Bartender Skills for a Resume
Bars and restaurants hire bartenders who make good drinks fast, keep costs in check and give guests a reason to come back. Show the kind of venue, your volume and your sales and cost results.
Updated
12 skills at a glance
Hard skills
What the work takes, how a hiring manager judges each skill, and a bullet point that shows it.
Cocktail making
Name the style of bar and the drinks you make, from classics to your own recipes.
Example bullet pointMade classic and house cocktails at a 60-seat cocktail bar and created three drinks for the seasonal menu.
Beer, wine and spirits knowledge
Show that you can guide guests and teach others about what you pour.
Example bullet pointRan monthly spirits tastings for staff, so the whole team could recommend from the back bar.
High-volume service
Give your volume, such as drinks an hour, and show that quality held.
Example bullet pointServed up to 150 drinks an hour at a busy music venue while keeping recipes consistent.
Inventory and ordering
Show the counts and orders you handle, and any waste you cut.
Example bullet pointRan weekly bar inventory and orders, ending out-of-stocks on popular spirits.
Pour cost control
Give your pour cost against target and what you did to keep it there.
Example bullet pointBrought pour cost from 24% to 19% with jiggers, recipe cards and tighter comps.
Responsible alcohol service
Name your certification and show how you handle IDs and refusals.
Example bullet pointChecked IDs at the bar and refused service tactfully when guests had had enough.
Point-of-sale systems
Name the system and show accurate tabs and quick closeouts.
Example bullet pointManaged open tabs in Square for a crowded bar with no lost or unpaid tabs.
Soft skills
Shown through what you did, never claimed as adjectives.
Speed
Show the volume you handle without mistakes or long waits.
Example bullet pointKept waits for drinks short during sold-out shows on a two-person bar.
Personality
Show regulars, reviews or events that grew because of you.
Example bullet pointBuilt a crowd of regulars who came in on my nights for the weekly trivia I hosted.
Composure
Describe a difficult guest or a slammed night that you handled calmly.
Example bullet pointCalmly removed a disruptive guest with security, keeping the rest of the bar relaxed.
Memory
Show how you remember orders, tabs and regulars' drinks.
Example bullet pointRemembered regulars' names and drinks, often starting their order as they sat down.
Teamwork
Show how you helped servers, barbacks and the kitchen.
Example bullet pointTrained two barbacks to bartend, covering busy weekends without new hires.
Licenses and certifications
Give them a section of their own, with who issued each one and the year or expiry date.
- Responsible alcohol service (TIPS, ServSafe Alcohol, BASSET or state permit)
- Food handler card
Keywords from bartender job postings
Use the ones that are true for you, in your bullet points as well as your skills list.
- cocktails
- drinks
- pour cost
- inventory
- responsible service
- bar
- cash
- menu
Each posting has its own words. Our guide to tailoring your resume to a job description shows how to find them and where to put them.
Where to put your skills
- In a skills section: a short list of the hard skills the posting names, in its words.
- In your bullet points: every skill that matters should show up in something you did, with a result. That is where a hiring manager believes it.
- In your summary: two or three of the skills the job asks for most.
More on choosing them in how to choose and prove the skills on your resume.
Questions
What skills should a bartender put on a resume?
Cocktail making, product knowledge, high-volume service, inventory and ordering, pour cost control, responsible alcohol service and point-of-sale systems, plus speed, personality and composure.
Which numbers can a bartender use?
Drinks an hour, pour cost, sales per shift and growth in regulars or event nights.
Should I mention cocktails I created?
Yes. Drinks you created for a menu show creativity and skill; say where they were served.
Put them to work
Start from a bartender resume that already uses these skills, for an invented person, and make it yours in the builder.