How to Write a Hospitality CV That Gets You the Job

So, you want to work in the industry? Maybe you already do and you’re looking for the net step in your career. Today I am going to be discussing and showing you exactly how to write your CV to get noticed by hiring managers in the Hospitality industry. I’ll even throw in a copy of my own CV that I have been using to get all sorts of bartending and hospitality jobs to fund my travels over the past four years, so you can see exactly what a good CV that will get you hired looks like.

Is Bartending a Good Career?

Whether you’re looking for your first job at home, or you are dreaming of a bartending career that will take you around the globe, I have all the tips and tricks you will need to write a standout CV and get you the job you deserve.

Let’s start briefly with what hospitality employers are looking for in your CV. This is how you can make your CV stand out straight away.

1. Relevant work experience or skills – Do you have previous hospitality experience, if not do you have any skills that are transferable to Hospitality
2. A clear, easy to read CV – If your CV takes more than a minute to read then no one will read it all the way through. Employers sift through a huge amount of CV’s so make sure yours is getting noticed
3. Your personality – This is a customer facing role and your CV is your first impression of you. Make sure you wrote your own CV and that your voice is reflected in it.
4. How you present yourself – Similar to the last point, if your CV is messy, full of typos and just not very well written you are not going to get hired.
5. Your understanding of the job you are applying for – Make sure your CV is relevant to the job you are applying for. Your CV should look different if you are applying for a bartending role or a manager role.

Once you understand these five points you are ready to start creating a great CV.

Building your CV

How long should your CV be?

Keep it short! I cannot stress this enough. If you hand in a four-page CV no one will read it, and if they do, they will not retain all the information you have provided. No matter how well written it is or how beautifully it is laid out, no one has the time. Hospitality is a faced paced industry, and, in your CV, you need to reflect that you understand that.

My advice? No more than two pages. Even one is enough. I recently chopped my CV down to one page and I have found that I have been getting a lot more responses once I did.

Write your own CV

This is another big one. With the rise of AI, we see a rise in AI CVs. To be honest I get it. Writing a CV and putting your whole professional self onto paper is hard (that’s exactly why I am writing this guide). But AI can be easy to spot. Especially if you rely on it to write the whole thing.

Remember that Hospitality is a job where personality is important, sometimes more important than previous experience. So, make sure that you are using your own voice and showing some personality in your writing. A generic CV will not stand out amongst 250+ applicants.

Your Personal Profile

On the topic of personality, make sure you include a nice ‘about me’ section near the beginning of your CV. If you have room, you can add one small personal detail or interest that gives the employer a glimpse of who you are. Maybe include a hobby or things you like to do in your spare time without making it sound like a dating profile. For example, try writing something like:

“I am a hospitality all rounder with 5+ years of experience across hotels and restaurants. In my spare time I love to spend time in nature, and I am an avid reader”.

Or

“I am a bartender with 8 years experience in busy bars and restaurants. I am a very hard worker and team player. In my spare time I love going out for coffee with my friends and I love to travel”.

See how in just a few short lines you can get an understanding of a person’s professionalism, hobbies, interests and see how they present themselves and show what’s important to them, that’s what you want to present!

Of course, you can add a few more sentences here to really create the picture of who you are, but don’t let it take up too much space on your CV.

Putting this at the beginning / top of your CV gives the employer a little taste of you before they dive into your job history.

 Your work history: show what you did

Once you’re ‘about me’ section is complete it is time to start listing your previous experience. Make sure you list your jobs in order with your most recent job at the top. Most employers are going to skim through for a company name that they know. So, make sure that who you worked for is clear and followed by where the venue was and how long you spent there.

Below each workplace you can write in a brief description of jobs you did. However, don’t write ‘served drinks’ or ‘dealt with customers’ under every job title. Include different key skills from each job to build a picture of who you are.

Try something like:

Worked in a high-volume cocktail bar, producing cocktails quickly and accurately while maintaining a high standard of guest service.

Or

Worked busy evening services in a high-volume cocktail bar, producing cocktails efficiently while managing multiple orders and maintaining consistent guest service.

Try to describe the environment, responsibility, skills and impact rather than simply listing duties.

If, like me, you have lots of jobs to list, you can always carve out a bit of space to list your top skills. Not only does this save space, but it also makes your CV appear clearer and gives the employer your skill set straight away on a shiny platter.

Tailor your CV to the job

This point is very important. Make sure your CV reflects the job you are applying for in some way or other. This shows an employer two key things straight away.

1. You have read and understood the job advert and its description.
2. You come across as someone who would suit the role.

