Hospitality CV Examples & UK Templates

The hospitality sector was one of the hardest hit through the pandemic, but the government has committed to realising a new vision for the hospitality sector in coming years. As the sector recovers and regains resilience, there’s never been a better time to create your hospitality CV and land your next position.

Resume guide for a hospitality CV

Whether you work in a restaurant, hotel, cruise ship, amusement park or resort, Resume.io has you covered with our guides and CV examples that include over 65 professions. Plus, with our CV builder, it’s simpler than ever to create a CV.

This CV guide and corresponding hospitality CV example will cover the following:

• How to write a hospitality CV
• Choosing the right format for a hospitality CV
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your hospitality experience
• Listing education and relevant certifications
• Picking the right CV design/layout
• What the hospitality job market looks like and what salary you can expect

How to write a hospitality CV

A great CV for a hospitality job will contain many of the basic sections found on most CVs including:

• The CV header
• The CV summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The CV skills section
• The education section

This structure allows the hiring manager to easily find the information they are looking for and evaluate your candidacy in just a few minutes. While this hospitality CV example and guide give general guidance for a range of industry positions, it’s important to tailor the content of your CV to the specific role you are applying for.

Follow this formula for the best results: 

• Offer specific examples and skills that are most relevant to the employer’s needs and interests. The job description is a great place to start when it comes to finding out what the company cares about most.
• Adapt your tone (especially in the summary) to the employer’s to make it evident that you are the right fit.
• Use a simple and easy to read template.
• Optimise your CV for relevant hospitality-related keywords from the job posting so you have the best chance of impressing recruiters, hiring managers, and any CV scanning software they may use.

Choosing the right CV format for hospitality 

Since many hospitality workers aren’t required to have formal training in the field, your previous experience tells employers whether you have the necessary skills to handle the role. That means that the reverse chronological CV format is the best choice for hospitality positions.

The reverse chronological format focuses on the employment history section where you are able to showcase your relevant previous positions, going back up through the past 10-15 years. This structure is preferred by hiring managers and the CV scanners in use at most large-scale hotel chains, restaurants, and other businesses. 

However, reverse chronological is not your only option. If you only have one or two previous experiences, you may opt for the hybrid format which starts with the skills section to show the hiring manager what your key abilities are before moving on to a shorter employment history section. The skills-based CV format should be reserved for students or first-time job seekers applying for smaller or more local hospitality operations.

There are plenty of CV templates in our CV builder, so select one that suits you and check out the CV examples using each format as well. 

When it comes to design, hospitality CVs should be as easy as possible to read and understand, so we recommend a simple layout.

Include your contact information

Your header lies at the top of your CV and is where you display your contact information. This section should include: 

• Full name & title. List your first and last name and the title of the role you are pursuing.
• Professional email address. Use a clean format like [email protected], not a quirky or unprofessional email address.
• Phone number. List a number where you can easily be reached. Make sure your voicemail box is not full and that your outgoing greeting is professional.
• Location. List only your city and country, not your street address or postcode—this is both outdated and unsafe.
• LinkedIn. If you have an active LinkedIn profile that shows off your expertise and network, include it in your header.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: This isn’t necessary and could potentially lead to age discrimination.
• Personal details: Your marital status, passport number, etc. have no use on a CV.

Make use of a summary

The summary is a key section of your hospitality CV because it is likely the only place to convey the personality and professional demeanour essential to many hospitality roles. The summary is also one of the few places you’ll be able to speak directly to the hiring manager and express your achievements, goals, and interests.

Don’t just summarise what’s on your CV. Instead, provide the overarching narrative of what makes you unique and allows you to provide the best experience to customers.

When applying to a large hotel chain or even a restaurant with multiple posted openings, specify which role you’re after in your summary. This will help a hiring manager quickly categorise your CV.

For example, your summary might read: “Highly driven hospitality professional with expertise in hotel management. Over 10 years of experience creating hospitable and welcoming environments at top-rated hotels.”

You can find adaptable example CV summaries for hospitality workers below: 

Outline your work experience

No matter how much effort you put into the other sections of your CV, there’s a good chance the employer will gravitate towards your employment history first. This is the place to communicate all the relevant experience and achievements in each of your previous roles. Make sure to list the job title, employer name, dates worked, and location.

Under each subheading, it’s wise to add a list of 4-5 bullet points that detail your main responsibilities, skills and accomplishments. Cherry pick each of these examples based on your prospective employer’s needs and the duties for the new position as outlined in the job description. Add numbers and concrete information to quantify your experience. 

It’s easy to start with bullet points like:

• "Helped customers.”
• “Oversaw hotel operations.”
• “Served drinks to customers.”

