Target Your Restaurant Resume To The Job Post
One of the simplest ways to make sure your restaurant resume stands out is to adjust the content to address the needs of the restaurant you want to work for.
To do this, scan through the job listing for the job you want. Take note of any required or desired skills and qualifications, and be sure to include them in your resume . Doing this impresses employers with your attention to detail and makes you look more prepared to work at their restaurant.
Not only that, but targeting your resume helps you get past the application tracking systems that many larger chain restaurants use to simplify the hiring process.
If you dont already know, an applicant tracking system is software that scans your resume for specific skill-related keywords in order to determine whether or not youre qualified for the job at that restaurant. If the ATS determines you dont have the right keywords on your resume, your application is automatically rejected.
By targeting your resume to the needs of the restaurant you want to work for, you guarantee that you have a more ATS friendly resume and are likely to impress the hiring manager.
Headings And Formatting Matter
Your work experience subheadings must include the following information:
- Company
- Your job title
- Start and end dates
There are different ways you can arrange this information. Some prefer to highlight their job titles and tenure first, for example:
Content Manager, June 2017-PresentJobscan, Seattle, WA
However, some applicant tracking systems automatically parse your resume information into a digital applicant profile. When an ATS cant accurately read your resume, your application can slip through the cracks.
Jobscans first-hand research of top ATS has found that keeping your main heading simple and to the point Work Experience,Professional Experience, etc. can help keep ATS on track. Furthermore, the subheading sequence that works best for most systems is 1) Company name, 2) job location, 3) your job title, 4) start and end dates formatted MM/YYYY.
For example:
Jobscan, Seattle, WA Content Manager, 06/2017-Present
You may choose to bold the top line, right-align your start and end dates, or make other formatting choices. No matter what you do, be sure to keep it consistent all the way down. For example, if you use MM/YYYY in your first entry, dont switch to Month YYYY or just YYYY later on in your work experience. It might seem innocent to you, but its a red flag for recruiters.
The quality of presentation tells me something about you, a healthcare recruiter told Jobscan.
Selling Yourself The Right Way
I hard to say which of your responsibilities & achievements are best mentioned in a resume.
You did, after all, work in that company for months . You were in charge of so many things, you can barely even remember all of them! So, where do you start?
It’s actually quite simple – mention only your greatest achievements. Don’t get bogged down by describing your duties. If your resume says that you’ve worked as a retail manager for 5 years and you’re applying for a position of a retail manager, the recruiter already knows what duties the position includes.
It makes sense that whats really going to set you apart are your achievements:
- Did you manage to save the store from being over-flooded by customers on Black Friday?
- Did your management lead to much lower customer complaint reports than last year?
- Are you literally super-human and can endure 200 hour work-weeks?
These are the type od things thatll take you from a candidate to THE CANDIDATE.
Correct
As for how youd list your achievements, here’s the best advice to keep in mind:
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What Are Technical Or Hard Skills On Your Resume
When listing hard skills on your resume, include specific proficiencies and certifications. Front-end web developers, for instance, would report their level of expertise in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and other technologies the company lists in its job posting. A financial controller, meanwhile, might claim a strong foundation in GAAP or SEC reporting, and an administrative professionals resume skills could advertise a CAP or MOS certification.
Here are some hard resume skills for 15 in-demand fields:
How To List Contract Work On A Resume
A resume is a resource that job seekers use to make a good first impression on potential employers. Including contract work experience on your resume can help you demonstrate that you have skills companies desire in employees. If you’re looking for a new job, the diverse experience you gained from contract work could be invaluable to an employer. In this article, we discuss how to list contract work on your resume to help you get attention from hiring managers.
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What Should You Include In Your Resume Work Experience Section
Your experience on a resume should include employer names, location, dates of employment, job title held, and the professional experience you gained in the role.
You should provide detailed experience on a resume in terms of not only duties assigned and skills used, but also what you achieved and accomplished in this job.
You can do this by beginning sentences and bullet points under your work experience with verbs and power words like Led,Increased, etc.
Along with company names, locations, job titles, dates, and accomplishments, also consider including any promotions and awards you received at any previous company.
Awards and accolades are important achievements that show youve performed well in your career and handled the responsibilities given to you, which will excite employers.
Write your work experience in reverse chronological order, meaning that your most recent companies and job titles appear at the top and then you work downward, ending on the first role you ever held.
