Customer Service

How to Write a Perfect Barista Resume (Examples Included)

barista-resume
Written by Kate Lopaze

These days, coffee is serious business. If you control someone’s daily caffeine access, you could very well hold their entire day in your hands. Sure, it may not be the level of social responsibility of, say, a brain surgeon, but you’re still providing what many people (myself included) would call a very necessary service. From the trendy euro-import coffee places to the trusted latte spot on the corner, baristas have become a major part of the food services industry.

Whether you’re already slinging cappuccinos with the best of them or looking to break into that field, we have some sample barista resumes that have you covered: one entry-level, one experienced barista, and one manager. You can download all of these resumes in a Word Document format through our Resume Library.

First up is Megan, who doesn’t yet have a lot of work experience.

barista-resume-entry-level

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Megan has some work experience (both in fast food and in retail customer service), but no specific experience serving coffee. That means she needs to play up the experience she does have, and show how it can qualify her for the job she wants. To do this, she uses a more functional resume format, where the skills are given top priority. Here is where she lets her translatable skills shine, emphasizing the qualities of a good barista: professional service, a commitment to keeping customers happy and keeping things moving, and a positive attitude with customers.

Next, let’s look at Rory, who is a more experienced barista.

barista-resume-experienced

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Rory has found his career niche, and that is coffee. He embraces this, starting off with a strong headline about his career highlights. He wants his experience to shine, so that is the first substantive element of his resume. If you’re in a specific field and have had fairly similar jobs on that path, it can be tough to differentiate one from the other—so it’s important to make sure you’re not just recycling bullet points for each. If you’re writing the same things over and over, your reader’s eyes are likely to glaze over and miss at least some of your qualifications. What Rory does is make sure that each job in his experience shows off different skills and tasks.

Rory also has a gap in his resume, from 2007 – 2010. It’s important to note that while this may trigger concern in a reader (why wasn’t this person employed straight through?), this is not a dealbreaker. Don’t panic! If you have gaps, make sure you’re addressing them. You want your resume to be tight and focused on your current qualifications, so you can just offer a brief note or summary. What Rory does is make a note of when he returned to working, and offers a short reason why. You don’t need to go into great specifics—especially since potential employers can’t legally ask you about your family or medical status. Basically, you just want to convey that there were personal reasons at the time, and you’ve moved on. If necessary, you can provide more context in an interview. The important thing for your resume is smoothing over any gaps and making a coherent picture of your career and—most importantly—your qualifications.

Last but not least, let’s look at Brenda’s resume. Brenda has taken on an increasing amount of responsibility in her barista career, and is looking to transition into a store manager role.

barista-resume-manager-level

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Brenda isn’t just redoing her resume for her next job—she’s looking to move up. This means that your resume needs to have an eye on what comes next, not just where you’ve been. To that end, Brenda needs to frame her narrative up front, which she does in the professional summary that kicks off her resume. She calls out management-specific qualities (“team leader,” “improving workflow…and productivity”) that she will flesh out in her experience bullets. She especially makes sure to emphasize those qualities in her most recent job, showing how she’s stepped up and taken on more managerial tasks as a shift supervisor promoted up from being a barista. You want to show an accurate picture of what you’ve done—but when you’re also looking to level up, you want to show upward movement and growth as well.

Looking for jobs in the field? TheJobNetwork has you covered! search for jobs in your area as a barista, as a barista manager, and more!

Want more resume templates? Check out our resume template for other jobs:

About the author

Kate Lopaze

Kate Lopaze is a writer, editor, and digital publishing professional based in New York City. A graduate of the University of Connecticut and Emerson College with degrees in English and publishing, she is passionate about books, baseball, and pop culture (though not necessarily in that order), and lives in Brooklyn with her dog.