While a host or hostess is often considered an entry-level position, it isn’t a position for everyone. This job requires skills that aren’t necessarily teachable because not everyone is great with people.
So how do you describe your strengths and skills accurately to catch the employer’s attention?
This article will help you come up with a winning resume, with a hostess resume example and a step-by-step guide on what sections to include.
Here are some of the things we’ll cover
- Hostess Resume Example
- Resume Formatting
- Writing Your Hostess Resume Summary
- Areas of Expertise
- Writing Your Work Experience
- Writing Your Education Section
- Additional Sections
- Resume Points to Remember
- Resume “Don’ts” to Remember
- Some Helpful Tools
Let’s begin with a hostess resume sample to demonstrate how all the resume pieces fit together. Then we will break each section down to really drill into how to write the best hostess resume you possibly can.
Hostess Resume Sample (Text Version)
Contact Info:
Michelle Jones
[email protected]
(404) 246-3338
Atlanta, GA 30311
linkedin.com/mjones
Summary Statement:
Hostess: Proactive, friendly, and customer-service oriented professional. Establishes rapport with customers and creates an inviting and warm environment for all guests. Demonstrates effective communication and ability to solve problems in a prompt manner. Possesses strong organizational skills utilized to keep an accurate record of all reservations and schedules.
Key Accomplishments/Areas of Expertise
- Customer Service
- Organization
- Detail-oriented
- Effective Communication
- Adaptability
- Time Management
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Fluent Spanish Speaker
- Dining Room Management
- Reservation Management
- Workflow Optimization
Professional Experience:
Tom’s Tavern | Lead Hostess
Atlanta, GA | May 2016–Present
- Manage all dining reservations for a high volume of guests
- Provide training to fellow staff members on customer service strategies
- Greet customers, seat them, and provide information regarding delays
- Memorize menus to provide exceptional customer service
Chili’s Bar & Grill | Hostess
Atlanta, GA | June 2013–April 2016
- Oversaw front end operations to ensure smooth execution of daily duties
- Assisted team members with responsibilities in a fast-paced environment
- Escorted guests to their tables & responded to questions regarding service
Crab Shack | Hostess
Atlanta, GA | January 2012–May 2013
- Welcomed guests upon arrival & provided information regarding wait times
- Addressed guest needs promptly to maintain high customer service
- Communicated effectively with team members to assist & resolve conflicts
Education
Associate of Arts in Business
Perimeter College, Atlanta, GA
December 2011
Resume Formatting
As a host(ess), you understand the importance of making a good first impression.
While you might assume that the resume summary is where you will be introducing yourself, the real introduction comes with appearances.
When most hiring managers only spend around six seconds looking over each resume they review, appearances are important.
The format of your hostess resume is the first thing a hiring manager is going to notice when reviewing your resume.
There are many different formatting styles to choose from, but there are still details that remain consistent across all resume formats in order to appear neat and professional.
Start by selecting a font that is legible and easy to follow.
Make sure that as you write, you pay attention to the spacing you are leaving between bullet points and sections.
Having even spacing in your resume allows for your words to flow freely and guide your reader’s eyes down the page.
While resumes should never go on to a second page, make sure that you aren’t disregarding proper spacing in order to fit everything on one page.
List details in reverse chronological order whenever possible so that your more recent accomplishments and jobs come first.
Hiring managers typically want to know what you have been up to currently.
It is always good practice to assume that a hiring manager will not read your resume all the way through.
Your goal is to make it look good and allow the most impressive details to stand out by listing them first and giving them separation through bullet points and even spacing.
Start With Your Resume Summary
The resume summary is the first section, and it is where you can describe yourself as a host(ess).
This section takes up little space because it is commonly a brief paragraph of about only two to three sentences.
Despite it being short, this section can be challenging to get right, due to its subjectivity.
You can say just about anything you want in this section and describe yourself in whatever way you see fit – it just needs to be detailed while remaining to the point.
So how do you write a summary that covers all the basics in such a small amount of space?
Try to start by asking yourself a few questions.
What are the job responsibilities of a host(ess)?
How could a host(ess) meet or exceed these responsibilities?
What qualities are essential to being a good host(ess)?
Start by answering these questions and writing down anything that comes to mind.
Then, take the time to go through what you came up with and narrow things down based on your own strengths and personality traits.
Yes!
Hostess: Proactive, friendly, and customer-service oriented professional. Establishes rapport with customers and creates an inviting and warm environment for all guests. Demonstrates effective communication and the ability to solve problems in a prompt manner. Possesses strong organizational skills utilized to keep an accurate record of all reservations and schedules.
