Server Resume: Examples, Job Description & Skills Guide

Oops. 

Your resume has gone dead. It’s been waiting too long for my article.

Read this server resume and make sure this time recruiters won’t miss it.

This guide will show you: 

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

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Server Resume Example

This is how to write a job-winning server resume:

1. Choose the Best Format for Your Server Resume

Before you invite your diners to the table, you need to set it first. And here’s the exact same.

Let’s see how to format your restaurant server resume before you start serving your achievements up on a plate:

• Make an eye-catching resume layout with a heading that includes your full name, phone number, and email address. A link to your LinkedIn is optional, as recruiters will go through your socials anyway.
• Create the following resume sections: summary/objective, experience, education, and skills. Leave some room for additional parts, such as certifications, languages, or hobbies and interests. 
• Go for the reverse-chronological format and list your entries starting with the most recent.
• Let the headings pop by making them slightly bigger than the rest of the text.
• Pick a font that reads well, like Calibri or Arial. Size it between 10 and 12 points.
• Add 1-inch margins on all sides and set 1–1.15 line spacing.
• Use impactful bullet points to convey your skills and achievements concisely and make your resume easy to skim-read. 
• Fit everything onto one page.
• Name your file the following way: JobTitle_Resume_YourName.pdf.
• Check whether recruiters want PDF or Word and export the file to the correct format.

Splendid!

Now you’re ready to invite your guests to the table.

Get the entire recipe on how to make the most tasteful resume out there: How to Make a Resume

2. Create the Perfect Server Resume Job Description

No recruiter wants to read a resume that’s packed full of responsibilities. It’s as if you served them a dried-out steak. Not the best customer experience, trust me. And it can’t be comped.

Instead, you should double down on your scrumptious professional achievements and make recruiters’ mouths water.

Let’s see examples of work experience sections just like that:

Server Duties for a Resume: Examples

And now the opposite:

Do you know those two belong to the same person?

Ouch. 

They must have had a lot on their plate to write such a sloppy and irrelevant experience the second time. 

The right example proves you have all it takes to take on new challenges with the action verbs (suggested, trained, focused, memorized) and numbers (97%, 3 servers, 25 menu items). At the same time, the other one is just a boring salad on the side with responsibilities as a poor refreshment. 

So, you see, even though you have experience, you still can write a poor experience section anyway.

Now, how about the inexperienced candidates writing a server resume?

You, too, should focus on your accomplishments. But you’ll say that you don’t have anything relevant to write about. And you’re wrong! 

Just because you didn’t have a job as a server specifically, it doesn’t mean you never performed shared activities.

See the below example:

Server Job Description Resume: No-Experience Examples

Welcoming guests, memorizing menu items, promotion? It all sounds familiar, doesn’t it? wink

So now you know not to rush through the task, but to think and carefully craft your server resume with relevant achievements in mind. 

Here’s what else you should do to write a successful server resume:

• Read and then reread your job description to mark the keywords relevant to the position.
• Think about how you can incorporate them into your server job description to create achievement statements.
• Begin each bullet point with a power word or action verb to create a dynamic image of your talents.
• Add numbers to quantify your accomplishments to add more impact to the results you brought to the table.
• Write this section in reverse-chronological order. Start with the most recent entry and move through older jobs one by one.

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3. Make Your Server Resume Education Section Shine

You can eat from a simple plate laid out just like that. It’s fine. But when the silverware shines the brightest, the meal just tastes better.

So whenever you’re polishing your server resume, don’t forget about the education section. It’s part of the resumeware.

Follow along to see the education section example:

Server Resume Sample: Education

To achieve a result like the one above, mind these simple rules:

• Include the name of the degree followed by the name of the university or college, and add the location.
• If you haven’t graduated and wish to add some college only, make sure you write the number of credits you completed and relevant coursework.
• Spice up your education section, especially if you’re inexperienced, with academic achievements and extracurricular activities, e.g., playing sports, belonging to a club, or tutoring in your spare time.

4. Highlight Your Server Skills

You turn the tables like no other and memorize the menu like chefs memorize recipes. You know whose table to wax and how to roll the silverware. There’s no one like you.

And that’s delightful. But, me and you, we can’t be the only ones to know it. You need to make recruiters realize that, too.

So create a skills section that sells.

Here are examples of server skills you can pick for your resume:

Server Resume Skills

Server Soft Skills

• Communication
• Patience
• Organization
• Customer service
• Time management
• Teamwork
• Social perceptiveness

Server Hard Skills

• Stamina
• Resilience
• Hospitality
• Memory
• Point of Sale
• Product knowledge
• Mathematic
• Foreign language

Now, if you were to make a selection, it might look something like this:

Server Skills Resume Examples

Before you copy and paste this onto your resume, remember that this section requires tailoring as well. You don’t want to shoot random skills at recruiters. 

