Sommelier — what a fun job! You taste and recommend wines for a living. Now you are ready for your next step and Resume.io is ready to help you crush it with a superior sommelier resume!
Our job search tips and tools include more than 350 occupation-specific writing guides with corresponding resume examples. The guide you are reading now is backed by wording from a sommelier resume that you can adapt for your own situation. Here’s what we’ll discuss:, you will be able to:
- A sommelier’s job role and employment outlook
- How to structure and choose the best format for your sommelier resume
- Ensuring each resume section hits the right notes: header, profile, employment history, education and skills
- Developing a creative, yet clean and classy, resume document
Keep reading—you’re on your way!
What does a sommelier do?
Sommeliers possess an in-depth knowledge of wine, and use that knowledge to offer wine suggestions to customers and food and beverage professionals. Also known as wine stewards, they cultivate wine lists to appeal to a range of customer tastes and budgets. Sommeliers advise diners and food service professionals on wine based on taste, food selection, budget, or other specific needs.
Typical work environments for sommeliers include restaurants, wine shops, hotels, and other dining establishments that offer wine. Their roles may involve selecting wines, creating wine lists and wine pairings, and managing wine inventory.
A sommelier’s job requires very specific knowledge and talent, but also some important people skills. The perfect job-winning resume for a sommelier must showcase that range of abilities.
Although the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have a data category specifically for sommeliers, there is reason to believe the employment outlook is rosy. The bureau's projected job growth for food and beverage serving workers overall is 18% between 2020 and 2030. For waiters and waitresses it’s slightly higher at 20%, much faster than the 8% occupational average.
How to write a sommelier resume
Somewhat like the course listings on a dinner menu, resumes are uniformly structured to include the following components, regardless of occupation. Everything should fit on a single page.
- Header
- Summary
- Employment history section
- Education section
- Skills section
Choosing the best resume format for sommeliers
The most widely used chronological resume format is recommended for most professionals, and is likely best suited to a sommelier too. Hiring managers prefer this structure for reviewing a job candidate’s work history in relation to previous employee positions. This resume section consists of bullet point highlights for each of the most relevant positions you’ve held, dated in reverse chronological order.
In some instances, job seekers opt for a different resume format to emphasize specialized or transferable skills rather than past employers. A functional resume, or the more versatile hybrid (combination) format, may suit job seekers who are new to the workforce, changing careers or seeking independent consulting clients.
Resume header
A class of its own is how you want prospective employers to view your sommelier resume. Creating that kind of memorable and lasting first impression starts with a distinctively eye-pleasing document header. The thought and attention you devote to this key visual detail will not go unnoticed, especially if you take the extra step of pairing your resume and cover letter with matching header designs.
In effect, your resume header serves as a personal branding element, for both esthetic and practical purposes. The reader’s eyes are drawn right away to your prominently displayed name, occupation and contact information. This will be easy to revisit later when you’ve been shortlisted for an interview. But first, your resume page looks inviting to read at first glance because of the white space offsetting the header and larger text blocks.
Sommelier resume profile example
A sommelier’s resume should convey has a lot to convey about your in-depth knowledge of wine and your ability to recommend wines for customers as well as menus with food and wine pairings. You should start with a strong profile that offers a brief, yet compelling summary of your abilities, talents, and experiences as a sommelier. Don’t be afraid to boast a little here; your resume is not the place to be modest!
Make this section, also known as a summary, impressive by highlighting your biggest achievements. Have you planned large parties with a menu of food and wine pairings? Have you organized wine tastings that drew large crowds? Developed a wine program that draws customers? Increased wine sales? Tell recruiters about those events here.
Add details and strong action verbs to convey your accomplishments. You have about 100 or 200 words to accomplish this, but remember that your cover letter will complement your resume, so you can add further information there. Emphasize the skills your prospective employer mentions in the job description.
The relationships you have as a sommelier with customers, coworkers, and suppliers are of the utmost importance. Show off your personality by describing your work style and those relationships here. Be sure to include any information you do not want a potential employer to miss.
Below is a sommelier resume sample summary you can customize for your own job application.
Dedicated Sommelier with 12 years of experience advising restaurants, wineries, and clients about wines. Experienced in conducting wine tastings and helping restaurants and event venues to develop wine lists based on their menus. Bringing forth a true passion for wines and excellent communication skills.
Looking to add a little flavor to the mix? Get inspired by these related hospitality industry cv examples and writing guides listed below:
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Employment history sample
The employment history section is the backbone of your resume. It is here that you lay out the career growth that has led you to where you are now. Many sommelier’s have work experience in other areas of food service, such as restaurant manager or wait staff, and that experience is valued.
Try to show a clear pattern of increasing knowledge and responsibilities here. Instead of merely listing your job descriptions as bullet items, tell your prospective employer what you brought to each past position and how your work experience prepared you for the job you seek now. Play up your ability to increase point-of-sale wine revenue and to manage wine inventory.
