As a head server, distilling your extensive experience in customer service and leadership into a concise and compelling resume can be a daunting task. Our guide provides clear, actionable steps to help you highlight your key achievements and tailor your resume to showcase the skills that make you an exceptional candidate in the hospitality industry.
- Sample industry-leading professional resumes for inspiration and head server resume-writing know-how.
- Focus recruiters' attention on what matters most - your unique experience, achievements, and skills.
- Write various resume sections to ensure you meet at least 95% of all job requirements.
- Balance your head server technical expertise with personality to stand out amongst candidates.
If the head server resume isn't the right one for you, take a look at other related guides we have:
- Bar Manager Resume Example
- Restaurant General Manager Resume Example
- Head Bartender Resume Example
- Hospitality Manager Resume Example
- Ice Cream Server Resume Example
- Dishwasher Resume Example
- Catering Resume Example
- Food Service Manager Resume Example
- Reservations Manager Resume Example
- Culinary Resume Example
How to style your head server resume: layout and format
When creating your head server resume, have you ever wondered how long it should be? Experts point out that it should be between one and two pages. Choose the longer format, if you happen to have over a decade of relevant experience. What is more, resume formats play a crucial role in presenting your experience. Use the:- Reverse-chronological resume format to highlight your experience;
- Functional skill-based resume format if you have less experience and want to focus on skills;
- Hybrid resume format to guide recruiters through both your experience and skills.
- Make sure your headline is simple and includes the job you're applying for or your current role, an abbreviation of a certificate you have, or even your professional area of interest;
- Always tailor your head server resume to the role you're applying for by matching job requirements to your experience via different resume sections;
- Once you've created your resume, download it in PDF (unless otherwise specified). This is to ensure readability and that the layout remains fixed.
Your resume should match the market – Canadian applications, for instance, may use a different layout.
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Listing your relevant degrees or certificates on your head server resume is a win-win situation. Not only does it hint at your technical capabilities in the industry, but an array of soft skills, like perseverance, adaptability, and motivation.
Head server resume sections to answer recruiters' checklists:
- Header to help recruiters quickly allocate your contact details and have a glimpse over your most recent portfolio of work
- Summary or objective to provide an overview of your career highlights, dreams, and goals
- Experience to align with job requirements and showcase your measurable impact and accomplishments
- Skills section/-s to pinpoint your full breadth of expertise and talents as a candidate for the head server role
- Education and certifications sections to potentially fill in any gaps in your experience and show your commitment to the industry
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Proven experience managing a team of servers in a fast-paced restaurant environment.
- Expertise in coordinating dining room operations and overseeing guest experience.
- Strong knowledge of food and beverage service, including familiarity with various cuisines and special dietary requirements.
- Demonstrated ability to train and mentor new staff, manage schedules, and resolve customer complaints effectively.
- Proficiency in point of sale (POS) systems and restaurant management software.
Guide to your most impressive head server resume experience section
When it comes to your resume experience , stick to these simple, yet effective five steps:
- Show how your experience is relevant by including your responsibility, skill used, and outcome/-s;
- Use individual bullets to answer how your experience aligns with the job requirements;
- Think of a way to demonstrate the tangible results of your success with stats, numbers, and/or percentages ;
- Always tailor the experience section to the head server role you're applying for - this may sometimes include taking out irrelevant experience items;
- Highlight your best (and most relevant) achievements towards the top of each experience bullet.
You're not alone if you're struggling with curating your experience section. That's why we've prepared some professional, real-life head server resume samples to show how to best write your experience section (and more).
- Managed a team of 20 staff members in a high-end restaurant, consistently achieving top customer satisfaction rates above 95% each quarter.
- Implemented a new reservation management system that reduced wait times by 30% and led to a 15% increase in nightly reservations.
- Spearheaded a staff training program that emphasized upselling techniques, resulting in an average 20% increase in sales of signature dishes and premium beverages.
- Coordinated large-scale events and banquets, often exceeding 200 guests, maintaining impeccable service standards while also controlling operational costs.
- Oversaw inventory management, leading to a 10% reduction in waste through better tracking of perishable items.
- Collaborated with the kitchen staff to develop a seasonal menu that resulted in a 25% increase in repeat customers.
- Fostered a teamwork-oriented atmosphere that improved staff retention rates by 40% over a four-year period.
- Negotiated with suppliers for better pricing on high-quality ingredients, achieving a cost saving of 12% annually.
