Host and Hostess Resume Template Example

When seeking a host or hostess position in a competitive industry, your resume should demonstrate stand-out customer service and organizational skills. Also, it must showcase accomplishments that demonstrate your warm and welcoming demeanor since you are likely the first point of contact for guests. Review our list of tips and examples to level up your resume.

How To Write a Host or Hostess Resume

Using a resume template can help you write an effective, engaging host or hostess resume. Your resume should include these key sections:

  • Contact information
  • Profile
  • Key skills
  • Professional experience
  • Education and certifications

Contact information

Provide your full name, phone number, email address, location, and a link to your online professional profile. Double-check contact information for accuracy so potential employers can contact you for an interview.

Example

Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation Zip Code
LinkedIn | Portfolio

Profile

In a few concise sentences, summarize your professional background, relevant skills, and experience as a host or hostess. Your profile should make a strong case for your success in the hospitality industry and value as a team member. Highlight strengths and integrate keywords from the job description to show you’re a good match for the position.

Example

Detail-oriented hospitality management professional with more than five years of experience delivering five-star customer service, managing reservations, coordinating table rotations, and executing dining strategies for top brands such as Olive Garden. Track record for boosting sales and elevating dining ratings by 30%.

Key skills

Focus on specific skills that position you as a strong candidate for the host or hostess job opening. Choose hard skills such as customer relationship management (CRM) databases and scheduling and soft skills such as cross-departmental collaboration and guest service. Consider which skills the company is looking for and how you can match them.

Common hard and soft skills for host and hostess

Hard Skills Soft Skills
Cash till reconciliation Cross-departmental collaboration
CRM databases Effective communication
Point-of-sale (POS) systems Guest services
Scheduling Multitasking
Staff training Time management

Resume writer’s tip: Use specific action verbs

Strategically select the words you incorporate into your host or hostess resume. Start each sentence of your professional experience section with an engaging action verb to showcase your job duties and accomplishments. Using descriptive words to demonstrate your success with various host or hostess responsibilities will grab the attention of hiring managers. Another tip: Avoid weak first-person statements such as, “I was responsible for…”

Action Verbs
Assisted Collaborated
Coordinated Enhanced
Generated Greeted
Listened Managed
Monitored Organized
Oversaw Prevented
Produced Ranked
Resolved Scheduled
Supervised Supported
Trained Welcomed

Professional experience

This section of your host or hostess resume should detail previous positions, including job duties, employer names, and dates of employment. Highlight specific achievements and accomplishments, quantifying your results whenever possible.

Example

Lead Host, Olive Garden, Syracuse, NY
December 2020 – present 

  • Manages scheduling for host and hostess staff and server crew of 40, ensuring optimum coverage during peak dining hours
  • Efficiently sits an average of 170 diners per dinner service, increasing table turnover to result in a 17% sales increase
  • Trains co-host/hostess staff to deliver on-brand service
  • Created a seating system to reduce customer wait times by 30% during busy lunch and dinner service hours

 
Host, Applebee’s,  Ithaca, NY
June 2018 – November 2020

  • Provided warm, efficient customer service, increasing the store’s customer rating from 3 to 4.5 stars on Yelp
  • Managed front of house operations, reducing visitor wait time by 20% within six months
  • Offered assistance with dining room cleanup and restocking during busy hours
  • Awarded Team Player of the Year certificate for two consecutive years

Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience

Use numbers and metrics to show results you achieved in previous roles. Provide context to your work history and give recruiters a better understanding of your scope and impact. Demonstrate your value and potential as a host or hostess by detailing your guest service accomplishments and organizational skills.

Do
  • “Delivered warm, efficient guest service, increasing the store’s customer rating from 3 to 4.5 stars on Yelp.”
Don’t
  • “Delivered a positive guest service experience.”

What if you don’t have experience?

Creating a host or hostess resume can be challenging if you don’t have real-world experience. But you have valuable skills and experience from education and training. Highlight relevant coursework and projects that demonstrate your guest service and communication skills. Also consider volunteer roles, such as helping organize a charity pancake breakfast or serving on a cafeteria menu committee. By emphasizing these qualities, you can display your potential to be a valuable asset to any hospitality team.

Education and certifications

List relevant education and certifications to show you’re a well-qualified host or hostess who is committed to continuing education. Include the title of the degree or certificate earned, the institution’s name, and the completion date. Also, list continuing education courses or professional development programs you’ve completed.

Example

Education
Associate of Occupational Studies, Culinary Arts, August 2017 – May 2019
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Certifications

  • New York Food Handlers License, Learn 2 Serve, 2020
  • ServSafe Food Handler Certification (SFHC), National Restaurant Association, 2019

Host or Hostess Resume Template Text Example

Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation zip code
LinkedIn | Portfolio

Profile

Detail-oriented hospitality management professional with more than five years of experience delivering five-star customer service, managing reservations, coordinating table rotations, and executing dining strategies for top brands such as Olive Garden. Track record for boosting sales and elevating dining ratings by 30%.

Key Skills

  • CRM databases
  • Cross-departmental collaboration
  • Customer service and engagement
  • Effective communication
  • Multitasking and organizational skills
  • Service efficiency

Professional Experience

Lead Host, Olive Garden, Syracuse, NY
December 2020 – present 

  • Manages scheduling for host and hostess staff and server crew of 40, ensuring optimum coverage during peak dining hours
  • Efficiently sits an average of 170 diners per dinner service, increasing table turnover to result in a 17% sales increase
  • Trains co-host/hostess staff to deliver on-brand service
  • Created a seating system to reduce customer wait times by 30% during busy lunch and dinner service hours

Host, McDonald’s, Ithaca, NY
June 2018 – November 2020

  • Provided warm, efficient customer service, increasing the store’s customer rating from 3 stars to 4.5 stars on Yelp
  • Ushered guests to online kiosks, assisting with self-serve ordering to expedite service and reduce front-counter cashier lines by 35%
  • Offered assistance with dining room cleanup and restocking during busy hours to free up line cooks and customer service specialists to focus on efficient ordering and meal delivery

Education

Associate of Occupational Studies, Culinary Arts, August 2017 – May 2019
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Certifications

  • New York Food Handlers License, Learn 2 Serve, 2020
  • ServSafe Food Handler Certification (SFHC), National Restaurant Association, 2019
Andrew Stoner

Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach

Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.

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