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Beef Up Your Resume:

Dont Let Lack of Experience Limit You

Kathy Broughton had worked in customer service most of her life, but never as a hotel front deskclerk. She had experience as a barkeep, server and retail sales clerk, but no specific training in anindustry that interested her. When the opportunity arose to apply for a job at a local hotel chain, she

was concerned her lack of specific experience would hinder her chances of landing this hospitalityjob.

After taking some industry-related courses, she faxed her resume in response to a newspaper ad,

then was called for an interview and was working three days later.

Her secret? I stressed my customer service on my resume, and they took my experience as a plus. I

knew I had the personality and qualifications to do the job.

Just Starting Out?

Being new to the hospitality industry isnt an automatic dont call us, well call you. There areways of tailoring your resume to get that all important interview, even if youre new to the

business.

Your objective needs to be really clear, advises chef-consultant Gary E. Miller. If you dont have

the resume to back it up, you must say up front you really love the restaurant industry, you havespent some time in the business, you have the interest and a willingness to learn.

Quite often, he adds, applicants dont have relevant experience, especially if theyre applying for a

starter job in the restaurant industry. But he doesnt see this as an impediment to advancement.

Im a huge believer in attitude over aptitude. Tremendous attitude has it over the person with aworld of experience who thinks he can change the world. I want someone who does what I ask and

can do it well.

Focus On Your Skills; Quantify What Youve Done

Everyone, says recruiter Peter Shrive, a partner with Cambridge Management Planning, has workexperience. Summer jobs, assignments, coop placements, part-time jobs, internships all count.

Almost anyone has skills that can be marketable, he says.

He offers the example of a student who might have run an ice cream stand. How would that person

describe her job experience on a resume? What you did was purchase raw materials, plannedinventories, dealt with 31,000 customers, grew sales by X%, generated Y% in profits, managed

banking, handled cash transactions, honed customer service skills, arranged for repairs, located and

hired staff, worked with the owners. Suddenly, that summer job sounds very relevant to a position

in the hospitality industry.

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Shrive also advises job seekers to quantify previous experience on their resumes. You werent justa server working in a particular restaurant. Include on your resume how many customers you

served in a day, how many bills you managed daily, how many receipts you gave without mistakes.

Servers have to remember all the specials, have to be able to tally the bill properly, have to be able

to carry all those plates. These are marketable skills, he says.

Mind The Gaps

Gaps in your resume can be inevitable if youre switching careers or have taken time away because

of maternity leave, illness, traveling, or periods of unemployment. To a prospective employer,though, gaps can become red flags, so they should be handled carefully. If the gap was legitimate,

be honest. If you were unemployed, explain what you did with your time and what types of jobs

you applied for. Backpacking in Europe, however, suggests irresponsibility. In that case, Shriveadvises you talk about the opportunities you took to study hospitality trends, comparing restaurants

or studying customer service in different countries.

Tips For Beefing Up Your Resume

1. Start with a strong functional resume.2. Lay your cards on the table. Let the employer know if you lack specific experience, but that

doesnt mean you lack appropriate skills and an enthusiasm for the hospitality industry.

3. Make up for your lack of experience with a knowledge of the industry, plus specificknowledge of the establishment to which youre applying.

4. Emphasize your skills, not your places of employment.

5. If youve worked in one job for the past 10 years, dont assume this is the only job forwhich youre suited. Job skills are transferable. Lets say you want to move from a front

desk job in a hotel to a different hospitality sector. Talk on your resume about how youve

honed your customer service skills, developed your money management, learned computer

skills, increased international skills, enhanced your local knowledge.6. If youve jumped around from job to job, be prepared to explain why. Employment

instability can be a red flag, especially in a high turnover industry like hospitality.

7. Instead of listing your months of employment, use years and consider not listing every jobyouve held unless its relevant.

8. Trying to shift careers? Research your new industry and tailor your resume accordingly. If

your number one skill is people handling, then look back at your career and find the topexamples of customer service experiences.