- Designed and executed a customer feedback system that identified service gaps and facilitated a 20-point improvement on service delivery metrics within one year.
- Introduced an innovative table management software which optimized seating capacity and increased turnover by 18%.
- Organized monthly wine-pairing dinners, contributing to a 22% rise in monthly wine sales.
- Conducted regular performance evaluations for a diverse team, directly contributing to enhanced service efficiency and guest satisfaction.
- Led the successful launch of a new fine-dining restaurant, establishing operational procedures that became standard across the business.
- Implemented a dynamic pricing strategy for off-peak hours, driving a 35% increase in mid-week dinner revenue.
- Managed vendor relations and negotiated contracts that improved the restaurant's profit margins by 15% over two years.
- Orchestrated a customer loyalty program that bolstered repeat business by 30% within the first year of introduction.
- Liaised with the culinary team to provide guest feedback, leading to tailored menu changes that reflected customer preferences.
- Enhanced the dining ambiance by coordinating with interior designers, which was a key factor in winning a local 'Best Dining Experience' award.
- Developed a cross-training program for servers and bartenders that increased operational flexibility and staff productivity.
- Designed targeted promotional campaigns for festive seasons, witnessing a 40% uplift in clientele during these periods.
- Engaged actively in conflict resolution, resulting in a 50% decrease in customer complaints year-over-year.
- Instrumental in the restaurant's digital transformation by integrating a tablet ordering system that cut service times by an average of 7 minutes per order.
- Tripled the frequency of staff training sessions, leading to a significant improvement in service quality and a drop in turnover from 60% to 25%.
- Cultivated a partnership with local farms to ensure a steady supply of organic ingredients, enhancing the restaurant's reputation for sustainability and freshness.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Managed a team of 10+ servers, ensuring efficient workflow and customer satisfaction.
- Increased table turnover by 15% through effective staff coordination and floor management.
- Implemented a new training program that reduced onboarding time for new servers by 25%.
- Orchestrated catering events for up to 200 guests, contributing to a 20% revenue increase.
- Achieved a 10% reduction in waste by enforcing strict inventory control measures.
- Cultivated a customer base that resulted in a 30% increase in repeat clientele.
- Negotiated with vendors to lower supply costs by 5%, directly boosting profit margins.
- Developed a weekly sales analysis report that helped optimize menu offerings and pricing.
Action verbs for your head server resume
What if my head server experience doesn't match the requirements?
You've just graduated from college and may have no real world job experience . What should you include within your resume then?
Instead of making up information or adding irrelevant past jobs (e.g. your on-campus work during freshman year), you can:
- Shift the focus from your professional experience to your community impact with your volunteer work. This would showcase numerous soft skills you've built over time (e.g. interpersonal communication);
- Highlight the projects you've completed, as part of your coursework, or, on your own. Thus, you will align your technical background with recruiters' requirements;
- Consider spotlighting your transferrable skills. Or, what lessons and talents your current professional and personal experience has taught you and how they could benefit your potential employers;
- Even if you've had a few months of internship experience, that is relevant for the role, make sure to include this. Recruiters do care about the years of experience you happen to have, but, at the end of the day, your profile would also be assessed based on role alignment.
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List all your relevant higher education degrees within your resume in reverse chronological order (starting with the latest). There are cases when your PhD in a particular field could help you stand apart from other candidates.
The heart and soul of your head server resume: hard skills and soft skills
If you read between the lines of the head server role you're applying for, you'll discover that all requirements are linked with candidates' hard skills and soft skills.
What do those skills have to do with your application?
Hard or technical skills are the ones that hint at your aptitude with particular technologies. They are easy to quantify via your professional experience or various certifications.
Meanwhile, your soft skills are more difficult to assess as they are personality traits, you've gained thanks to working in different environments/teams/organizations.
Your head server resume skills section is the perfect opportunity to shine a light on both types of skills by:
- Dedicating a technical skills section to list up to six technologies you're apt at.
- Focusing a strengths section on your achievements, thanks to using particular people skills or technologies.
- Including a healthy balance of hard and soft skills in the skills section to answer key job requirements.
- Creating a language skills section with your proficiency level - to hint at an abundance of soft skills you've obtained, thanks to your dedication to learning a particular language.
Within the next section of this guide, stay tuned for some of the most trending hard skills and soft skills across the industry.
