Bartender Resume Examples & Bartending Skills for 2024

You’ve got the flair. You’ve got the attitude. You’ve got the look. You have it all. The problem is—

Does your bartender resume have what it takes to land you the job? Not so sure? Well, you’ve found the right guide. Now let's give it a shot.

In this guide you'll see: 

• Best bartender resume examples that get jobs.
• How to ace your bartender job description for a resume.
• How to write a bartending resume that gets the interview.
• Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing bartending jobs.

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Need help with a different kind of resume? Explore our other guides:

• Barista Resume Examples
• Budtender Resume Examples
• Fast Food Resume Examples
• Food Runner Resume Examples
• Hospitality Resume Examples
• Line Cook Resume Examples
• McDonald's Resume Examples
• Server Resume Examples
• Sous Chef Resume Examples
• Starbucks Resume Examples

Bartender Resume Example

Bartenders have direct interaction with customers and are responsible for creating and serving drink orders. They must have knowledge of alcohol pairing & mixing, know how to prepare various cocktails, drinks & shots, manage inventory and process payments.

Here's how to write a great bartender resume:

1. Choose the Best Bartender Resume Format

7 seconds. This is how much time Sheldon Wiley needs to mix two cocktails. This is also how long a recruiter will be scanning your resume. So make your bartender resume look at least as good as Rainbow Sangria.

• Pick the reverse-chronological resume format. It puts a spotlight on your bartender experience and key accomplishments.
• Stick with simple and readable resume fonts in the range between 10 and 12pt. Add simple headings, keep clutter under control by using white space.
• Stay under one page unless you have tons of experience. Make sure your resume length is within acceptable standards. 
• Top your server bartending resume with an objective, summary or summary of qualifications. Then add the experience and education sections.
• Your bartender resume skills should go straight to the key skills section. Garnish your bartender resume with a couple of extras, such as membership in professional organizations, interests, and knowledge of foreign languages.

Expert Hint: Export your lead bartender resume to a PDF file. It will be ATS-scannable, and the formatting will stay intact.

2. Start with a Bartender Resume Objective or Summary That Goes to the Head

Your bartender resume profile must be like a Little Red Corvette. A powerful shot of the good stuff. Use this formula to leave the recruiter drunk with happiness.

1. An adjective
2. Job title
3. Years of experience
4. What you can offer and how it will help
5. Your biggest achievement

Bartender Resume Summary—Example

Customer-oriented (1) bartender and mixologist (2) with 3+ years of experience,(3) constantly on the lookout for beverage trends. Eager to join The Hyatt to offer exceptional customer experience and create an outstanding seasonally-inspired beverage menu. (4) Devised 30+ original cocktail recipes and boosted sales by 15%. (5)

Experienced bartender looking for new challenges. Would like to join the team to keep developing professionally.

The good example of the bartender resume summary makes you think of Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail. And, you can clearly see what the candidate has to offer. On the other hand, the bad example looks generic and focuses entirely on what the candidate wants.

What If You’ve Got No Bartending Experience? Here’s the secret: It doesn’t matter.

Your entry-level resume must own the recruiter from the start as well. The only difference is you’d be writing a bartender resume objective, not a summary. How to write an objective for a bartender resume, I hear you ask? Easy like a Sunday morning:

Focus on your skills rather than professional experience. And convince the recruiter you’re best in class. Here’s what a good bartender resume objective statement looks like:

Entry-Level Bartender Resume—Objective

Motivated and personable marketing student with a flair for entertainment and cocktail preparation. Eager to join the XYZ Bar team to delight the customers and turn all of them into patrons. Captivating storyteller with 5+ magnetic cocktail recipes.

A marketing student looking for a part-time job as bartender. Loves exploring new tastes and venues.

Just look at the two bartender resume objective examples. Each can be summarized in a single word. The good example: Me! The bad example: Meh...

Expert Hint: Write your bartending resume objective at the very end. Why? It’s supposed to focus on the highlights from your bartender resume. If you have no resume ready yet, you’ll have a hard time deciding what to put there.

3. Write the Best Bartender Resume Skills and Job Description Sections

The only rules that really matter are these: What a man can do, and what a man can’t do. In short, your bartender resume job description must deliver. Just like Captain Morgan. Here’s how to get it right.

1. Go through the job ad.
2. Highlight the bartender resume duties and skills the employer looks for.
3. Describe your bartender experience on the resume using keywords from the ad.