Refer to the job ad and make an informed decision about which skills to pick. Creating a list and then crosschecking it with the employer’s requirements works best, and it’s the easiest way to ensure a match.

5. Add Other Sections to Your Server Resume

Who doesn’t appreciate a supersized meal?

Well, recruiters love it, especially if it has to do with the qualifications or qualities they need in a candidate.

So another way to make sure you two are a match is to include an additional portion of the information on your server resume.

1. Certificates & Licences

Depending on the province or territory, you may be required to obtain a licence for serving food and liquor. As for certification, always make room to include relevant diplomas or certificates proving your skill. You may even get better pay; such things don’t go unnoticed.

2. Volunteering

Inexperienced candidates gather around! Have you done some volunteer work? Include it as a separate section or under the experience. Just remember to highlight the skills needed for the job.

3. Language skills

Tourists are everywhere, and as a restaurant or banquet server, you’ll be the one talking to them. Let the employer know you speak more than one language and get yourself some bonus points.

4. Hobbies & Interests

If you thought hobbies and interests on a resume were redundant, you were wrong. They’re low-hanging fruit for which you can get rewarded, provided that your hobbies help you grow your skill set or build knowledge related to food and beverage.

Now have a look at how to write additional sections in your resume:

Resume for a Server: Additional Sections

6. Write a Resume Objective or Resume Summary

It’s time for the last course.

As a runner, you know how to push it, so use that skill to pepper the experience and skill onto one more section on your resume. Depending on how much relevant experience you have as a food server, it'll be a resume summary or an objective.

A resume summary is a short introduction at the top of your resume that describes your experience and skill set. As with introductions, they need to make an impression to be remembered. So here’s what you can do to make your food server resume memorable:

• Start with an adjective that adds value to your service portfolio. 
• Let recruiters know what you’re good at and evidence it with an accomplishment. Since you’re writing this section last, you can pick one of the key achievements you’ve listed in the work experience section.
• Use the keywords from the job description to ensure passing the Applicant Tracking Software scan. Without having enough keywords, the ATS will deem your application as irrelevant and automatically reject it.
• Say why you want to join the company and what you will bring that the employer will need.

Check the below examples to see good and lousy server resume summaries:

Server Resume Examples: Summary

The bad example is mashed-potatoes-kind of bland. It says nothing about the value added to your application and uses almost no keywords required for the ATS to let you pass the scanning.

Now, let’s speak of a resume objective: a brief statement about your goals towards joining a company. 

You should know, though, it’s not about you. You need to tickle the employer’s taste buds with your objectives aligned with their plans for the position.

Take a look at the below example to see what a resume objective is:

Server Jobs Resume Examples: Objective

Yummy.

The right example is a perfect combination of one’s transferable skills that have the potential to grow into a relevant experience. The other, however, is just a boring statement of fact, not giving away any insights into one’s capabilities or personality.

7. Attach a Cover Letter to Your Server Resume

Ah! Don’t be a one-star.

Recruiters tend to turn down applications without a cover letter, so stop finding reasons to get out of writing it. 

It’s your chance to add personality to your application, which you can’t achieve so easily with a resume alone since it’s solely fact-based. 

Without further ado, let’s get down to writing a cover letter. Here are the basic rules:

• Mirror the resume design onto the cover letter template. Leave the header and your personal information to keep a consistent look.
• Write the date of your writing and address your hiring manager right after. Use Dear + First Name to personalize the letter. Do not ever write “To whom it may concern”, it’s too outdated and impersonal. 
• Structure the letter to hook the reader in the opening, describe your qualifications in the body, and call them to action in the closing.
• Sign off with a formal sentiment and add a postscript if you have a surprising accomplishment up your sleeve.
• Your cover letter should be one page long.

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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Key Takeaways

Here’s how to write a server resume step by step:

• Create a clear layout so that no stain covers your strengths.
• Write a summary or objective statement as if your life depended on it. Make sure to include there your relevant skills and accomplishments.
• Refrain from writing responsibilities in your job description. It’s the place for your achievement statements and power words.
• Include more than basic information in your education section if you have little professional experience.
• Refer to the qualifications and qualities mentioned in the job ad in your skills section.
• List other sections to add value to your application.
• Attach a cover letter to ensure recruiters won’t reject your application upfront.

And that’s it. Check, please!

Thanks for reading my guide! Now I’d love to hear from you: 

• What are the biggest challenges of writing a server resume? 

• What part do you struggle with the most? 

Let me know. Let’s get the discussion started!