Oftentimes, simple is better. Especially when it comes to your resume. You want to make sure that the content is what the hiring manager is focusing on the content, your skills, work experience, and background instead of the design or your font choices, etc. 

Let’s start with the basics of your resume. 

If you are using a free online resource, like Canva, Resume.io, or a pre-built Microsoft Word template try to pick a template that is simple and will pass through an applicant tracking system (ATS) easily. 

Use can also use our pre-made hospitality resume template or our front desk representative template as a starting point. Make sure to choose an easy-to-read font that all computers will have available. The best fonts for resumes are:

• Time New Roman
• Arial
• Georgia 
• Calibri
• Helvetica
• Garamond

Keep the majority of the resume in 12-point font size, but you can increase the size or bold the headers and subheaders.

Contact information

The first thing to include is your name and contact information. Make sure to use a professional email account, it’s typically free to create one and can help keep all your applications separate from other kinds of emails. 

Next, include a short resume summary. This is a professional statement that gives a description of your relevant experience, skills, and achievements. Some people opt to leave this out, but it can only increase your chances of grabbing the hiring manager’s attention and gives you more opportunities to add in keywords.

Skills and experiences

Create a section to list your hard and soft skills. This section may change slightly depending on each job you’re applying for. While reading through the description, write down the skills they mention that you have to add to the list. If the job description says, “organize and stock cleaning cart” and you have strong organizational skills, add that to the list. Here are some general hospitality skills to note: 

• Communication
• Active listening
• Problem-solving 
• Time management
• Self-starter 

Your next section should be your work experiences. List them chronologically with your most recent position at the top. Make sure to include your title, the dates you were there for, the company name, and a list of the job responsibilities you had while there. Here is an example of this section:

If it is your current position, use present tense verbs, but for any past experiences used past tense. Try to only include work experiences that are relevant to the position you are applying for, especially if your resume is more than one page long. 

Education and certifications 

If you have a high school or college education to add, include it as the last section on your resume. Add the degree you received, what dates you were there, and if you participated in any extracurriculars that are relevant, like sports teams, professional groups, and organizations. 

If you have earned any certifications, add them to this section as well. 

Do not include

Leave out sections that include your hobbies or interests, your social media (unless they are professional accounts that show your skills), and references. You will have the opportunity to talk about these things during the interview if it is relevant, but they may not pass through an ATS, and then the hiring manager would not see your resume.