10 Necessary Skills to Include in Your Barista Resume

Why write a barista resume? The answer is simple: If you want the job, you have to sell yourself well. Many coffee shops offer applications that allow employees to fill in the blanks, but they (usually) fail to leave room for candidates to showcase their talents. Take an extra step and create a resume to turn in with your application. You can tell your professional story on your own terms and the hiring manager will be impressed that you made the effort.

When you're invited to showcase your skills as a coffee expert, make sure these 10 take top billing.

Customer service

Bartending of any kind (even the non-alcoholic kind) demands a specific style of customer service. If you're friendly and approachable, you can represent the social aspect of the company's brand. In your barista resume, make it clear that you excel in customer service. At the end of the day, this is what most customers will remember best about the experience.

Reliability

Timeliness can make or break your chances of success in this industry. If you can be trusted to show up on time, your employer will depend on you. This is a valuable asset to your employer, especially with the rampant shift switching that often occurs in these jobs. Though you can cover this skill in an interview, adding it to your barista resume is a smart move.

Knowledge

It doesn't usually take long (just a few weeks) to learn the basics of various coffee drinks and how to create them. But those few weeks of training mean a great deal — and come at a high cost — to your potential employer. If you don't need a long wind-up period, make this clear in your barista resume.

Speed and efficiency

An expert coffee server moves like a multi-armed octopus and maintains a nearly impossible standard of error-free speed and complex multitasking during a busy shift. If you can do this, show off this skill in your resume. Add some metrics to demonstrate the strength of your skill.

Teamwork

Are you easy to work with? Can your team trust you to have their backs during a rush? Do you know how to trust others as well? If so, play up this trait. High pressure rushes will force you to work well with your coworkers.

Unflappability

When an over-caffeinated customer yells at you, you keep your cool. When something goes wrong, you stay calm and solve the problem. This is especially important in a coffee shop where tensions rise and mad customer rushes are frequent.

Attention to detail

Food service positions involve close attention to detail and cleanliness. Demonstrate that you go the extra mile to make sure equipment and surfaces are safe, clean, and dry before you close.

Salesmanship

Upselling at the counter can sometimes keep a coffee shop in the black, especially a tiny operation with thin margins. If selling will be part of your job, prove that you can do it effectively. Again, add metrics to demonstrate your expert sales skills.

Cash management

Some barista jobs involve handling the register and the espresso machine on the same day, sometimes within the same five minutes. Can you operate a POS system or a digital register? Can you calculate change in the moment and track every penny that moves through your hands during a hectic shift? These are valuable skills worth including in your resume.

Communication

Let your employers know that you're a strong communicator in both spoken and written formats. You're clear with others about when you're available, when you're not, what you're doing, and what you need. You can also process and remember information that comes to you through various channels. When you say something, you mean it. We don't need to remind you about the hectic atmosphere of a coffee shop during a rush. You know that communicating effectively can preserve the coffee shop's reputation and reduce stress among co-workers.

For more on how to land a great job in the restaurant business, explore the application and job search tools on MyPerfectResume.