Waiter or Waitress CV Example

As reported by the Guardian, UK restaurants and pubs are facing economic challenges in 2023. These conditions have resulted in high competition for open positions.

Therefore, making a high-quality CV to go with your job application is essential for securing a waiting staff position.

Ensure you stand out from the crowded field of applicants by creating an impressive CV. Here are four tips for writing a waiter or waitress CV that gets you hired at your target restaurant:

1. Emphasise your interpersonal skills

Restaurant employers are more likely to interview you if you show exceptional interpersonal skills on your CV. Employers seek waiters or waitresses who can make a good impression on new and regular customers by making them feel at ease — an important set of skills related to your work ethic and personality.

An eatery’s waiting staff is the face of the company, so showing your ability to create positive interactions with all types of customers is key.

Here are top-shelf skills to include on your waiter or waitress CV:

But you’ll need more than interpersonal abilities to succeed as a waiter or waitress. Consider including the following skills on your CV:

• Quick memorising skills: You must remember menu items, prices, and specials
• Physical fitness: Waiting tables requires carrying heavy platters and being on your feet for long shifts
• Multitasking: You must be comfortable managing multiple tables at once
• Computer skills: Employers need waiters and waitresses who can quickly learn new point-of-sale systems
• Time management skills: You’ll likely need to keep track of your schedule on a staff scheduling system or a program like Google Calendar

2. Write an attention-grabbing personal statement

A properly formatted CV features a 2–3 sentence or bulleted introduction at the top called a personal statement. Your CV’s personal statement should include:

• your professional title with a strong adjective (for example, ‘Enthusiastic waitress’ or ‘Hardworking waiter’)
• your most relevant skill or accomplishment
• a statement about how you can benefit the restaurant

Here’s an example of a well-written personal statement for your CV:

3. Use a hobbies and interests section

One way to show employers that you’re good at interacting with restaurant customers is by including a hobbies and interests section on your CV.

When you write your hobbies and interests section, only include information that’s relevant to waiting tables. Here are some examples of hobbies to include:

• Joining a club or social group: Shows your interpersonal skills
• Sports activities: Highlights your physical fitness
• Playing a musical instrument: Indicates you can quickly learn new concepts and retain information well
• Debate clubs: Showcases your presentation skills
• Cooking: Tells employers you enjoy participating in the food-service process
• Volunteer work: Shows your empathy

Here’s an example of a good CV hobbies and interests section:

4. Fill one or two pages of your CV with information

If you’re a budding waiter or waitress with minimal experience, your CV should be one or two full pages — no more, no less. Here’s why:

If employers see excessive blank space on your CV, they’ll immediately assume you’re inexperienced. They may even put it to one side to review only if other full CVs don’t yield qualified candidates.

However, if your CV is three or four pages long, employers will probably miss important details.

Here’s how to ensure your waiter or waitress CV is properly filled with information:

If your CV is too long

• Cut any information that doesn’t show how you can be a successful waiter or waitress
• Shrink your margins to a minimum of 1.27 cm
• Set your font size to a minimum of 10.5 points
• Change your font to Cambria or Arial Narrow, which take up less space than other good CV fonts

If your CV is too short

• Add extra sections that list relevant information such as volunteer activities, certifications, and awards
• Expand your education section to include relevant courses
• Set your margins to a maximum of 2.5 cm
• Increase your font size to a maximum of 12 points
• Change your font to Georgia or Trebuchet MS, which are larger than other recommended fonts