Top skills for your head server resume:
Point of Sale (POS) Systems
Inventory Management Software
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tools
Food Safety and Sanitation Standards
Menu Planning and Development
Cash Handling Procedures
Table Management Systems
Scheduling Software
Wine and Beverage Knowledge
Conflict Resolution Techniques
Leadership
Communication
Customer Service
Teamwork
Problem-Solving
Time Management
Attention to Detail
Multitasking
Empathy
Adaptability
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List your educational qualifications and certifications in reverse chronological order.
Showcase academic background with education and certifications' sections
Listing your education and certifications should be a rudimentary part of your resume writing.
Including your relevant academic background - in the form of your higher education degree and niche-specific certificates - will prove knowledge of the industry.
For your education section:
- Start by including your degree, followed by start and graduation dates, as well as the institution;
- You could include relevant coursework, major/minor , or GPA, only if your've just graduated from college or if this information would further support your application;
- If you have an "ongoing" degree, you can still list it in case you think your diploma can impress recruiters or it's required;
Follow a similar logic for your certifications section by listing the institution, alongside dates you've obtained the certificate. For some of the most recent and relevant industry certificates , check out the next part of our guide:
The top 5 certifications for your head server resume:
- Food Protection Manager Certification (FPMC) - ServSafe
- Certified Restaurant Server (CRS) - American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute
- Certified Food and Beverage Executive (CFBE) - American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute
- Certified Foodservice Professional (CFSP) - North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers
- Certified Sommelier (CS) - Court of Master Sommeliers
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The more trusted the organization you've attained your certificate (or degree) from, the more credible your skill set would be.
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Professional summary or objective for your head server resume
head server candidates sometimes get confused between the difference of a resume summary and a resume objective.
Which one should you be using?
Remember that the:
- Resume objective has more to do with your dreams and goals for your career. Within it, you have the opportunity to showcase to recruiters why your application is an important one and, at the same time, help them imagine what your impact on the role, team, and company would be.
- Resume summary should recount key achievements, tailored for the role, through your career. Allowing recruiters to quickly scan and understand the breadth of your head server expertise.
The resume objectives are always an excellent choice for candidates starting off their career, while the resume summary is more fitting for experienced candidates.
No matter if you chose a summary or objective, get some extra inspiration from real-world professional head server resumes:
Resume summaries for a head server job
- Dedicated hospitality veteran with over 10 years of experience spearheading operations at high-volume restaurants, bringing forth extensive knowledge in fine dining etiquette and inventory management, coupled with a proven track record of increasing annual sales by 30% through exceptional customer service and team leadership.
- Enterprising former retail manager, eager to bring 8 years of expertise in customer satisfaction and team supervision to the head server role, armed with a passion for creating memorable dining experiences and a keen eye for detail that consistently elevates service standards.
- Formerly a software project coordinator seeking to channel 6 years of team collaboration and client-oriented project delivery experience into the bustling environment of food service, offering strong organizational skills and a commitment to fostering an enjoyable and efficient dining atmosphere.
- Veteran head server with 12 years of experience in renowned Michelin-starred restaurants aiming to leverage extensive knowledge of gourmet cuisine, wine pairings, and upscale customer service to further enhance dining excellence and exceed guest expectations in a prestigious culinary establishment.
- As a recent hospitality graduate, I am enthusiastic to apply my academic knowledge and fervor for guest services as a head server, aiming to create a vibrant dining experience with my quick learning ability and unwavering dedication to surpassing diners' expectations.
- An ambitious individual with a deep-rooted passion for the culinary arts, seeking to embark upon a head server career, where I can utilize my exceptional interpersonal skills and eagerness to learn from the ground up to contribute to a dynamic, team-oriented dining environment.
Four more sections for your head server resume
Your head server resume can be supplemented with other sections to highlight both your personality and efforts in the industry. Use the ones you deem most relevant to your experience (and the role):
- Awards - to celebrate your success;
- Interests - to detail what you're passionate about outside of work (e.g. music, literature, etc.);
- Publications - to show your footprint in the wider community;
- Projects - to pinpoint noteworthy achievements, potentially even outside of work.
Key takeaways
- All aspects of your resume should be selected to support your bid for being the perfect candidate for the role;
- Be intentional about listing your skill set to be balanced with both technical and people capabilities, while aligning with the job;
- Include any experience items that are relevant to the role and ensure you feature the outcomes of your responsibilities;
- Use the summary or objective as a screenshot of your best experience highlights;
- Curate various resume sections to showcase personal, transferable skills.
