The internet is full of suggestions on how to write your resume. Many times, these recommendations are based on opinions; after all, there are dozens of ways to design and write your resume. However, there is one secret weapon that you can use in the hospitality field that will help you get noticed by employers. If your resume isn’t getting the attention you think it deserves, keep reading.
Add This One Thing to Your Hospitality Resume to Get Noticed
Include a short resume summary at the top of your resume to grab hiring managers’ attention. Concise and snappy, your resume summary is a great option when trying to attract the attention of hiring managers. Keywords and an error-free document are almost the icing on the cake, but having a solid resume summary will set you apart from other job applicants. Here are some tips for how to use this “secret weapon” to your advantage.
How to Create a Resume Summary
A resume summary gives readers a condensed snapshot of your professional skills and experience. It’s a kind of elevator pitch designed to pique the interest of a hiring manager. The most well-crafted summaries naturally entice the hiring manager to continue reading.
A resume summary is different from providing an objective. Objectives focus on your goals for finding a job, which, frankly, are unnecessary. For example, “I’m seeking a restaurant management position to further my skills in the hospitality field.” If you’re applying for a restaurant manager position, it is redundant to state something so obvious.
Unlike your objectives, a resume summary focuses on the skills you bring to the position you’re applying for and how your experience will solve the employer’s problems. Use something like this, instead: “I’m a highly organized restaurant manager with five years’ experience managing a busy five-star fine dining establishment.”
Your summary should be a synopsis of your qualifications. Most resumes do not include this section, particularly in the hospitality field. it immediately grabs the hiring mangers’ attention. This is exactly what makes it a secret weapon. The ideal resume summary should be:
- A mini outline of highlights of the skills you bring
- No more than two or three sentences
- Tailored to fit the job you’re applying for
You should write the summary after you’ve created your resume. Your goal is to use this leading paragraph to tell who you are professionally while describing your strong points. But how can you identify your top skills while hospitality employees tend to have a broad cross-section of skills? Here are some of the primary hospitality skills to emphasize in your resume and your career summary.
Best Hospitality Skills for Your Resume
While every hospitality position requires specific skills, some of the most transferrable skills that you’ll want to mention in your resume include:
- Communication skills that you’ve used successfully with staff, customers, and vendors in the hospitality field
- Teamwork skills that help bring people together for a more effective service organization
- Interpersonal skills, that demonstrate you can get along with colleagues, whether as a manger or on the front line
Gecko Hospitality is happy to review your resume. It’s something we provide candidates as part of our free hiring service. We also have a fast, free and easy to use Resume Builder.
Contact our team to find out how we can be your secret weapon for finding a new job.