Below I have copied and pasted an exert from an actual job advertisement from Hilton Hotels looking for a food and beverage attendant. I will then show you what I would put on my CV to tailer it towards this job and others in the high-end hotel industry.

The job advertisement:

Just from this small excerpt we get a pretty good idea of the ideal candidate and the qualities they should poses. Starting with the most important thing – Location

The job is based in Perth, a city in Western Australia, so let’s imagine that is where we are living. Put your city/county at the beginning of your CV so employers immediately know where you are. If you plan to relocate you can leave your location off, but if you do this make sure you make it aware in your Cover Letter that you plan to relocate. We also know that we need at least ‘6 months of workers rights.’ If you are Australian then happy days, but if not make sure you include what kind of visa you are on near the top of the CV.

Next let’s have a look at the skills you’ll need for this role.

This is a nice advert to work with because they have listed most of the skills they are looking for here. Be careful not to just copy and paste them into your CV though! Remember we want our own voice to come through. A great way to do this is to incorporate these points into full sentences. You can put these under previous workplaces or group them together in a separate area.

Try something along the lines of

 “Able to work well as part of a team or alone, with great time management and an eye for attention to detail”

Or

“I have good knowledge of spirits and local wines, with a desire to grow and improve my knowledge while working in the hotel industry”

A few lines come across better than simply listing a generic skill set.

Next comes previous experience. In this job advert the employer says, “Prior experience in hospitality or banquet service in a hotel environment is preferred.” This is broad, so we want the right information in the right place. Prior hospitality empierce can relate to any aspect of hospitality so if you have Banquet or hotel experience make sure this is highlighted correctly in your CV and speak on that experience a little bit more.

You can then fit in any other hospitality experience as supporting your previous claims. Although all hospitality is transferable, there is a difference between working in a dive bar and working in a hotel. If you don’t have a lot of hotel experience to fall back on, make sure you are demonstrating what you know.

There are still a few things we need to demonstrate that we a suited to this role. A great way to do this without making your CV feeling blocky and repetitive is to make use of your about you section. The employer emphasises physical fitness and an ability to converse well with customers. Try and work these two things subtly into your interests but don’t lie.

A good way to do this is to talk about physical activities you enjoy doing like hiking, swimming, running, cycling or whatever else it may be. You can also include a glimpse into your social life. Perhaps you like meeting new people, growing your circle of friends or you are part of a club or charity that could demonstrate your social skills.

There are plenty of other bits of information that can be pulled from just this one advert. Have a go and see if you can create a list of skills that are relevant and imagine what the ideal candidate may look like.

Making yourself stand out

Don’t be too humble

One of the worst things you can do for your professional career is too humble. You are competing against several other candidates so if you have a skill or know how to do something make it clear and don’t talk yourself down or make excuses. On the other hand, please don’t make up fake skills or scenarios to get ahead. Your lies will always catch up with you in the end.
Show your personality

I keep saying this because it is so important. If you are applying for a customer facing role you need a certain type of personality. If your CV makes you sound boring, monotone or like a robot an employer is not going to contact you for an interview. Your personality should come through in your words, not through a complicated design.

 Don’t overshare

This is a professional document. It should only reflect you in terms of the job you are applying for. Don’t share personal details about you or anyone else in your CV. Also avoid over explaining things like gaps in your CV, political views or string opinions about anything. If an employer wants to know more about you, they will invite you for an interview but until then keep it strictly formal and professional.

Handling gaps in your CV

If you have gaps in your CV don’t overthink it too much. If there is a good reason why then you can explain it when you get interviewed. Do not include the reasons for the gaps in your CV unless it is because of education or professional training. As a travelling bartender I do have a few gaps from when I go on long holidays or when I am between jobs. I don’t fill the gaps; I just leave them. I don’t usually get asked to explain them and if I do I know exactly what I am going to say.

You don’t need to volunteer a detailed explanation for every gap on your CV. If you’re asked about one in an interview, answer honestly and keep the focus on what you learned or what you were doing during that period. Jobs are looking for the perfect candidate, not a perfect person.

The practical stuff

Layout and formatting

As I said earlier, your CV should be easy to read, and the layout should be nice and clear. Make sure your CV contains:

• No unnecessary graphics
• No more than two different fonts
• Has adequate spacing
• Is saved in a PDF format
• Has clear contact information
• Flows in a way that makes sense
• Jobs are displayed in order

Contact details

As we saw earlier in the Hilton advertisement, some contact details and information are super important.  At minimum, include:

• Name
• Phone number
• Professional email address
• Current location
• Relevant work rights/visa status where applicable

Should you include a photo?

