Bartender Resume: Template for Free & Step by Step Guide

get started today

As a Bartender, you likely know how to mix a mean Margarita, Moscow Mule, or Manhattan, but have you mastered the art of writing a winning resume? Our professional resume temples and expert advice can help you find the perfect pairings to satisfy the tastes of your future employer!

Bartender Resume Example MSWord®
Download our free Bartender Resume template in Word and whip up the perfect cocktail mix to ensure career success!

View in fullscreen

View in fullscreen

Download template

ResumeGiants » Examples » Bartender Resume

There’s nothing like sitting down to a good drink made by a bartender with skill and class. 

As a bartender, you know that keeping your customers satisfied is key for a successful career. When applying for jobs, you’ll also want to treat the hiring manager like a customer to keep them coming back for more.  

Just like mixing a cocktail, you’ll need to shake up your resume the right way, so it comes out perfectly. Otherwise, a bar owner or job recruiter will be looking elsewhere.

This guide will thelp you get noticed by employers and take your bartending career to the next level.

This guide will tell you:

• How to write a bartender resume
• How to add the right bartender qualifications for resume writing
• How to use a job description
• How to list your skills 

Keep reading to find out the right ingredients to your resume. 

Need a clue on how to structure your resume? 

Check out our bartender resume sample, which gives you a complete picture of what an ideal resume might look like.

Resume Example

Copy to clipboard

Copied!

[Robert Duvall]

[Professional Bartender]

[405 Merry Hill Drive, Johnstown, MI 15342 | 555-555-5555 | rob.b.duvall@gmail.com]

Summary

Skilled, professional bartender with 8+ years of experience providing unmatched service to bars in the central Chicago area. Received “Employee of the Year” award in 2020 after creating specialty cocktails and menu items that brought in 30% more patrons and increased bar profits by 10%. Seeking to utilize my skills and knowledge to bring a new experience and perspective to XYZ Bar.

Experience

Bartender

Bubba Gump’s Restaurant and Bar | Miami, FL

2019 – 2021

• Prepared drinks and food according to restaurant standards, recommended pairings, and accommodated diverse guest requests.
• Maintained a safe and clean bar space during working shifts.
• Delivered excellent customer service by attending to all guest questions or concerns and replenishing drinks as needed in a fast-paced environment.
• Recorded orders and performed routine checks of inventory to keep the bar well-stocked, functional, and trendy.

Barista

Beachside Coffee Company | Miami, FL

2016 – 2018

• Fulfilled orders for 30+ types of drinks, including coffee, coffee drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos, and mochas, plus teas, smoothies, and juices.
• Greeted and assisted customers before, during, and after the ordering process. Created a new, unique coffee drink and boosted cafe sales by 10%.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Food Service Management Springtown

Community College | Springtown, IL

2013 – 2016

Honors: Graduated magna cum laude with a 3.56 GPA.

Relevant Coursework: Science of Culinary Arts, Champagne Tasting and Pairing, Restaurant Management and Finances.

Skills

• Soft skills: Collaboration, attention to detail, time management, multitasking
• Hard skills: Practical application and theoretical knowledge of over 100 mixed cocktails, mixology, customer service, wine and food pairing

Awards

“Employee of the Year,” Bubba Gump’s Restaurant and Bar (2020)

Certificates

• AIP Alcohol Training and Certification (2020), Springtown Heights,
• FL Sanitation and Safety Certificate (2018), Central College, FL

Just like reviewing a bartending book for drink recipes, there are plenty of examples you can have a look at before starting your resume.

If you want your resume to be as smooth and easy to sip as your favorite drink, you’ll need to choose a format that suits your needs.

To determine the right one, first assess your level of experience and the content you plan to include on your resume.

When choosing the best way to format your resume, there is one essential thing to keep in mind: experience.