No!
Fun and friendly hostess. Works well with and communicates well with guests. Seat customers, take reservations, and create an organized workspace.
The first example includes strong keywords to describe the candidate and how they carry out their duties as a hostess.
The second example uses plain speech with little to no description of who the candidate is and how they function in the workplace.
PRO TIP: If you are struggling with this section, try skipping it and coming back after you have written other parts of your hostess resume. A resume summary is a tricky section to write because of its free-form nature, and its need to be precise. Sometimes writing other sections of your resume first helps you get into a groove to come back and write a better introduction.
Read this dedicated guide on how to write a perfect resume summary (with 40+ examples).
Key Accomplishments/ Skills & Qualifications
As we previously discussed, hiring managers don’t spend much time looking over resumes.
So, including a section that plainly states some of your more relevant and exceptional skills and qualifications is crucial to writing a comprehensive hostess resume.
When writing a section that lists your skills, make sure that you include both soft skills and hard skills.
Soft Skills:
- People skills
- Innate
- Hard to quantify
- Similar to personality traits
Hard Skills:
- Technical skills
- Taught and practiced
- Can be quantified
- Typically industry-specific
Key Accomplishments/Areas of Expertise
- Customer Service
- Organization
- Detail-oriented
- Effective Communication
- Adaptability
- Time Management
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Fluent Spanish Speaker
- Dining Room Management
- Reservation Management
- Workflow Optimization
As a host(ess), much like any job in customer service, it is important to have soft skills to work well with other staff members and to keep the public happy.
Keep in mind that there are still hard skills necessary to being a host(ess), so make sure you include an adequate amount of both skill types.
PRO TIP: If you are responding to a job posting, make sure that you tailor your skills list around the job posting. Many restaurants want to know that their staff meets their requirements and that they are a compatible fit for their business.
Learn more about listing your accomplishments in this Achievements and Accomplishments for a Resume guide.
Writing Your Work Experience
Including a work history section in your hostess resume is essential in showing that you have been able to apply the skills and qualifications you have to real-life situations.
When selecting what jobs to include in this section, make sure that you are trying to choose jobs that have relevant food service and customer service skills.
So, for example, if you are choosing between including a job as a fast-food worker or an Uber driver, the former likely has skills more applicable to being a host(ess).
As a general rule of thumb, it is a good idea to list your previous work experience in reverse chronological order so that your most recent work comes first — but use your best judgment.
Once you have decided what previous positions you want to discuss in your hostess resume, you will need to describe the various job tasks and workplace accomplishments associated with each position.
Try to sum each job description up in about three to five bullet points, describing job tasks that will make your skills and abilities shine.
Yes!
Tom’s Tavern | Lead Hostess | Atlanta, GA | May 2016–Present
- Manage all dining reservations for a high volume of guests
- Provide training to fellow staff members on customer service strategies
- Greet customers, seat them, and provide information regarding delays
- Memorize menus to provide exceptional customer service
No!
Tom’s Tavern | Lead Hostess | Atlanta, GA | May 2016–Present
- Take dining reservations for guests
- Train fellow staff members
- Greet customers in a timely manner
- Memorize the restaurant menu
The first example uses strong and precise keywords and supporting information to explain how the candidate carries out their job tasks effectively.
The second example lists job tasks without supporting details to show off how the candidate performs and how seriously they take their work.
PRO TIP: Start each bullet point with a new keyword or power word (action verb). Using power words to start a bullet point shows off how you conducted your work in order to create a functioning restaurant. Don’t repeat the same power word you have already used — show that you have a variety of skills.
(If you lack work experience, see below for a helpful section.)
When you hand in your hostess resume, you likely assume that either a manager or an owner is going to review it and decide whether or not they want to interview you.
However, it is important to realize that many companies have shifted their hiring process to include an extra step before a manager reviews your resume.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), or bots, are computer systems designed to sort through high volumes of resumes before human review.
Bots search resumes for particular keywords associated with ideal candidates to decide whether or not to flag a resume for further review.
If your hostess resume doesn’t make it past a bot, the journey ends there.
Due to the increased use of bots in the hiring process, some resume experts believe that writing job descriptions in paragraphs is more beneficial than using bullet points.
This thought process stems from the belief that it is easier for candidates to include keywords when writing paragraphs as opposed to bullet points.
However, it is still possible to incorporate the necessary keywords in your job descriptions while using bullet points, and bullet points are more visually appealing to human eyes.
This is why at Big Interview, we suggest sticking with bullet points instead of paragraphs for job descriptions.