In my opinion, No! Do not add a photo unless you have been told to. Adding a photo is discouraged in some countries and while it is certainly more common in Australia and parts of Europe it is not necessary. Reasons not to include a photo are

• It takes up valuable space
• What you look like should not dictate whether you get the job

By adding a photo, you put yourself at risk of bias decision making as well. By focusing just on skills and work experience and you can ensure the best person for the job is chosen and not the one who looks like the best candidate.

Cover letters

Cover letters are like a blessing and a curse all rolled into one. They are annoying to write and they take time, but they give you a chance to convey yourself in a better way than your CV will allow you to. If you are writing a cover letter, make sure you tailor it to your job like you would with your CV. If the job is for a bartender, you couldn’t use the same cover letter you wrote for a housekeeping role and vice versa.

Cover letters should be you telling the employer exactly why they should hire you. Talk about why you want to work there, how your previous experience fits in, why you’d be a good fit and what you hope to get out of said job.

Cover letters aren’t common in every country. I didn’t have to write one until I arrived in Australia, but it is the norm here for most bartending and hospitality jobs. So, check to see if the employer asks for one before writing a cover letter.

References

References are great to have, but don’t take up valuable space with a long list of names and phone numbers. Simply adding the line ‘references available’ on request is more than enough. But please make sure you know who your references are going to be and let them know that you may give out their contact information to potential employers.

It is not a great first impression of an employer calls your references number, and they weren’t expecting it and must talk on the spot.

The 30-second CV test

Before hitting save and print, take a moment to quickly read over your CV, or ask someone else to. Check it and make sure that in just 30 seconds you can immediately understand who you are, what hospitality experience you have, what you’re good at, and why you’d be a good fit?

If you can’t do that then don’t expect a potential employer to either. Check your CV against this checklist to make sure it’s reaching its full potential.

Before you send your CV, ask yourself:

• Would I understand this CV in 30 seconds?  
• Does it tell me what kind of hospitality worker this person is?  
• Does it highlight the experience relevant to this job?   
• Does it sound like a real person?   
• Is there anything unnecessary?    
• Have I checked spelling, dates and contact details?   
• Would I interview this person based on this CV?   

Once you have ticked all these boxes you are ready to seek out your next great hospitality experience!

Bonus Content

My Real Hospitality CV: Steal My Template

I pride myself on keeping my promises so as promised here is my current CV that I have been using to land jobs for the last year in Australia:

This is my actual CV! Of course, I altered the company titles and any personal information, but everything else is word for word.

Firstly, look at the layout of my CV. It is easy to read; there is plenty of space for everything and I have squeezed 10 years’ worth of my career into one page.

I also start by putting the title of my profession directly under my name which should always come first. I have put ‘hospitality all-rounder’ here, but if I was just applying to bartending jobs, I would put bartender, or for waitressing jobs I would put ‘waitress’ etc.

Directly under my profession I have listed my previous role / experience in an easy to read and standout way. This way an employer understands my previous work experience without having to read through my entire work history.

Then I put my ‘about me’ section near the top. I have kept this very professional and just focus on career traits and why I enjoy this line of work. Then at the end I explain that I have worked across the world and enjoy travel.

Next, I have provided up to date contact information with both a phone number and email address. I also have my location noted on my CV, so an employer knows how far away I am. The only thing I am missing here is my Visa information. However, because I am in Australia I know I will be writing a cover letter where I can disclose that information.

You’ll notice that I have included my highest form of education, my skills, certifications and awards all in a neat column on the left-hand side. This showcases this useful information in a way that employers can easily see it, rather than letting it get lost in long sentences.

Then on the right-hand side I have listed my work experience from most to least recent in descending order. This is the story of my career, and as a lot of the work is similar, I have avoided writing out roles and responsibilities for each job. I feel as though I have conveyed my knowledge in other parts of the CV so there is no point repeating myself or wasting space.

Lastly, I have my references space. Here I simply say my references are available upon request, which they are!

This CV works for me because it tells my professional story, everyone’s CV should look different because every story is unique. If you are struggling to start, I recommend checking out CV/Resume templates on Canva for inspiration. They are also fully customisable so you can make yours your own and be proud of it.

And there you have it! By following these steps, you can be sure that you are maximizing your CV’s potential and setting yourself up for your net adventure in the wonderful world of hospitality. If you have any more questions, please drop them below. In the meantime, if you are looking for inspiration on ways to further your bartending and hospitality career why not check out How to Become a Travelling Bartender or learn How to Turn Your Bar Job into a Sustainable Career (8 Proven Steps).