You love your customers. You even know them by name and can remember their favorite menu items. Your customer service skills are some of your strongest assets, and over time, you’ve learned that the hospitality industry is where you want to build your career.
But to grow your career in restaurants, customer experiences are only part of what will make you successful. When your workplace is hiring for a higher position — and you want the role — make sure that your resume has everything it needs to take you to the next level in your profession.
Want your resume to stand out? Read on for eight key skills restaurant managers want in their new hires.
1. Teamwork
Team collaboration and communication are equal parts of a successful restaurant’s foundation. When you’re working with both back and front of house staff, getting food out to diners quickly, and making sure customers are happy, your manager will see that you’re a true asset to your team.
On your resume, include information about how you collaborated with your coworkers. Whether you facilitate weekly meetings to make sure everyone is on the same page before service hours, or support other team members that have a lot on their plate, your ability to work with others is something that the hospitality industry takes great pride in.
2. Upselling
Daily specials can only do so much before customers are looking for more on your restaurant’s menu. Customers want to know what makes your restaurant special. You can do that by upselling any dish that may sound ordinary but was actually based on a recipe that was passed down from your chef’s great-grandparent.
If you know how to upsell a product or dish without sounding “salesy,” you can impress customers, increase average order values, and enhance dining experiences.
3. Restaurant software skills
Restaurants are using more digital tools than you think. In fact, they use software for point of sale systems, credit card processing, accounting, payroll, employee scheduling, and even business analytics.
If you’ve clocked in and out of work using scheduling software, make note of it. Manager’s who aren’t using it may not even realize how beneficial it is for their staff, and you can be the champion of implementing it at work.
If you use a central platform to communicate with other employees and your supervisor, you can enhance your communication skills on your resume as well.
4. Food certifications
When you have a food handler and food safety certifications, you already have two main requirements that most restaurants list in their job descriptions. The more certifications you have the better. When you have an official list of skills that you spent time earning, your employer will know that you’re serious about working in restaurants.
5. Multitasking
As soon as customers enter your restaurant, you need to find them a table, seat them, and offer them a beverage all while answering any questions they may have. This is only within the first five minutes of their dining experience.
Multitasking is a skill that you find challenging but has shown you results in your career. Mention examples of how you conquered multitasking during busy days to impress your hiring manager.
6. Industry awareness
The more knowledge you have about the industry you’re working in, the more you can be actionable at work. With a wide understanding of hospitality, you can have a voice in small details that make your workspace look better, to bigger-picture efforts, like personalizing customer experiences or a new dish on the menu.
7. Knowledge of cleaning procedures
A clean restaurant shows customers you care about restaurant maintenance and helps make the best impression possible. If you’ve learned useful cleaning processes that you can implement in your new role, include examples of them on your resume.
8. Speaking another language
If you can speak more than one language, you have the potential to improve communication with customers and throughout your workplace. Being multilingual can be a huge advantage in the restaurant industry.
Think of how you can implement new ways to eliminate language barriers in your next position. Offer to teach free language classes during breaks, or encourage your team to download apps like Duolingo or Drops.
Build your career
There are so many opportunities for you to learn and grow as a shift worker in the hospitality industry. Doing your best work and building your skillset will help you reach the roles you’ve always wanted. And, you'll have a resume that catches hiring managers’ eyes.
Want to build more skills that could help simplify your next shift? Download The 2021 Resume Template and Guide and take your career to the next level.
