As you prepare your resume, it's important to include food service skills that demonstrate your ability to work in the industry. These skills can be listed in a bulleted format and should be explained in short sentences below previous job titles. When choosing your wording, make sure to connect applicable skills with food service functions. Attention to detail is especially important in this field, as it is closely related to safety.
Waiters must remember which diner ordered the mint-free special and if there could be specks of pepper in the dressing due to allergies or preferences. Cooks must keep their tools and workstations scrupulously clean, otherwise food poisoning could occur. Even when an unsatisfied diner may be a lower priority in the face of major emergencies, keeping track of the needs of multiple tables in a noisy and chaotic environment is tiring work. Food service requires a combination of hard and soft skills, such as: Verbal Communication, Active Listening, Teamwork, Collaboration, Patience, Resilience, Selling Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Strong Memory, Stress Management, Work Well Under Pressure, Time Management Skills, Social Skills, Problem Solving Skills, Touch Multitasking, Organizational Skills and Adaptability.
Customer service skills are essential for those working in the front of the house. However, food services also include food preparation, table preparation, event planning, cleaning, reception and more. Food service and related positions generally have no formal education or work experience requirements. When interviewing for a job in food service, be prepared to give specific examples of when you used the skills listed above.
Taking an online course is also a great way to gain the necessary skills for working in this field. The course should cover topics such as sustainable marketing and food security from the perspective of food systems. It should also illustrate the main current global challenges from the environmental impact of food production to the public health impacts of current and future diets. Managers of the best restaurants or bars are very busy.
To succeed in this field it's important to have a balanced combination of hard and soft skills as well as a strong service ethic. When applying for a job in food service make sure to highlight any commonalities between what the job offer asks for and the skills you've used well in the past.
