Bartenders are the jack of all trades in the service industry. Mixing drinks, entertaining guests, bar management and cash handling are just some of the job duties of a skilled Bartender. Listing the right skills will help you highlight your resume objective and make your application stand out.
Bartender Skills to Add to Your Resume
Here are some of the bartender skills you should consider for your resume to help you land your next bartending job:
| Hard Skills | Soft Skills |
|---|---|
| Mixology | Customer Service Skills |
| Cash Handling | Flexibility |
| Liquor Knowledge | Teamwork |
| Knowledge of Wine and Spirits | Leadership Skills |
| Bar Organization Skills | Good Memory |
| Responsible Alcohol Service | Endurance |
| Garnishing and Presentation | Willingness to Learn |
Bartender Skills Breakdown
Let’s go into more detail about what these skills encompass so that you know which ones you should focus on when creating your bartender resume.
1. Mixology Skills
Mixing drinks and making cocktails are at the heart of almost every Bartending job. As such, you should almost always include your mixology expertise at the top of your bartender resume skills section to showcase your talents behind the bar.
2. Customer Service Skills
In most establishments, Bartenders work directly with customers. As such, having good interpersonal skills to ensure customer satisfaction is key in this industry. Highlight your ability to be friendly and welcoming in a sometimes stressful, fast-paced environment.
Additionally, you can highlight your willingness and ability to offer personalized service to high-end clients, if that’s something the establishment you’re applying for offers.
3. Bar Organization Skills
The key to being an efficient bartender is having strong bar organization skills. Maintaining a clean workspace, managing inventory and serving customers in fast-paced environments requires a high level of organization.
4. Cash Handling
Proper cash handling is a very important trait every bartender should possess. Here, you can also include your experience with point-of-sale systems and your ability to balance cash drawers at the end of your shift.
5. Liquor Knowledge
This is one of the most underrated bartender resume skills that many candidates overlook when filling out their bartender resume. Being able to distinguish alcohol just by looking at the bottle can take some time if you’re an inexperienced bartender. Beverage knowledge can also come in handy when mixing different cocktail recipes.
6. Responsible Alcohol Service
While this is not technically a skill, it’s something that every hiring manager can appreciate seeing on a bartender’s resume. Responsible alcohol service training is attained through organizations like BRS and TIPS. The training teaches aspiring bartender candidates how to deal with violent or untoward behavior, how to verify IDs, how to refuse service to intoxicated individuals and how to adhere to licensing hours and restrictions.
7. Teamwork
While it may sound a bit too cliche to include on a resume, highlighting your ability and willingness to work together with others is something every hiring manager in the service industry will appreciate. They will value the effort you put into playing your part as well as your willingness to help coworkers if they’re behind.
8. Good Memory
A good memory is super important when serving customers and working in an establishment with a long cocktail menu. Knowing who ordered what and which ingredients to use in drink recipes are valuable bartending skills to ensure service quality. Additionally, remembering regular customers’ names and faces can be a great way to earn extra tips.
9. Leadership Skills
This is one of the most relevant skills when applying for lead bartender or bar manager jobs. Being able to organize and lead an entire team of service staff and ensuring smooth operations are just a few job duties of a lead bartender that should be included in their resume.
10. Flexibility
The bartender job requires flexible working hours, including night shifts, weekends and holidays. Letting your employer know that you will show up consistently can be what sets you apart from other candidates applying for the bartending job.
Additionally, flexibility can highlight your willingness to partake in wait staff duties to ensure smooth operations during busy hours.
11. Garnishing and Presentation
Enhancing the visual appeal of cocktails is a key skill for bartenders. This can require the use of different bar utensils and techniques, such as herb springs, fruit slices and citrus twists. The cocktails being presentable adds to the overall customer experience.
12. Willingness to Learn
You’d be surprised how far you can get if you let hiring managers know that you’re willing to learn. Even if you don’t have the relevant skills for the job, saying that you’re willing to improve and work on yourself can be worthy of putting on your Bartender resume. Most establishments will provide some degree of bartending training, regardless of your skill level.
13. Endurance
The bartending job often entails working long hours. That being said, having the stamina to work for long periods can be valuable to add as one of your bartending skills. Additionally, bar inventory management can be quite demanding on the body. You will probably have to lift heavy crates of alcohol and take out the garbage.
14. Knowledge of Wine and Spirits
This is an essential skill for bartenders looking to work in a fine dining establishment. Using the right glassware and pouring techniques for different types of wine is key to customer satisfaction. Moreover, having the ability to recommend food pairings and explain the origins and flavors of different wines improves the guest’s experience and showcases your bartender skills.
Tips to Highlight Your Bartender Resume Skills
There are a few different ways to highlight the skills and experiences on your bartender resume.
Use a Bartender Resume Template
Using a ready-made bartender resume template will help you organize your bartender resume objective, contact info, experiences and skills in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. We have bartender resume examples for common bartender career paths.
List the Bartending Skills You’re Best at First
Do you consider your customer service skills your best trait? List them on your resume first. Do the same for other bartending skills you consider yourself great at, then move on to those you consider yourself decent at.
List the Hard Skills Before the Soft Skills
You should always list your hard (technical) skills before your soft skills. This way, the hiring manager will see the relevant job-related skills first before the skills that show your personality and work ethic.
Choose Skills Suitable for the Job Description
Before you make the list of your skills, take a good look at the job description. Think about which skills would relate to it most and consider whether they mention the level of experience they require for the position.
Professional Bartender Resume Templates
Check out our bartender resume examples and download one of our free templates. We have a bartender resume template for each common bartender career path, listing the skills needed to make your resume look attractive to hiring managers in the industry.
Moreover, we have cover letters and bartender resume summary examples that will help job seekers with and without bartender experience showcase their hard and soft skills.
