How to Write a Hospitality CV (2024)

Professional CVs for the Hospitality Sector

It is essential to make your hospitality CV stand out from other candidates, as it is a sector where competition is rife and many hundreds of applicants for one role in many instances. Within the hospitality industry, there are a plethora of roles which include Restaurant Manager, Bar Manager, Hotel Manager, F&B Manager, Waiter / Waitress, Chef, Bartender and Event Manager amongst many others.

Within the UK hospitality sector, there are circa 2 million people working (based on figures from the Office of National Statistics). Since the pandemic in 2020, the trajectory for growth in this sector has been immense, spurred on by various schemes and incentives offered by the government to drive commercial growth and this seems set to continue well into 2024 and beyond.

As there is a lot of people working within the sector, there is also great competition to work in the best restaurants, bars, clubs, cafes and other customer service focused establishments.

To secure a new role within hospitality, a strong CV is needed which emphasises your skills, capabilities, experience and passion for customer service at all levels.

Hospitality CV: Key Skills to Emphasise

When you apply for a position in the hospitality sector, it is key to ensure that you highlight your core expertise within the initial sections with clarity, notably within the Personal Profile and Key Skills & Competencies on the first page of your professional CV. Naturally, what is included here will depend upon your background and the type of position you are applying for, i.e. managerial or non-managerial.

For management focused CVs, the main points to highlight would be related to leading day-to-day operations (front and back of house), team leadership, stock control, staff recruitment / training and adherence with all health and safety as well as food safety regulations. For non-managerial positions (such as for front of house staff), the focus would be on customer service, cross / up selling, problem solving and strong communication skills amongst many others.

Final Thoughts

Emphasise your most pertinent and relevant skills on your CV, notably those which stand you out from the crowd. Expand upon the detail on your CV in a clear way and elaborate on the key areas to show the relevance of your background with what the employers will be looking for. Remember, customer service is absolutely crucial in the hospitality industry, hence you need to make sure this comes across strongly!

We are CV writing professionals and experts, and know how to create a CV for you which will get noticed when applying for hospitality or catering roles. Our CV writing service is the perfect option to help you get more interviews and propel your career in this challenging sector.