Depending on the amount of bartending experience that you have, you should think about arranging your resume like this: 

• 2+ years of experience: Emphasize your past jobs before skills, starting with your most recent position first. 
• Less than 2 years of experience: Highlight your skills over your previous job(s), and try not to include anything irrelevant. 

Showing off both your skills and experience in a hybrid format is also a great idea if you have enough of both. 

It is also critical to consider: 

• Format
• Line spacing
• Font
• Margins

There is no need to add any crazy fonts or huge spaces in between lines. Overly design resumes rarely perform well in online tracking systems, or with the humans that read them.

If you need a little extra help navigating resume design, luckily there are plenty of online tools that can polish up your resume for you.

Think of your resume summary or objective as the first sip of a new cocktail; it can make or break your experience, and it gives you an idea of what you’re in for.

You want your bartender resume objective or summary to pop, regardless of which one you end up writing. Both a bartender resume objective and summary provide an overview of your experience and you as a potential employee.

A resume summary does this by explaining your past professional achievements and experiences, so it is typically best for those who are already in the field.

An objective, on the other hand, focuses on what an employer needs and demonstrates how your skills can help. These are ideal for entry-level applicants or anyone looking to switch into bartending from another area.

To write either one, find ways to condense your main talking points into just a few, powerful lines. 

Doing so can take some practice and patience. We suggest writing all of your ideas in one place, and then whittle them down as you go.

Bartender Resume Summary Example

Remember, a good resume summary does exactly what the name suggests: summarizes all that an employer needs to know about what’s on the page, but also about you.

The more specific examples and details you can provide, the better. Of course, you don’t want to let things become too wordy, so focus on what matters the most.

Tangible examples of your achievements create a powerful end result. Here are some bartender resume summary examples that are both poor and strong.

Take note of what works and what doesn’t in each example–do they summarize bartender resume duties, show that the person in question is a one-of-a-kind candidate, or leave the reader wanting to know more?

While this gives a hiring manager a brief idea, it’s like taking a sip from a glass that is mostly ice. There should be more data and proof that you can be a success.

This fills up the glass much better. This summary provides not only experience, but highlights how the candidate improved profits and even throws an individual achievement into the mix. 

How to Write an Entry-Level Bartender Resume Objective

Resume objectives are great if you’re an entry-level applicant because they do not rely on experiences and accomplishments to prove your value.

Instead, these statements are tailored to what an employer is looking for and what you can offer in response.

To write a stellar bartender resume objective, pay attention to what the position is asking for. 

If the job description notes that the employer is seeking out candidates who are highly experienced in the culinary arts, for instance, emphasizing that you have these skills can make you a strong applicant even without bartending practice.

🌟Featured Content: When writing a resume objective, use the skills and experiences you have to demonstrate how you could be a valuable addition to the field or business. 

Entry-Level Bartender Resume Objectives

Let’s take a look at some examples of objectives that do and don’t work. 

Remember that being specific and clear is the way to go, regardless of what you’re writing.

Just like a drink that’s missing some flavor, this is missing some key information. You’ll want to dive a bit deeper into what you can offer even if you’re lacking bartending experience.

This is a great example of someone changing fields but showing that they can bring their skills into the bartending field. 

If you can do that you’ll certainly start off on the right foot. 

The bar is set high for your experience section, and for good reason. 

Your experience section is the main area in which you can show your qualifications and accomplishments. 

To describe them in a way that strengthens your chances of scoring an interview, though, you should take note of the specific qualities your potential employer prioritizes.

Writing your bartender resume job descriptions and experiences in a way that relates to these priorities helps portray you as the perfect fit for the job.

Bartender Resume Examples: Experience

Below are some examples, one of a strong description of experiences and one that’s lacking in detail. 

Neither is necessarily terrible, but one does a better job explaining specifically what you did rather than just providing an overview.

This is good but it could be better. You want to explain a bit more about what you did in your prior job.

This gives great insight as to what your duties were in your previous position. It also shows that you successfully completed your tasks. 

