Bar Manager Resume: Sample & Complete Guide [20+ Tips]

Managing a bar is complex. You manage people, handle suppliers, know your cash cows, pour costs, and much more. It may feel impossible to put all that experience into a sheet of paper, but what if I told you it’s not that hard?

Just like there are recipes for perfect drinks, we have a recipe for an ideal bar manager resume. Follow this step-by-step guide, and by the end, your resume will be like the best Margarita you’ve ever made. 

This guide will show you:

• A bar manager resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a bar manager resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a bar manager resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a bar manager to get any job you want

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Use this resume template

Sample Bar Manager Resume—See more resume samples here.

Here are some other food and beverage-related resume guides:

• Restaurant Manager Resume Sample & Guide
• Restaurant General Manager Resume Sample & Guide
• Restaurant Resume Sample & Guide
• Food Service Resume Sample & Guide
• Fast Food Resume Sample & Guide
• Barista Resume Sample & Guide
• Bartender Resume Sample & Guide
• Barback Resume Sample & Guide
• Server Resume Sample & Guide
• Best Resume Examples

Bar Manager Resume Example

Now, here’s how to write a bar manager resume:

1. Choose the Best Format for Your Bar Manager Resume

Whether it’s a dive bar serving watered-down PBRs or a fancy-schmancy speakeasy with $45 cocktails, your resume needs to be formatted right.

So—

To have a chance at the top job, give them a bar resume template formatted with a great layout.

Stick to these resume format guidelines:

• Start with your contact info in the header area.
• Use resume sections with legible headings for readability.
• Choose the best resume format, often the chronological format.
• Select a good resume font, and use white space to your advantage.
• Send your resume as a PDF, unless the job ad explicitly requests otherwise.

That’s a perfectly-measured resume format ready to mix together and serve up!

Pro Tip: How many pages should a resume be for bar manager jobs? Stick to one sheet unless you’re as experienced as Dale DeGroff.

2. Write a Bar Manager Resume Summary or Objective

An objective or summary on a resume is also called a resume profile.

This introduction paragraph is 3–4 lines long, and gives bar owners and restaurant managers a quick look at how well you fit the bar manager job.

Like a happy hour specials board, it’s got to catch their attention from the get-go.

Choose the resume summary if you have over 2 years of bar management experience. The summary statement tallies up your management skills and bar-related experience. It also includes a numbered achievement to prove you’re the best choice.

Choose the resume objective if you have little or no experience as a bar manager. The objective statement gives your management career goals as well as an achievement to prove your value.

Pro Tip: The heading statement goes at the top, but it doesn’t mean you have to write it first. Save it for the end, instead, to give you a better idea of what to summarize there.

3. Create the Perfect Bar Manager Job Description for a Resume

Whether serving diners at the town bar and grill or overseeing the tropical ambiance of a tiki bar, get the resume work history section right.

So—

Here’s how to nail your bar manager job description resume section: 

• Place your most recent job first and go back from there.
• Include your job title at the top, then dates worked, company name, and 5–6 bullet points.
• Reduce the bullet points you give as you get earlier into your work history.
• Use a resume action word to begin each bar manager-related bullet point entry.
• Show off quantifiable achievements, not just standard bar manager job duties.
• Target each resume to one particular job. Don’t spam every bar in town with the same one.

Pro Tip: If you don’t have bar management experience, no worries. Still list the most bar-relevant and management-appropriate job responsibilities in your bullet points. Choose entries which document your beverage knowledge, bar prowess, leadership, etc.

Creating a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide and use content from Certified Professional Resume Writers to have a resume ready in minutes.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and our ATS resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

4. Make Your Bar Manager Resume Education Section Shine

The education section on a resume for bar managers might seem irrelevant.

However—

Think that and you’ll be irrelevant for the bar management job.

Here’s how to ace your education section:

• Over 5 years of bar manager experience? Add only your school, degree, and major. List relevant coursework if you determine it’ll help your candidacy.
• New to bar management? Give several extra details, such as academic achievements, extracurricular activities, relevant coursework, and favorite fields of study.
• Completed university? Don’t add high school on your resume.
• Still finishing up in college? Add high school as a secondary entry.

Pro Tip: Relevant coursework for bar management jobs include anything to do with both food service and management, such as hospitality management, food and beverage, health and safety, leadership training, public speaking, etc.

5. Highlight Your Bar Manager Skills

A dive bar or comedy club, karaoke bar or brew pub, bar owners are looking for a manager with skills.

First, here’s a list of common skills to use on a resume for bartenders:

Bar Manager Resume Skills

• Beverage & Food Purchasing
• Bar Budget Management
• Specials & Menu Planning
• Event Planning & Catering
• Health, Safety, and Hygiene Compliance
• Hospitality Marketing Skills
• Bar Operations
• Bar Management
• Wine Pairing
• Communication Skills
• Works Well Under Pressure
• Time Management
• Creative Thinking
• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Leadership Skills
• Problem Solving
• Collaboration & Teamwork
• Interpersonal Skills
• Decision Making
• Critical Thinking
• Management Skills

But—

You can’t just take this list and paste it right in your resume.

That’s as unwanted as a violent drunk.

Do this instead:

• List job skills you have related to managing a bar, including both soft and hard skills.
• Keep the job description out and open.
• Highlight skills they want from the job requirements. Those are the right resume keywords to choose.
• If a highlighted entry matches a skill on your list, add it to your bar management resume!

Pro Tip: As a bar manager applicant, your resume should have an even number of bar-related hard skills (mixology, menu planning) and management-related soft skills (time management, verbal communication).

6. Add Other Sections to Your Bar Manager Resume

Now—

You’ve got a solid resume going on.

However, to stand out from the other bar manager candidates, add an extra section or two to make your resume unique.

Show ‘em the other candidates are Old Fashioned while you’re Cosmopolitan.

Here are great additions to a resume for bar management jobs:

• certifications
• language skills
• projects
• awards on a resume
• licenses
• memberships
• hobbies and interests
• volunteering on a resume

7. Attach a Cover Letter to Your Bar Manager Resume

Don’t forget your cover letter.

Whether it’s an Irish pub or a cocktail lounge, attach a bar manager cover letter with your resume.

Here’s how to write a cover letter for bar manager jobs they’ll love:

• Start your cover letter with a compelling intro.
• Detail your bar management job experience and skills.
• Add key achievements to prove your worth to them.
• End the cover letter with a powerful call to action.

Take a look at our bartender cover letter guide that you can adapt for a bar manager job application.

Also, we’ve got some great cover letter tips to help you along. Check them out!

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to follow up on your job application. Shooting off a quick email or making a brief call to the bar owner might be the thing that gets you hired.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

So, that’s it—

Now THAT’S a top-shelf resume for bar managers!

Got any questions on how to write a resume for bar managers? Need more bar manager resume examples? Not sure how to talk about manager skills, hospitality certifications, or bartending achievements? Get at us in the comments below, and thanks for reading!

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