There are many great job opportunities in the hospitality industry that don’t require a college degree, but you may be wondering how to put together a strong resume without having a college degree or even a high school degree. 

Here are the 4 things to include on your resume. 

Focus on your skills 

Emphasize the traits you have that will convince potential employers you have the right set of qualities for the job you are applying to. Read through the job description and match the skills listed to the skills you have. Put your skill section at the top of your resume to make it a focal point. 

Some examples could be….

If you are applying for a front desk professional position, highlight that you have strong communication skills, you are computer literate, and your problem-solving skills are top-notch. 

If you are looking at a line cook position, make sure to mention you are detail-oriented and a strong team player, and passionate about proper food handling. 

Make your job history work in your favor

You can relate a lot of job experience to hospitality positions. If you worked in retail, mention different kinds of communication and customer service you have experience with. Did you help ease an unhappy customer through active listening and quick problem-solving skills? Helped create a great organization method for inventory? 

Focus on highlighting the job responsibilities that will translate well in a hospitality interview. 

If you’ve done freelance work, make sure to include this in your work experience. During the pandemic, a lot of workers took on a side gig or freelance work which can show you have strong time management, organization, or project management skills. 

Mention non-professional experiences 

If you’ve been involved in community activities, not-for-profit organizations, charitable or volunteer work that requires soft skills that translate in the hospitality industry, make sure to include those in a section on your resume separate from your work experience.

Highlight alternative education, awards, or training

You can easily replace the education sections with certifications, awards, or training sections to highlight the knowledge you have gained. Think about any job-related training, conferences, in-service training, seminar, or online learning you’ve done, and include it here with the dates you earned certifications or training. 

If you’ve received work-related awards, such as employee of the month, or sales recognition awards you can include those here as well to show you excellence in certain areas and with specific skills. 

Remember, never exaggerate or lie on your resume. Companies follow up on your experiences and details listed and if they find out something on your resume isn’t accurate you can lose the opportunity.