Entry-Level Bartender Resume: Experience Section

When writing a bartender resume no experience is necessary to create a final product that’s truly toast-worthy.

Use your experience section to detail the knowledge you do have, even if it’s not directly related to bartending. 

Focus on what’s helped you become a good potential bartender, and make sure it comes through in your job descriptions. 

Let’s look at how you might accomplish that:

Without any information that shows how you were successful, this experience section will come out a little flat.

By showing how you improved production you’ll have a really tasty looking experience section. 

Education sections can be hard to manage; after all, how can you make experiences from far in the past feel like they’re relevant to a modern resume?

Even if it may not seem like it, your education does matter. It shows that you’re a knowledgeable person, but also that you have practice handling different situations and projects.

A college degree isn’t required for bartending jobs in general, but that doesn’t mean that having one can’t help you. 

Many jobs may require a high school diploma or equivalent educational experience as a minimum, although there are exceptions. Any further training or education you have under your belt should make its way onto your bartender resume.

When describing your educational experiences, you might want to do the following:

• Describe relevant coursework. Show how the classes you took gave you skills that are applicable to the workplace.
• Explain major achievements. Bonus points if these achievements relate in some way to your bartender resume responsibilities and skills.
• Note any significant involvements. Showing that you managed a variety of commitments in a real-life situation demonstrates that you’re a versatile employee.

Bartender Resume Education Section

How can you keep your resume’s education section lively and valuable? Consider these suggestions.

While it’s great to point out your GPA if it is high, you should be more specific when explaining what you studied in high school, college, or bartending school.

This example is great as it provides relevant coursework which gives a bar manager a better idea as to how you already have working knowledge of bartending.

When it comes to writing a great bartender resume, skills are key. 

You should include a combination of hard skills (skills that are specific to your field and often learned on the job) and soft skills (general skills that apply to all jobs).

We suggest choosing around 5 to 10 skills to list; if you try to include too many bartender skills and qualities resume organization can begin to feel cramped and chaotic. 

While a good bartender resume includes all the sections we’ve just covered, the best bartender resume is usually one that goes above and beyond.

There are plenty of relevant things you can list, such as:

• Accomplishments
• Training
• Conferences attended

That means creating a mixologist resume with “Other” sections, or additional sections that add these types of details to your resume.

Bartender Resume Sample “Other” Sections

When you write an “Other” section, you should do so with the same mentality you have for other parts of your resume. That means specific details, clarity, and relevance are the priorities.

This example doesn’t nearly explain enough. You’ll want to describe your training and certificates a bit more.

These certificates show exactly what you learned and are related to bartending. 

The most common types of resume additions are listed below, but don’t be afraid to branch out and include what feels appropriate to you.

Certificates

In the world of bartending, certificates for alcohol safety, bar safety, sanitation, and more are available.

These are often required once you accept and begin a job as a bartender, but if you already have certifications, listing them on your application shows that you’re a step ahead of the competition.

Awards

If you have received any awards for your customer service, bartending skills, or anythingrelevant, give them space on your resume to show that your efforts are appreciated and celebrated by others.

Memberships

If you’re part of any professional organizations or groups, it’s not a bad idea to list them on your resume.

This can allow you to take advantage of potential connections and show that you’re established in the field and serious about the job.

Understanding how to exactly structure your resume and include every piece of relevant information is challenging. 

However, it is certainly possible to make a stand-out resume by following this guide and remembering to do the following: 

• A bartender resume should include a resume summary or objective, education, experience, and other sections.
• Strong resumes utilize powerful vocabulary (like power verbs), specific examples, and clear language.
• When describing bartender experience resume organization styles matter; a reverse chronological set-up allows you to focus on your most recent and relevant points.
• Sticking to clean, simple design choices ties everything together and lets the content of your resume do the talking.

With these tips and tricks you won’t need to be serving up resumes much longer and can get to mixing drinks.