Hostess resume examples & templates

You have a sparkling personality, grace under pressure, and the ability to make every customer feel special. But how do you make that apparent in your hostess resume? Showing that you have what it takes to be a dazzling hostess is easier than you think. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about how to make your upcoming resume sparkle. 

Resume guide for a hostess resume

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This resume guide and corresponding hostess resume example will cover the following:

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

How to write a hostess resume

Ahead of starting your resume, you need to know which pieces of information to include. Every hostess resume should have the following sections: 

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

Start out by identifying your unique selling proposition. This is the one thing that can make your resume stand out from the crowd. Consider what unique qualities you have that other hostess may lack. It could be your winning personality or your ability to work well under stress.

When you’ve done that, follow these simple tips:

• Highlight accomplishments instead of just saying what you’ve done. Be clear about the impact your actions had on customers and, ultimately, the business as a whole. If you can quantify these achievements, all the better.
• Your resume is not a single, unchanging document. It is a job application; therefore, it needs to fit each job for which you apply. That means you should adapt each version of the resume every time you send it out.
• Use appropriate keywords in your hostess resume. That approach will stop it from being filtered out by ATS screening software. You can also use an ATS resume template.

Choosing the right resume format for a hostess 

The reverse chronological resume format is probably your best bet, as it is for about 90% of all job seekers. It’s a logical way to organize highlights of your current and previous work experience in each employee position you’ve held. This makes it easy for hiring managers to see what you’ve learned and applied in each position. This information is organized under dated employer headings, in order from most recent to earliest dates.

If you are new to the workforce or your background covers diverse occupations, a different resume format may be worth considering. The functional resume format emphasizes transferable skills rather than employers, while the hybrid (combination) resume format features both chronological and functional elements. 

Above all else, we recommend a simple and modern layout. You want to make the hiring manager’s job as easy as possible. Use one of our tried and tested resume templates now. 

Include your contact information

Your header is your resume’s business card. It quickly and easily tells the hiring manager how they can contact you. Here is the information that you need to include in your header: 

• Full name & title. Write your first name, last name, and the role, i.e. ‘hostess’.
• Professional email address. Include a professional email address where the hiring manager can reach you.
• Phone number. Add a number, but make sure that the voicemail is appropriate.
• Location. You don’t need to list your whole address. Simply add your city and state. You can also put ' Willing to Relocate' here if applicable.
• LinkedIn. While not all hostesses have a LinkedIn profile, if you have one and it is active and reliable, include it here. Make sure that it’s fully up to date first.
• Photo or headshot. Since this is a front-of-house role, you may want to include a photo of yourself or a headshot. 

Don’t include:

• Date of birth. Your date of birth can lead to age discrimination. Leave it out.
• Personal details. You don’t need to include your marital status, social security number, passport number, etc. These are private.
• Social media. Equally, you don’t have to include any social media sites—like Instagram or TikTok—on your resume. 

Make use of a summary

Your resume summary or personal statement shows you off at your best and most creative. It takes the best of your professional abilities and seasons it with a taste of your personality.

A hostess is the face of the restaurant. Your guest interactions will leave an impression on customers. In addition to in-person greetings, you may be charged with answering phone calls or text messages to take dining reservations or answer questions about the restaurant. It is here in the resume profile, and only here, that you have the opportunity to get a little creative.

You have about four lines in which to convince hiring managers that you are the person to create an optimal guest experience for every patron. How do you accomplish that? First, create a list of the top qualities that make you a great host or hostess. This list will also help you with your skills section.

Next, consider the one or two achievements of which you are proudest. Are you excellent at selling daily specials? Did you help plan special events or recommend menus for repeat customers? Were you able to reduce wait times or manage difficult situations? Highlight those here. You can also weave dynamic action verbs into the heart of this paragraph.

Wherever possible, add some metrics to back up your claims. You can use results-based points, such as “served 20 customers per hour,” to show your value to the hiring manager.

You can find adaptable hostess resume examples summary below:

Outline your hostess work experience

Perhaps you are looking to move up from a casual dining restaurant to something more upscale. Maybe you are ready to begin a career, or move from one service industry position to another. No matter the case, the message you want to send in your work experience section is this: I can do the job. I can learn and grow and handle responsibility.

The key to this is to think of your employment history as a story. Describe each job (in reverse chronological order, as noted previously) in terms of what you accomplished and what attributes you used to get there. In your first job, you completed basic tasks, and as you moved up, you learned and gained new skills. Try to show that as you compile your employment history section.

Instead of listing responsibilities, talk about achievements. Use strong action verbs and data whenever possible. Consider times you went above and beyond your job description to enhance the dining experience for restaurant patrons. Did you make a suggestion that improved flow in the dining area? How about pitching in by offering to sanitize between customers, printing up paper menus or creating a QR code system for viewing menus electronically?

