Hospitality at its most basic is defined as friendliness or kindness to strangers. This does not, however, indicate that the hospitality job market is not competitive. While opportunities in hospitality are often vast, the stakes are often high—especially for sought-after positions at elite properties.
You can increase your chances of landing the job you want by giving your resume an update, whether you’re seeking an entry-level front-line role or a managerial position. Consider the following common hospitality resume mistakes and how you can avoid them.
Mistake No. 1: The Ugly Resume
In the hospitality resume, presentation is key. Your resume is, in effect, your hiring manager’s first impression of you. Poor formatting that results in a cluttered, hard-to-read document can cause them to form a negative impression of your abilities.
How to avoid it: Make sure your resume follows the standards of formatting, such as clear section headings, bullet point descriptions, the right fonts and sizes, and ample spacing. You can use an AI resume builder to take the hard work out of this process. You should also avoid trying to cram too much information into your resume and keep it to one page. We’ll discuss more about what to include and what not to include in the following sections.
Mistake No. 2: Not Continuing Your Education
It is not uncommon for those in the hospitality industry to have a high school education or its equivalent. They entered the field after high school or even during their summer vacations and worked through the ranks to the positions they have now.
That path is a completely valid one. But you don’t have to ignore your resume’s education section. Having a relevant certificate in hospitality or even a degree can increase the odds in your favor when applying for a better position or when a promotion is on the table.
How to avoid it: Hospitality certifications are inexpensive and easy to obtain through online courses. Likewise, you could seek a bachelor’s degree in hospitality through online classes. If you set your sights higher, you can even pursue a Master of Management degree in hospitality. Don’t forget to add them to your resume’s education or certifications section.
Mistake No. 3: Failing to Highlight Customer Service Excellence
If one skill resides at the heart of the hospitality industry, it is customer service. Employers want to know that you care about guests and are willing to go above and beyond to provide a positive, memorable experience. They also want to see that you are able to handle problems with poise and remain calm under pressure.
How to avoid it: Give careful attention to your bulleted job descriptions, making sure each one highlights customer service skills. Don’t just say “practiced good customer service.” Explain the positive outcomes of what you did. Quantify this whenever possible. For example, instead of saying, “Helped improve guest experience,” you might say, “Improved guest satisfaction scores from an average of 3.5 out of 5 stars to 4.5 five out of five stores over the course of two years.” The more exact your explanations, the better.
Remember, almost every type of job involves customer service at some level. Even if your previous experience was outside the hospitality industry, look for moments in which you employed this transferable skill.
Mistake No. 4: Blasé Job Descriptions
Above, we talked about the need to include customer service in your job descriptions. But this isn’t the only skill you should highlight. Overly generic job descriptions are the bane of many hospitality resumes.
How to avoid it: As discussed above, provide enough information to show your effectiveness in your role. Don’t say, “Handled customer complaints,” and leave it at that. Comment on the outcomes to guest satisfaction.
You should also take care not to overlook key skills. Food service knowledge or mastery of a foreign language could uniquely qualify you for certain roles. Soft skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, communication, and adaptability are also important. Include a Skills section listing applicable skills in order to optimize your resume for examination by a computerized applicant tracking system (ATS).
Mistake No. 5: The Xeroxed Resume
Many people have the mistaken idea that they only need one resume—that once it’s finished, they can email it and submit it with job applications like they’re running off copies on a copy machine.
In a sense this is true—one resume file saved to your computer is a good starting point. But you need to customize your document to each job you apply for.
How to avoid it: Carefully read the job description for each position you apply for. Include keywords like skills, years of experience needed, and education requirements in your resume. This will help you get past the automated ATS and in the next round.
Key Takeaways
The hospitality industry is full of opportunities. When you update your resume to avoid common mistakes such as formatting errors and failure to highlight relevant experience, you increase your chances of getting the job you want. You can even the odds even more by continuing your hospitality education.
