The resume you submit as part of a job application can make or break your chances of getting hired. Many jobseekers are not aware of how to use this document to stand out from the competition when applying for a server position. Refer to our sample to see how to present your abilities, past experience, and training in ways that show you are the best candidate.
Our writing tips and server job description for creating a resume are useful resources when planning how to cover all the necessary ground in your own document. These guidelines can help you decide what you should include to make the best impression.
Using a Server Job Description for a Resume
Each applicant for a server position is likely to have different amounts and types of work experience and training, but there are a few abilities and qualifications employers hiring servers want to make sure all candidates possess. Here is a breakdown of how to cover your unique experience and essential skills in a standard resume format.
Server Summary
The professional summary on a resume for a server position should mention the extent of your related experience and the types of establishments where you have worked. Look for metrics that apply to the job you are seeking, such as the number of tables you handled on your busiest night or any exceptional responsibilities or honors. The summary statement is also a good place to include important industry terms from the description of the job you desire.
Server Education & Certification
Servers have a wide range of educational backgrounds, and many further their education while working these jobs. Employers may want applicants to have a high school diploma or equivalent and be able to demonstrate their ability to learn the menu, memorize specials, and take accurate orders. You may want to mention training in a previous position. Some states require that servers obtain certification to serve alcohol. If you have this credential and the job requires it, list it in this section.
Server Duties & Responsibilities
A resume is an ideal place to give prospective employers a sense of your current and past duties and responsibilities; the parts of your experience you bring up on your resume can distinguish you from other applicants. The work experience section is also a good place to bring up your ability to follow health, safety, or cash-handling protocols and other skills mentioned in the job description.
Server Skills
The skills section of your resume should include a mixture of abilities related to the specific server role you want and general skills that are vital for success in the foodservice industry. You might bring up organization skills, multi-tasking abilities, or the capacity to quickly memorize a menu and specials. Customer service and communication skills are important for working with your fellow employees and helping customers.
Specific skills that can be important for a position as a server consist of the ability to accommodate diners with dietary restrictions, including the willingness to learn and accurately recall the ingredients or categorization of menu items or check with the kitchen. Depending on the restaurant, you might point out your familiarity with and ability to answer questions about a certain type of food or your authorization to legally serve alcoholic beverages.
Server Resume
Diane Jordan
Atlanta, GA 11111
E: diane.jordan@anymail.com P: 555-123-4567
Atlanta, GA 11111
E: diane.jordan@anymail.com P: 555-123-4567
Professional Summary
Three years of service experience with consistent advancement in terms of daily and long-term responsibilities and seniority. Management and mentoring abilities and award-winning sales skills. Accustomed to rigorous standards of high cuisine, and capable of quickly memorizing seasonal menus and upselling daily specials.
Skills and Qualifications
Customer service and sales
Training and mentorship
Memorization and knowledge retention
Ingredient and preparation knowledge
Awareness of dietary restrictions
Food service and safety best practices
Point-of-sale systems, cash-handling, and processing card transactions
Work Experience
Head Server, Martin’s
2016-Present
Plan menu lessons for entire staff with general and kitchen managers and schedule training and compliance sessions for a staff of 12 servers
Mentor three new hires and submit regular performance evaluations on entire waitstaff to front-of-house and general managers
Ensure servers arrive on time for shifts dressed in suitable attire and point out any violations to front-of-house manager
Assist in the main dining room with large parties and on Fridays, weekends, and holidays
Provide customized service arrangements for guests who reserve private dining areas or place catering orders
Server, Carolyn’s Restaurant
2015-2016
Trained four new servers and assisted hosts and managers with general supervision
Sold a record number of gift certificates during the 2015 holiday season
Recognized as a top-performing server for four straight months in the spring and summer of 2016
Consulted on menu development and revisions with kitchen manager and head chef based on top-selling items and customer feedback
Provided customers with receipts, confirmed happy hour and other discounts, and processed payments using the point-of-sale system
Server – Cocina Georgina
2014-2015
Cultivated relationships with diners and was often requested for serving regular and repeat customers
Delivered food items to booths and tables in a timely manner, ensuring all orders were complete and correct
Learned the menu, which changed seasonally, and memorized daily specials, recipe stories, and ingredient details
Won the Special Server honor in July 2015 for selling the most specials over the year to date
Education and Certifications
Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing – expected 2019
Georgia State University
Diploma – 2015
Westview High School, Atlanta GA
How To Get Your Server Resume Past an ATS
As you prepare to submit your resume, you might worry about the impression this document will make on a hiring manager. While it is important that all the sections of your resume come together to provide the most complete portrait of your background and abilities possible, a human may never review your resume if it fails to clear the first hurdle: an applicant tracking system.
ATSs search resumes for specific keywords and phrases and score each document. The best way to determine which terms matter most for any given position is to rely on the server job description for creating a resume. Our resume sample demonstrates several ways an applicant can go about achieving a high ATS evaluation score.
The candidate in our sample resume mentions her amount of service experience and record of increasing responsibilities and rapid promotions in the summary statement. She includes keywords like “management” and “mentoring” as well as “menus” and “specials” in this initial section. The candidate also seeds her list of skills and qualifications with words an ATS would look for in a server application and a hiring manager would also want to see.
Standardizing section headings and organizing the content under each heading can prevent your document from confusing an ATS or hiring manager. As you put the finishing touches on your resume, be sure to format this document with an easy-to-read standardized layout and a clear font so a program relying on optical character recognition can easily make out the keywords in your document.
The sample resume includes this candidate’s job titles for her current and past positions as well as a sufficient amount of detail about her work history to add in more important language. Each section of your resume is an opportunity to include words and phrases that can increase the likelihood this document will pass the first round of review and continue on to a human capable of appreciating the finer points.