Each bullet point should include new information—since a resume should only be one page, you need to make the most of each line. Add metrics to back up everything you say. These results-based points can make you stand out. Here’s what not to do: 

• “Optimized seating plans”
• “Offered personalized greetings”
• “Took daily reservations”

You can upgrade each of these points by adding in more detail and including some high-value metrics, too. Here’s how to do it: 

• “Managed a 30% reduction in guest wait times by optimizing seating plans.”
• “Increased customer satisfaction ratings by 20% via personalized greetings and resolving guest concerns promptly.”
• “Successfully handled 100+ daily reservations, accurately scheduling to maximize table utilization.”

Aim to not only detail the role you played but also the impact you had on the venue.

How to write a hostess resume with no experience

Hostessing can be an excellent part-time or full-time role. However, if you have no direct experience on your resume, you may struggle to get your foot in the door. Use our tips to help you improve your odds of success: 

• Focus on your transferable skills and draw comparisons with previous roles. This is a great way to show off your suitability for the role without having direct experience.
• Use fun, engaging language. Hostessing is all about personality. If you can let yours shine through, you’ll be a step above the rest.
• Consider using a functional resume format. This approach highlights your skills over the work experience you do (or, indeed, don’t!) have.
• Write a compelling and well-thought-out cover letter that backs up your reasoning for wanting to get into hostess work. This way, you can explain to the hiring manager what has driven you to this point.

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great hostess

Every great resume includes a great skills section, but what is a great skills section? One that distills your most sought-after and high-level attributes and achievements into a few words and phrases that recruiters can easily scan. 

Recruiters receive tens or hundreds of resumes for each position, so they can’t possibly read each one. This section gives them an easy way to sort through the pile. You’ll need to have a wide selection of both hard skills and soft skills for this role.

What are the most important skills for a host or hostess? Customer service and interpersonal skills, obviously! Right? But what does that mean? You need to be compassionate, understanding, solve problems quickly, and defuse potentially tense encounters with diners.

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our hostess resume template. 

If you can do so, take the time to contextualize the skills you have. For example, you may decide to:

• Demonstrate your excellent communication skills by writing an engaging resume and cover letter.
• Highlight your teamwork skills and outline how you worked with the other members of floor staff.
• Show off your interpersonal skills by talking about how you helped customers and solved problems for them.

Of course, you should always refer back to the job advert to see which skills you should include. 

Detail your education & relevant hostess certifications

Although you don’t need college degrees to become a great hostess, you may have more to say in your resume's education section than you think. A high school diploma is preferred by many employers, but there’s no need to list your GPA unless it is stellar and you are looking for your first job. Your employment history is much more important.

Here’s what else you could include in this section:

• Customer service training. For example, you may be a Certified Customer Service Professional (CCSP) or hold the Guest Service Gold Certification by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI).
• Event planning training. You may have received training on the job and have certificates in the realm of event planning and organization.
• Food hygiene certificates. These may include ServSafe Food Handler Certification, HACCP Certification (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), and Food Protection Manager Certification.
• Software certificates. Finally, you could have front desk or reservation management certifications in software like OpenTable, Resy, or SevenRooms.

Whatever training you have, add it to your resume. It could help you land that interview.

Pick the right resume layout and design for a hostess

As the face of the restaurant, you know how important first impressions are. You need to look the part when you go to work since you are representing the entire establishment. The same goes for your professional resume. It is the first indication hiring managers will have about who you are. 

Your resume layout needs to be neat, clean, professional and legible. There are several rules of thumb to follow to make sure you get there. 

1. Maintain standard margins and vary line lengths to avoid large, uninviting blocks of type.
2. Make sure your contact information stands out in the header.
3. Keep color to a minimum. A small flourish is fine.
4. Use only one or two easy-to-read fonts.
5. They may seem dull, but standard section headings are the way to go. Recruiters won’t spend a lot of time trying to guess what your cute or catchy titles really mean.

Within those parameters, you can still show your individuality. For some great examples, check out Resume.io's expert-vetted layout templates in four categories: Professional, Creative, Simple and Modern. Use our online resume builder tool to help you make the content your own.

Hostess text-only resume example

Hostess job market and outlook

Over the next decade, it’s projected that there will be 372,900 new hostess jobs across the US. That means there’s never been a better time to get into this field. Why not take the opportunity to spruce up your resume and get started on applications now?

What type of salary you can expect as a hostess 

The annual wage for this type of role is between $21,530 and $ 38,830. However, there’s a huge tipping culture in hospitality. That means that you could stand to make more money if your customers tip you well and often!

Key takeaways for a hostess resume

Position yourself for any new hostess job with a ready-to-go resume. Customize every section, every time you send in an application for a new position. Get creative (and a little boastful) in your profile or summary. Finally, highlight your accomplishments in your resume profile and employment history section.

Begin your job search with our resume builder, but take it to the next level with resume.io.