Bartender Job Description for Resume—Examples

• Greeted and served customers in a professional and timely manner.
• Prepared alcoholic, non-alcoholic and other beverages for customers and servers in accordance with standard recipes.
• Maintained a clean bar by regular wiping, disposing of debris and bottles, filling ice bins and washing glasses behind the bar as needed.
• Stocked and maintained sufficient levels of beverage products behind bar to assure a smooth service period.
• Recorded currency transactions on a computer, tendered proper change and itemized receipt.

• Customer service
• Beverage preparation
• Responsible for cleaning bar
• Responsible for stocking

Here’s a question: Would you read 250+ bartender resumes if you knew at least 50% of them look like the bad examples above? That’s right, you wouldn’t.

This is where the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) comes in. It helps the recruiters screen all the resumes for bartender positions by looking for resume keywords.

What keywords? Those you can find in the job ad. And this is exactly why it’s so important to reply to a specific job ad and describe your bartending skills with the phrases you see there. Yes, this is how you write an ATS resume.

And yes, ATSs are mostly used by large companies, such as hotel chains, cruise lines, etc. Your bartending resume is much more likely to be machine-read first if you’re applying to such places.

Which doesn’t mean that when you’re sending your bartender resume to a local place, you don’t have to make an effort.

Your bartending resume must impress the hiring manager.

Avoid the “responsible for” formula on your bartender resume. It’s meaningless. Use action words instead. Such verbs as greeted, served, prepared, cleaned, stocked, or maintained communicate much more.

They show what you actually did, not what you were only responsible for. Put numbers where you can. This way the effects of your work become measurable and the bartender job description on your resume gains more meaning.

Last but not least. Pick up to three top accomplishments, make sure they’re quantifiable, and put them in a separate key achievements subsection.

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Bartender Resume Sample—Key Achievements

And one more thing. Pick out the right bartender skills for your resume, and make them clearly visible.

Treat the job ad as a treasure trove. All the sought-after skills are spelled out right in there. The lists below will help you get inspired.

Bartender Resume—Skills

• Beverage knowledge
• Mixology
• Cocktail Preparation
• Garnish and Presentation
• Cash handling
• Guest Engagement
• Multi-tasking
• Physical fitness
• Time management
• Storytelling
• Interpersonal skills
• Organization
• Oral communication
• Collaboration
• Adaptability
• Conflict resolution

You can find more bartender skills in this article.

Expert Hint: The employers may be looking for particular physical skills, such as the ability to lift up to 30 pounds, or to stand and bend for prolonged periods of time. If this is the case, be more specific in your bartender resume skills section.

4. Turn Boring Education Into a Reason to Hire You

To include education. Or not to include education on a resume. That is the question. Include. That is the answer. But only if you know how to make the education section work for you on your bartending resume. The most important thing is relevance. If your education is related to the job, it’s a no-brainer.

Bartending Resume Examples—Education

2016
Pacific Bartending School, Torrance, CA
Certified Mixologist

Relevant coursework:

• Customer service and bar etiquette
• 150 cocktail recipes (incl. garnish preparation and presentation)
• Liquor regulation and legal implications
• Bartender's duties and responsibilities

If you’re a student looking for a part-time job, do include the education section on your bartender resume. Mention coursework that is relevant to the position.

Entry-Level Bartender Resume Example—Education

2017—present
University of California, Los Angeles UCLA
Psychology

Coursework:

• Communication
• Social psychology

Expert Hint: Unless it’s relevant to the job, the education section isn’t of utmost importance on a bartender resume. Keep this section short and to the point.

5. Garnish Your Bartender Resume With These

Make your bartender resume truly special with a unique mixture of flavors. Your membership in professional associations, interests on a resume, and knowledge of foreign languages all count.

Associations

• United States Bartender’s Guild (USBG)—Member

Interests

• Asian cuisine
• Enology

Languages

• Spanish (Conversational)
• French (Conversational)
• German (Conversational)

Expert Hint: There’s always room for something special. Write a  cover letter for bartender jobs and up your chances of landing an interview. More than 50% of the recruiters would like to read one. So don't hesitate and learn how to write a cover letter.

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Key Points

To ace your bartender resume:

• Choose the best bartender resume template. A bartender resume with no experience will look different from an experienced bartender resume.
• Give your bartender resume a stunning look. One page is the preferred length. Use white space to your advantage. Keep it clean and only focus on your relevant experience.
• Target a specific job offer. Your bartender resume job description and skills must target a specific job ad.
• Let your education work for you. On a bartending resume, this section is not super important. But if your education is job-related, do show it.
• Spike it with extras. List your interests, knowledge of foreign languages, and membership in professional associations.

Questions on how to write the best bartender resume? Want to share advice on how to prepare a resume for bartending jobs (lead bartender resume or banquet bartender resume)? We’d love to hear from you. Leave your comment below.

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