How to Write the Best Bartender Resume

Be sure to submit a resume that displays your experience behind the bar if you are looking for a good bartending job and/or career.  A solid resume makes a great first impression, but understand you only have a few seconds to catch the reader’s attention.  Highlight your customer service skills and don’t forget to show your appreciation for former employers and bar managers.

 

So what do you think that hiring managers at restaurants and bars do with most bartender resumes?  It might sound disheartening, but most of them go straight in the trash can.  If the resume lacks professionalism and attention to detail, you may not get an interview to even be considered.   

A bartender’s requirements include having a strong ability to multi-task, being able to relate to people, and mixing and serving drinks precisely and timely.  It is a lot for one person to do, so prospective employers are searching for people who display these skills.  Your primary goal in drafting a resume is to secure an interview and of course get the job you desire.   

Tips to making the Perfect Bartender Resume

Design & Structure

A good looking resume will catch the eye of the hiring manager.  The resume should be simple and it should follow this structure from top to bottom:

• Contact Information
• Professional Summary
• Skills & Successes
• Experience & Education

Contact Information

Be sure to provide the ways to get in touch with you.  Include your name, address, email, and phone number. 

Professional Summary

The professional summary is what the reader will pay attention to first, and this will determine if they keep reading.  It is important to summarize who you are and it should also be tailored toward the job you are applying for.

Skills and Successes (Tell the Truth) 

Skills are the by-product of your experience.  Your skills, credentials, and achievements should be displayed in a way that shows you are knowledgeable and aware of the challenges in the service industry and capable of doing the job.  If you are just starting out, you need to include relevant experiences in order to show you can succeed in the role. Oh and be sure you tell the truth because the hiring manager will ask around about you.  

It is always good to highlight accomplishments and special achievements in your bartending experience. You can discuss special rewards, ways you’ve increased sales and provide examples of problems you’ve solved.  It doesn’t hurt to show why your are unique and who doesn’t want to know about spikes in business because of you.  Bartenders can be vital in bringing new customers and sustaining the existing business.

Experience and Education

Start with your most recent position. Provide the names, location and dates of past employment not only in restaurants and bars, but also in other customer service positions.  Provide a brief description of your past duties and remember this is where you can indicate past accomplishments and rewards you may have achieved.  

Make sure you discuss your education next.  Showing that you have gone to school and completed a diploma or degree may give you some credibility with the hiring manager.  Also completing school shows you are able to apply yourself and achieve results.  

BONUS: Provide a Cover Letter

Don’t forget the cover letter as it is an essential aspect of resume.  A cover letter summarizes your purpose for submitting the resume, highlights a few of your skills or experiences, and introduces you to the hiring manager.  This is a sure fire way to stand out from the crowd.  You don’t want to end up in the didn’t read pile.  

Some things to consider when crafting a cover letter:

• Don’t repeat your resume
• Avoid including your salary expectations
• Keep it short
• Use bullet points to display your top 3 qualifications
• Use language from the job description 

Having a strong resume is an essential aspect for every profession and bartending is no different. Make sure that everything you write is factual and always use spell check.   Only provide references if requested, sell yourself and emphasize why you deserve the opportunity.  Stay positive and when you do get that call from the hiring manager, make sure you respond promptly and good luck on the interview.  

In part two, we will provide steps for what to say and do once you land the interview.  Stay tuned!!

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Bartending: It's More Than Just Serving Drinks

Walk into any bar on a Friday night and you will see an array of drinks being served, music blasting and happy customers enjoying themselves. Yet it’s behind the scenes where the real action takes place. Bartending is so much more than just serving drinks to customers, it’s also about dealing with people and that presents a challenge. There are many different roles a bartender takes on in order to do their jobs efficiently and professionally. 

 

When you think of bartending as a profession it sounds fascinating; mixing drinks, laughing with customers, cracking open bottles and salting the rims of glasses. Bartenders enjoy a lot of freedom and it can be hard to give up.  It is a really social job that’s a lot of fun, but it’s a lot of work.  You are on your feet for long shifts dealing with all types of people and there are a ton of not so fun things things like stocking the bar, tapping the kegs, wiping down the counters and diffusing bad situations.  

As a bartender you perform five main roles: 

1. Mixologist
2. Friend
3. Employee
4. Counselor
5. Entertainer

 

The Trained Mixologist

Any great bartender has about a 100 drinks memorized and knows they need to be able to mix and serve them in a matter of minutes. When you get that order in for three Manhattans, two Long Island Ice Teas, a pint of beer and six Jaeger Bombs you don’t have time to look up every recipe. It’s go time. Your customers are thirsty and your number one job is pleasing them.

