Table of Contents

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When you’ve decided to pursue a different career path within the hospitality industry, the first thing you will need to do is modify your resume. Competition for hospitality jobs remains fierce. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that advancement opportunities for service workers in hotels, hotel managers, and tour operators are expected to increase through 2016, but those who have more experience will be able to secure more attractive positions. No matter how qualified you are for a position, you will need to make sure you stand apart from hundreds, even thousands of other applicants with a distinctive and well-formatted resume.

Step 1

Review different resume formats online to create your own customized resume template from scratch. Avoid copying and pasting new details into your old resume when making a career change and create new sections and fields instead. You will need to modify the template for each hospitality position you apply for so that all of the sections pertaining to the actual position. Taking a customized approach can help you create an eye-catching and distinctive resume that employers will remember.

Step 2

Identify your transferable skills. Even if you don’t have direct experience in the position that you are applying for, make sure the employer knows how your skills may be transferrable. For example, if you held the position as a hotel operations manager and are looking for a position in purchasing, highlight your leadership skills and your ability to analyze reports and data. If you have held a position as a guest services agent and are applying for a position in the marketing department, highlight your customer service, negotiation, and time management skills.

Step 3

Don’t use generic language. The career management experts at the IMPACT Group point out that generic resumes and cover letters aren’t the types of application materials that will land you an interview. As competition gets fierce, you need to present a resume that puts the spotlight on all of your skills and experience as it relates to the specific job. Consider working with a professional writer so that the tone of each description doesn’t sound like it was copied from the content of the job description.

Step 4

Include specific details. Laura Smith-Proulx, a triple-Certified Career Management Coach and professional resume writer says that many professionals make the mistake of sticking with old resume formats that don’t give employers a chance to see the most important details. Make sure your resume contains specific information about each hospitality position you’ve held so that the prospective employer can scan your article and find out exactly why you would be a good fit for the position within a few minutes. Include details about projects you were responsible for, accomplishments, and other important details that will help you stand apart from the competition.

Step 5

Make sure your resume is optimized for search. If you plan on posting your resume to job banks such as HCareers.com, you need to make sure that employers will find your resume with a simple search. Take the time to learn about the keywords and key phrases of your prospective job so that you can use these words throughout the copy of your resume. For example, if you are applying for a position as a hotel HR manager, you will need to make sure a good percentage of your resume contains keywords such as ’hotel human resources, ’human resources professional’, ’hotel career advisor’, ’hotel career expert’ and other related terms.