Highlight your successes by explaining what challenges you faced in improving wine service, and how you used your problem-solving skills to develop a solution. You may even want to include a food and wine pairing example that you are proud of. Wrap up this description with your results. Be as specific as possible and if you are describing sales, efficiencies, or revenue from wine programs, employ data to boost your case.
If you’ve had a winding career path you may want to consider a functional resume format, as touched on previously. Otherwise, your Employment History should be well organized in reverse chronological order. You may leave out jobs from more than 10 or 15 years ago. Include all food service jobs and any other positions that gave you transferable skills. You may have worked other restaurant or hospitality jobs where you improved customers’ dining experiences and gained valuable knowledge of the business. These jobs definitely increase your desirability as a candidate!
Remember to use powerful action verbs that showcase your skills and abilities.
Below is a sommelier employment history resume sample you can modify.
Sommelier at The 21 Club, New York
June 2014 - September 2022
- Worked and maintained an adored wine list at one of the city's premier restaurants.
- Achieved recognition by Wine Spectator's "Best of Award of Excellence" for our notable wine list.
- Implemented staff training programs to increase their wine knowledge and better serve our customers.
- Coordinated specialty wine dinners showcasing new wines and pairings, with event satisfaction scores averaging 94% “excellent” or “outstanding.”
- Helped to achieve wine sales of $1.4m annually, while keeping costs at an effectively lower rate.
Assistant Manager at The 21 Club, New York
September 2010 - May 2014
- Oversaw all restaurant operations and played a large role in the development of the menu and wine list.
- Trained staff in proper serving etiquette and continually worked to maintain a positive working atmosphere.
- Became exclusively involved in the restaurant’s wine selection and helped to create and organize the wine inventory.
Sommelier resume education example
How do you write an impressive good education section for a sommelier resume?
Make sure you list any sommelier training program you completed to earn your college/university title. You may know that the Court of Master Sommeliers offers a very rigorous program followed by four exam levels. If you have reached the Master Sommelier level, congratulations! You are one of about 255 in the world. If you are working toward it, list your progress here as well.
While sommeliers do not need a university degree, they are highly trained professionals. Some sommeliers have associate’s or bachelor’s degrees in viticulture or oenology, but they are not necessary. You may also have a hospitality management or other related degree. List any of those in your resume's education section.
List certificates or related professional development courses and any educational honors or distinctions you have earned. If you hold a degree higher than a bachelor's degree, you may leave out your high school.
Below is the education section from our adaptable sommelier resume example..See resume example content below.
Sommelier Certificate Course, Sommelier Society of America , New York
June 2011 - January 2012
Bachelor of Business Administration, Hunter College, New York
August 2007 - May 2011
High School Diploma, Iona Preparatory School, New Rochelle
September 2003 - May 2007
CV skills example
Your CV skills section provides a chance for you to "wow" recruiters with a riveting mix of soft and hard skills that help you to stand out. We encourage you to read carefully the job description for the position application. Be sure to include as many employer-desired skills and qualities in your resume as possible (use the exact wording of the job listing if appropriate).
Swap out the skills listed here each time you apply for a new job. It's important to cover all the key components of that particular listing of job requirements.
To highlight key soft skills, focus on your ability to communicate, multitask, and stay organized. Your hard skills are those that are directly related to your work as a wine steward. Carefully choose five to 10 of your most impressive skills.
Check out a sommelier CV sample for the skills section below.
- Advanced Knowledge of Wine
- Beverage Management Skills
- Synergies of Food and Beverages
- Wine Selection Knowledge
- Strong Interpersonal Communication Skills
Resume layout and design
The look of your resume is almost as important as what it says. That's mostly because busy recruiters who see upwards of 250 resumes per job are looking for easy ways to eliminate candidates. If your layout is hard-to-read or messy looking, your resume may just end up in the garbage.
We offer field-tested resume templates that will help you present an impressive visual image. They make it easier to avoid the formatting and design problems that may spell the end of your candidacy. Try our creative template designs for a style that suits your needs. For high-end employers, you may also want to consider templates in the professional category. And more youth-oriented companies or restaurants may project a modern image!
Helpful hints:
- Have a friend or colleague proofread and edit your resume before you send it.
- Save your document as a PDF file to eliminate formatting errors (use Word files only when the employer specifically demands it).
- Use color only as an accent.
- If you decide to include a photograph of yourself, make sure it is high quality (including a photo or not will depend on local hiring culture. U.S. employers, for example, rarely require one).
In most cases, you should not list references on your resume, however, be prepared with at least three people who are willing and able to offer excellent recommendations of you and your work.
Key takeaways for a sommelier resume
- Along with the enjoyment and satisfaction of a sommelier’s job come extensive knowledge requirements and applications of that expertise. An interview-winning resume has a great deal to convey about your abilities and experience.
- Each resume section serves its own purpose in persuading hiring managers that you belong in future success stories of their business.
- No two versions of your sommelier resume should be exactly the same if you carefully customize the content to every targeted position and employer.
- By using one of Resume.io's field-tested resume templates and our builder tool, and following these helpful tips on the creation of your resume, you will be on your way to finding the Sommelier position you are looking for!