 

The Good Friend

“The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend.” said the visionary, Henry David Thoreau. In bartending this quote really rings true. Your job is to meet the needs of your guests. Sometimes that is just lending an ear and being a good friend. People go out to bars for various reasons including: to relax and unwind, to be entertained and to get through the rough spots in life. It’s important to make your customers feel comfortable in your establishment.  You have to get to know your regular customers and cultivate those relationships. Knowing a few details about your regulars really helps you to play the friendship role well. Here are a few guidelines for conversing with your customers: 

• Never get into debates about politics and religion
• Be cautious when giving out your opinions and advice
• Small talk about weather and sports are usually safe conversations
• Be caring and friendly even if you don’t like your customer’s thoughts or opinions

 

The Busy Employee

Keeping the customers happy is great, making the boss happy is fantastic. I have heard in the nightclub world the bartender is considered the jack of all trades. They are called that because the bartender is the server, the maid, the waitress, the cashier, the entertainer and the stock boy all wrapped into one.Their job includes stocking the bar, filling up the ice buckets, replenishing the garnishes, cleaning the bar and on occasion even washing the dishes. Bartending can be a fun job but it is still a job that requires you to do a lot of hard work.

 

The Comforting Counselor

Just like being a good friend to your customers sometimes you have to be their counselor. This can include listening to them, giving advice, calming them down and even cutting people off. It’s not an easy job but if you have great communication skills and know how to cheer people up you are on the right track.

 

The One-Show Entertainer

The best part of the job for any bartender is enjoying their customers and having fun. There are many ways that a bartender is the entertainer from how they control the music and television to how they serve their drinks. Sometimes you have to be the joke-teller and sometimes the listener. A fun atmosphere keeps your customers coming back. 

No matter what role you are playing while you are at work, it’s up to you to put your heart into it. Bartending is a job that consists of multitasking several different roles into one. The better you are at multitasking the happier your customers and boss will be. You may not be great at all of these different roles but if you focus on the areas that you need improvement on you will become a better bartender over time.

 Original Article: https://botyapp.com/blog_more-than-serving-drinks/

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How to Find the Best Bartenders

Finding the best bartenders at your favorite hot spots is a must to make the most of your evening and have fun. However, sometimes it can be difficult to spot which bartender is actually the best.  Sure, the brunette that works on Saturday is attractive, but that doesn’t mean she is going to take good care of you and your friends.  

Here are a few things to look for when it comes to which bartender is best:

 

The best bartenders are calm and composed 

This is a strong sign that they know their drinks and overall know what they are doing. This means that when you are getting too woozy to know what you need, your bartender most likely will. It also means that when they are busiest, they are less likely to mess up any drinks you need from them as compared to their more frazzled co-workers.

 

The best bartenders are busier than most of the other bartenders 

Yes, this may make it more difficult to get your drinks. However, there is a reason that more people go to that bartender than others. This isn’t always a sure-fire bet, because it could also mean they are just one of the most attractive bartenders in the bar. However, if you can tell that this is obviously not the case by comparing them to the others, then the attention they are getting is not because of their good looks, but because of their quality of service. Yes, it may be harder to get their attention to get drinks from them when the place is at its busiest, but that’s where you get what you pay for. See Cash is King in Bartending to know how to be prioritized by that bartender.

 

Ask the bouncers or regulars

If you are new to this particular bar, the obvious choice here is a bouncer, because you don’t know who the regulars are yet. The bouncers are usually a good choice to get feedback from, as they are one of the few people in the bar who are sober enough the entire night to pay attention. However, if you see a certain person or group of people that come in regularly, they can be a good choice as well. Chances are they have tried out a few of the bartenders already and know their preferred choice.

 

The best bartenders actually talk and listen to you

The best bartenders greet you as soon as you as you sit down. They acknowledge your presence and that helps you to feel important. They ask you your name and when you want another drink, they address you by the name given. They say little things like, how if your day going, and that makes you feel like they really do care. A good bartender is there to listen and that goes a long way in making your time at the bar special.    

 

Look for online reviews  

 

With the popularity of social media and review websites these days, chances are that hot-spot you are going to has some feedback online.  By searching around online for feedback about that bar, chances are, there will also be some information about the bartenders as well, letting you know who the prime choices for your nights out. If you can not find any reviews of the bartenders, download BOTY, which is a mobile app to help you locate the best local bartenders.  

Follow these simple tips and every time you go out, you will be able to tell who is the best bartender in the house!

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