Hospitality resume example & writing guide

Why use this hospitality resume example?

Our hospitality resume is a solid example of a resume for someone that has experience in the industry. When you’re going for a higher-level hospitality role, then you need to have experience and some great skills. The best way to get your resume noticed is to have an eye-catching summary statement. 

Take a look at the summary in the sample. Notice how concisely and dynamically it highlights the applicant's skills, experience, and personality. Your summary needs to be short, a few sentences at most, because space is limited. You will need all the space you can get for the rest of your resume. Notice, also, how the sample summary utilizes keywords - like collaborative, room operations, and strategic operational changes - to demonstrate the applicant’s successes and abilities. Study the job description, and use the skills and keywords you find that are in your repertoire. Also, include a couple of your best accomplishments that show off your talents. Think about what would most impress your potential boss and use those examples.

Each section of your resume needs to be clear and concise. This especially goes for your professional experience section. Don’t use extensive descriptions and avoid using a lot of adjectives. Keep each description short and focused on your positive accomplishments. You don’t need to list basic tasks and responsibilities, include only the things you did that make you stand out. See how well the sample makes use of quantifiable metrics to show the tangible impact the applicant had on previous roles. Measurable results demonstrate to potential employers what you could possibly achieve for their company.

The best resumes provide employers with an overall portrait of you as an individual, and it doesn’t just supply experiences and abilities but gives an idea of who you are and how you can contribute to the organization. This example hospitality resume shows how to bring together the different elements and combine them into a cohesive document. You can use this format and structure to create your own great hospitality resume.

How to write a great hospitality resume

We’ve already talked about how your resume sections need to be short and to the point. You also need to make each section of your hospitality resume contribute to painting the picture of how great a hospitality professional you are.

The big challenge with writing a good resume is to effectively tie together the different sections of the resume into a single view that holds the hiring manager’s attention. If your resume is difficult to understand or doesn’t have everything the employer needs to know, then they’ll either not read it all or throw it away. Having a resume that includes all the relevant information in easy-to-read sections is the best way to make your potential new employer take the time to read your entire resume.

Here are the sections you should have with the basic approach for each: 

• Resume summary. Write a few sentences that run down your best traits, experiences, and knowledge related to the position you are applying for. Be creative and make it memorable.

• Core competencies. List out all your best skills that are relevant to the job. Include both hard skills (tech, specific expertise) and soft skills (customer service, people skills).

• Professional experience. List your work experiences in reverse chronological order. Keep the descriptions brief and focus on the most important or relevant parts of each job. Include achievements, accomplishments, and recognitions received. 

• Education. Include your most recent schooling, degrees training, licenses, and certifications. 

Just listing out your skills and having the right keywords will not be enough to land your next great hospitality job. You need to include things that show you are the best candidate. For example, putting “Leadership” in the skills section will not mean anything. You have to back it up by giving an example of how you used your leadership abilities to benefit the business. Something like “Led a project team to build a new product that increased revenues by 15%.” This example uses the keyword and hard numbers to demonstrate your skill through an achievement.

Which key skills are relevant for a hospitality resume?

It takes a lot of different skills to be a great hospitality pro. Some of the most important abilities are people skills, independence, and initiative. You have to anticipate customer needs, resolve problems, and provide great customer service. Job duties may vary, so your hospitality resume has to prove you are industrious and can work independently to handle customers effectively.

Some great skills for a hospitality professional to put on your resume include:

• Adaptability

• Attention to detail

• Communication

• Customer service

• Industry knowledge

• Problem-solving

• Professionalism

• Teamwork