How Am I Supposed To Get Experience If Every Job Requires Experience
The best way to gain experience is to consider internships, freelance jobs or volunteer opportunities. You may complete some of this work experience while you are in school or unemployed. Internships and volunteer opportunities can equip you with the hands-on experience that employers are looking for.
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Tailoring Your Work Experience To A Specific Job
When reading a resume, the HR manager is looking for information relevant to that specific position, with its own unique requirements.
Because, guess what, if you send the same resume to every job ad you can get your hands on, its going to be very obvious that youre using a generic resume, not optimized for any of them in particular.
To avoid that, show the recruiter that you actually took the time to read the job ad , and that your resume is tailored to their requirements.
To do this, actually read the job ad in detail, not just give it a quick glance and call it a day.
For example, take this ad:
Theyre looking for someone:
- With 5+ years of experience in creating digital experiences
- Proficient in standard UX software
- With specific knowledge of interface patterns for mobile, web, and responsive design
- With good understanding of HTML,CSS, JAVA, and more
The point is that theyre looking for specific knowledge within the general position.
So in this case, they want someone with a B.A. degree, 5+ years of experience and with a good understanding of basic front-end development.
You can mention how you excel at all this within your work experience entries
Correct Example:
- Developed mobile applications with Java, optimized for both Mobile and Web
Now, with all that knowledge combined, lets take a look at some exceptional real-life resume examples that work.
The Experience That Stands Out
Third, recruiters will look for statistics, promotions and skills that stand out on your CV. Your accomplishments show your potential to a recruiter.
If you meet all three criteria discussed, it’s more likely that a recruiter will read your CV in full. Thus, a work experience section is an important marketing tool that helps you secure your next job.
Related:
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How To Write Work Experience On A Resume
A well-written work experience section is a crucial element on your resume because it shows that you have the necessary qualifications to be an asset to your potential employer. It also provides substantial information in a limited space. In this article, well show you how to list work experience on a resume to make a strong impression on your prospective employer.
Temp Work Experience Through A Staffing Agency
The following sample demonstrates how to format your resume when you have been employed by a staffing agency for multiple instances of temp work:
Super Staffing Company, Chicago IL â January 2019-Present
Contracted by the staffing firm to perform multiple assignments related to administrative duties on a temporary basisfor multiple medical facilities and practices in the Chicagoland area.
Front Desk Receptionist, Heckman Medical Center
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Made over 40 calls per day to confirm appointments, give post-appointment follow-up instructions and provide other assistance.
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Filed and maintained records of over 800 patients, ensuring the accuracy and confidentiality of information.
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Greeted over 25 patients per day and prepared them for appointments by providing necessary forms to fill out and verifying insurance.
Medical Receptionist, Waukegan Health Group
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Scheduled and coordinated daily appointments for eight physicians across two offices.
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Maintained and digitized records for over 1,000 patients.
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Greeted and checked in over 50 patients per day while providing friendly and efficient service.
Medical Receptionist, Chicagoland Pediatrics
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Answered over 50 calls per day to confirm and schedule appointments, using agility when needed for rescheduling purposes.
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Helped register first-time patients by using the practice’s digital record system and supplying necessary forms to fill out.
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Ensured maintenance and organization of the reception area, performing hourly check-ins and clean-ups.
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How To Show Volunteer Work And Internship Experience
For some applicants, especially those who may still be in school or are recent graduates, you may lack paid working experience but have several good examples of volunteer work and internships.
Generally speaking, your internship experiences can go in your work experience section, as these are still technically professional experiences you applied for and earned based on your academic credentials.
Volunteer work, comparatively, should often be listed in a separate section as this is not typically considered âprofessional experience.â
Nonetheless, volunteer work can still hold a good amount of value, especially if it is directed related to the job you are applying for.
For instance, an IT professional may have volunteered their time to work on a not-for-profit software development project.
Though this experience was unpaid, it provided the applicant with experience working directly with software developers.
This kind of experience will still be crucial to share with potential employers.
Where To Put Internships
Work Experience Section: Because internships provide important work experience, you should include your internships in the Work Experience or Work History section of your resume, along with other jobs you have held.
Internships Section: If you have held multiple internships, you can include a separate Internships section on your resume. Put this section towards the top of your resume. Put your Internships section above your Work History section if your internships are particularly relevant to the job you are applying for.
Whatever you do, dont put your internships at the bottom of your resume or in the Education section. Internships are real-world experiences, and should be given as much weight as a job.