Standard Bullet Point Format:
Chili’s Bar & Grill | Hostess | Atlanta, GA | June 2013–April 2016
- Oversaw front end operations to ensure smooth execution of daily duties
- Assisted team members with responsibilities in a fast-paced environment
- Escorted guests to their tables & responded to questions regarding service
Paragraph Format:
Chili’s Bar & Grill | Hostess | Atlanta, GA | June 2013–April 2016
Oversaw front end and dining room operations to ensure efficiency and smooth execution of daily duties. Produced high quality of work in a fast-paced environment and assisted team members in fulfilling wait staff responsibilities. Escorted guests to their table and responded to any questions regarding service and food/beverage options.proper food preparation processes. Spoke clearly and listened attentively to guests and other employees while maintaining a professional appearance. Displayed a positive and enthusiastic approach and developed positive working relationships to thrive as part of a cohesive team.
Paragraph Format w/ Bullet Points:
Chili’s Bar & Grill | Hostess | Atlanta, GA | June 2013–April 2016
Oversaw front end and dining room operations to ensure efficiency and smooth execution of daily duties. Produced high quality of work in a fast-paced environment and assisted team members in fulfilling wait staff responsibilities. Escorted guests to their table and responded to any questions regarding service and food/beverage options.
- Employee of the Month (4 times)
- 97% positive guest reviews
We also have a detailed guide on how to list your work experience on a resume.
Writing Your Education Section
Even if no education credentials are required, it is beneficial to include your highest degree of education on your hostess resume.
List the title of the degree, the school you attended, and the year you graduated.
Example:
Associate of Arts in Business
Perimeter College, Atlanta, GA
December 2011
High School Diploma
North Atlanta High School
2008
If you have any additional certifications or licenses to include that may be helpful, you can add them to this section as well.
Example:
Certifications
Food Handlers Card
Possible Sections to Include
In some cases, you might have qualifications or accomplishments that you feel would benefit you on your hostess resume.
You can always include an extra section or two to accommodate your extra qualifications.
Some additional sections to consider including are:
- Awards and Honors
- Publications
- Noteworthy Projects
- Social Media Influence
- Speaking Engagements
- Hobbies/Interests
- Volunteer Work
What if You Have No Experience?
If you are just starting out and don’t have any work experience, there are still ways to enhance your hostess resume. Start by moving your education section below your resume summary. Try to expand on this section if there are impressive details to add, like a high GPA or any honors and awards.
Sometimes showing that you are a competent and hard-working individual translates well through your education.
The best way to improve a resume with no work experience is to include volunteer work or internships. Often, doing unpaid work shows hiring managers that you still have relevant work experience.
This guide on how to list your education will help you write this section with more confidence.
Resume Points to Remember
Get to the point
Always keep your resume entirely on one page while maintaining proper spacing to separate sections and bullet points. Never hand in a two-page resume. Hiring managers are busy people and don’t want to take the extra time involved in reviewing a resume that failed to narrow things down.
Get a second opinion
When revising and reviewing your resume, it is always a good idea to get advice from a friend if possible. If you are unable to get assistance from someone else, then take the time to read your resume out loud and really pay attention to how it sounds.
Keep it fresh
Make sure that you are always describing your work and abilities with new keywords and power words. When you review your resume, make sure that you’ve used a strong and precise word to begin each bullet point, and make sure that you don’t use the same word twice.
Try to Avoid
Saying “I” and “me”
While your resume is about you and is phrased in the first person, do not include the words “I” and “me.” Including those two words sounds awkward to your readers when they are reviewing your resume.
Funky fonts and formats
It is important to create a resume that stands out, but that doesn’t mean you should use a font that appears either unprofessional or is difficult to read. Keep your font and format straightforward, so that hiring managers can read your resume fast.
Forgetting the goal
When you are writing your resume, it is easy to get wrapped up in talking about yourself — after all, your resume is about you. However, make sure that you are always including details that are most impressive and relevant to the restaurant you are applying to. You don’t just want to be the best; you want to be the best for that company.
(See below for a helpful table of some suggested power words.)
Helpful Tools
Hostess Resume Power Words
- Administered
- Founded
- Adept
- Formulated
- Built
- Implemented
- Created
- Improved
- Consolidated
- Initiated
- Coordinated
- Launched
- Developed
- Pioneered
- Designed
- Organized
Hostess Resume Skills List
| Hard Skills | Soft Skills |
| Fluent Spanish Speaker | Teamwork |
| Customer Service | Organized |
| Menu Memorization | Friendly |
| Dining Room Management | Problem Solving |
| Reservation Management | Time Management |