Now, these statements aren’t unusual for hospitality jobs. However, that means they’re also too common and vague. Nothing about them shows your unique talent. 

Instead, shoot for a more results-based approach, filling your bullet points with details and achievements: 

• "Served 100 customers per day in a busy hotel setting, leveraging the ability to speak three languages to communicate with diverse groups.”
• "Oversaw operations of a five star, 300-room hotel.”
• "Acted as head bartender, serving tailored drinks to an average of 100 customers a night.”

Take a look at the hospitality CV employment history sample below:

How to write a hospitality CV with no experience 

A major draw of hospitality work is that it’s easy to get into the field. Often, no specific experience is required and many companies are happy to train on the job. Even if you lack direct experience, it’s possible to land a great job in hospitality.

You’ll do this by relying on your transferable skills. Where have you demonstrated strong communication or customer service? Have you had to multitask and juggle a lot of work at once with a smile? 

Volunteer work counts, too. If you’ve done any work for charity, whether fundraising or working in a shop, that’s fair game to include. 

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great hospitality worker

The skills section of your CV is where you’ll showcase your main competencies and areas of expertise. However, this section can be difficult to get right. That’s because the bullet-point format limits you to skills that can be summarised in a word or two. Avoid clichés , and instead focus on presenting yourself as the employer’s ideal candidate. Include a balance of hard and soft skills to show that you are a well-rounded hospitality professional.  

Soft skills are innate qualities that give you the right personality traits for the role. Your positive attitude, motivation, commitment to customer service or good communication skills fall in this category. 

Meanwhile, hard skills are abilities that must be learned, usually in the particular field where you plan to work. Computer software, cleaning equipment, phone systems, or cooking techniques are all considered hard skills.

Our CV builder offers numerous skills from which you can select, or you have the option to provide your own. 

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our CV template for hospitality.

Although this section is important, it’s not the only place you can convey your skills. Weave them throughout your CV, especially in the summary and experience sections. 

Highlight your skills and include examples of how or when you used them. For example: 

• Customer service experience. Include the volume of customers you’ve helped, any customer satisfaction ratings you’ve earned, or an ability to transform an unhappy customer into a loyal one.
• Software skills. Show your knowledge of point-of-sale systems like Toast or Lightspeed.
• Job-related expertise. If you’re applying for a cook role, display your cooking knowledge and experience. If you’re going for a bartending position, describe your bar achievements.

For guidance about which skills to include, review the job posting. 

Detail your education & relevant hospitality certifications

Depending on the exact role you are applying to, your hospitality CV may or may not need to show formal education. No matter the case, you’ll want to create an education section and list your diplomas and degrees. If you have completed a master’s degree, you can leave off your secondary school education.

The education section is also the place to mention any training you’ve completed, awards you’ve won, or memberships you hold. These give the employer more information about your background and commitment to the industry. For example: 

• Training and certifications. Have you undergone customer service or sales training courses, or attended relevant webinars? Add them here.
• Internships or traineeships. If you’ve gained on-the-job education through a formal training program, it could be beneficial to include.
• Professional development. List any hospitality-related professional associations you’re part of, like UKHospitality.

Pick the right CV layout and design for a hospitality CV

Just as the orderliness and decoration of a hotel lobby conveys quality and class, the layout and design of your CV show that you are a polished candidate ready to be taken seriously. 

While you shouldn’t go overboard with colour or flashy elements, a well-organised layout allows the hiring manager to quickly find what they are looking for. Leave a balance of white space to text and stick with the same professional font styles and sizes throughout.

If you need inspiration, look at our CV templates. We can even take care of the formatting for you. 

Hospitality text-only CV example

Hospitality job market and outlook

Inflation has caused some bumps for the UK's hospitality and leisure industry, but there's hope for growth from here on out. As inflation calms and consumers become more comfortable spending money again, hospitality-related companies are expected to do more business. 

This means it’s likely that roles will increasingly open up for hospitality workers. In fact, last year, the organisation UKHospitality reported “a 10% shortage of head chefs across the industry and a 21% shortage of production chefs,” per The Caterer.

What type of salary you can expect as a hospitality worker

How much someone earns in hospitality depends on the type of work they’re doing. On average, however, a hospitality worker could expect somewhere around £37,270, with a low of £30,226 and a high of £47,839. 

Key takeaways for building a hospitality CV

The hospitality industry continues to reinvent itself, opening up a range of jobs for candidates who can convey their hospitality experience on their CVs. When crafting your hospitality CV, it’s important to draft a detailed summary, quantify your past work experience and accomplishments, and present an overarching narrative of your expertise in hospitality. 

Our online CV builder can help you create a hospitality CV that wins over hiring managers and helps you land the job.