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Study The Job Description
First, lets start with the obvious. Before you can focus on tailoring your information to fit a particular role, you first need to have a clear idea of what exactly the companys searching for.
This means you need to read through the job description with a fine-tooth comb. Print it out and grab a highlighter if it helps you!
I know that job descriptions can feel a little overwhelming, particularly if your brains just obsessing over all of the ways youre unqualified. So, to make this easier, grab a notepad and focus on identifying just these two key elements: The major responsibilities of this position and the core skills that are required.
Once youve zoned in on those nuts and bolts, youll have a much better handle on how you can appropriately tweak and tailor your own information to be more suitable.
Include Achievements Instead Of Responsibilities
Emphasize accomplishments on your resume instead of just listing job responsibilities. Accomplishments show you made positive contributions to your companys performance rather than simply met expectations.
Compare these examples of work experience bullet points to see how effectively listing achievements can strengthen your resume:
Effective bullet point
Implemented a system for tracking business leads that boosted sales by 47%
Ineffective bullet point
Tracked business leads
The second example is better because it includes a number that shows the hiring manager how youll perform at the job if they hire you.
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Mistake #: Having Your Employment History Start Below The First Half Of Page 1
Youll notice in the work history samples earlier, this section starts early on the resume. Making a hiring manager or recruiter go digging in your resume to find this section is a big mistake.
Put it front and center . You want your recent experience and achievements to be dead-easy to find for any company you send your resume to.
Thats one of the best tips I can share in general: Dont make employers go digging for your recent responsibilities and achievements on your resume. It should jump out of the page at them because it should contain a lot of content compared to other sections, and it should appear high up.
How Far Back Should You Go On A Resume
CareerBuilder | January 28, 2021
Should you include those early years on your resume? Here’s how to determine what to keep – and what to ditch.
Today’s hiring managers have stacks of applications to get through quickly, so job seekers need to make each moment count when presenting themselves to prospective employers. While every candidate wants to give a thorough picture of accomplishments and skills, is it necessary to list every single job ones ever held on a resume?
Determining how many years of work history to include on your resume can be a tricky task and is highly dependent on the unique situation of every job seeker. While the standard rule of thumb is to include roughly your last 10 years of work experience, this may not always make sense. Its critical that you consider how relevant and important older pieces of work experience are to the jobs that you are currently looking for. If some of your earlier jobs are able to effectively communicate the strengths and abilities that you want to emphasize to your future employer, then by all means include them on your resume. On the flip side, if some more recent positions that you’ve held are completely irrelevant to the jobs you are now seeking, it may be best to leave them off your resume.
Here are some scenarios to consider and tips for what to include.
An example of how to do this:
Customer Service Operator, 1998 2003 Company 1, Company 2, Company 3, Company 4
Company ABC
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Keep Your Resume Short And Direct
The No. 1 rule of writing a resume is to keep it short and to the point. The general rule is no more than one page unless you have a very good reason for it to be longer, like an extensive career or many highly applicable work experiences.
Your resume should target the specific job you are applying for. Sending the same resume off to every job you apply for will be a detriment.
“Don’t write a generic resume that could work for any job,” said Wes Lybrand, teacher and former assistant director at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Career and Professional Development Services. Be sure to prioritize your skills and qualifications for each job you try to land. Your resume “should be focused, clear and concise.”
An easy way to keep your resume trim is to only include recent, relevant experience. While that yearlong first or second job might have taught you a lot about the field, it’s not always necessary to include every detail from your entire career history.
“If an experience noted on your resume is from prior to 2000, consider striking it,” said Jane Trnka, executive director of the Career Development Center at Rollins College’s Crummer Graduate School of Business. “The skills listed are probably not the most relevant to the work you are currently doing or plan to do in the future.”
Work Experience On A Resume: Layout
1. Name the section Work Experience,Work History, or Professional Experience. Write the section heading in bold and make it slightly larger than the rest of the contents.
2. Use reverse-chronological order. Start with your current or most recent job, follow it with the one before it, and so on.
3. In each entry heading, list, in the following order: your job title, the name of the company, and dates worked.
4. Underneath each job add up to 6 bullet points describing your duties and achievements.
5. At the bottom of each entry add a subsection named Most relevant accomplishment or Key achievement. Present your proudest professional win.
6. Focus on your most recent work experience. Make your job descriptions briefer and briefer as you go back in time.
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