess resume sample:
“Restaurant Hostess – February 2017 to December 2017
Seated clients to their tables on nighttime service.”
Followed by a commonplace list of skills like:
- Attentive to detail
- Responsible
- Friendly
Look at this resume format:
“Restaurant Hostess – February 2017 to December 2017
Welcomed and seated an average of 500 guests per night during the busy period. Always alert to the kitchen flow and the server’s table rotation.”
This will add value to your resume and will get the employer to think about ways you will improve their service. It showcases with detail how you are a responsible and friendly hostess. It demonstrates with a palpable example how you are attentive to details. That is much better than a boring list.
Estimate your worth in numbers. Are you a master in recommending specials and getting guests to order them? Write this on your resume in an impressive way – by showing how much you improved sales. Numbers are always a great resume builder.
“Introduced the restaurant’s specials to guests, contributing to a 15% increase in orders.”
Including real numbers is a must to catch the eye of the employer. A percentage or number will draw their attention and lead to them reading the entire passage.
A Great Hostess Resume – Language Tips
Nobody likes to read a cluttered, confusing text with too many repeated words. That includes your potential employers. Writing a clean resume with well-drafted sentences will only work in your favor. We know you are a hostess, not a writer, so we compiled some easy tips to get started!
Reread Your Resume.
This is a golden rule of writing. After finishing, go for a walk, a cup of coffee or one episode of your favorite show. After that, come back with fresh eyes and reread your CV. That is when you will catch weird sentences, repeated words, and spelling mistakes.
Look For Keywords on Job Posts.
Some words keep popping up in job posts, and you should look for them. For hostess positions, they could be “organized”, “wine knowledge”, and “customer service”. Find ways to introduce these keywords naturally in your CV. Recruiters will skim through the resumes searching for them – make them pop. You can even use italic or bold, as long as you keep it consistent.
Use paragraphs, lists, and fonts wisely.
You already know you have 11 seconds to grab the recruiter’s attention. Use a professional and readable font in a size 12. Space your paragraphs and be careful with blocks of text. Do not try to make the font smaller or the lines closer together so you can fit more info. Keep it short and sweet. It’s all about keeping it short and attractive without leaving crucial points out.
If you follow these tips and apply them to your own experience, we are positive that your cover letter and resume will be seen. Good luck!
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