Bar Managers provide patrons with an enjoyable setting. They oversee bar operations and personnel to deliver top-quality beverages and service to customers. Bar Managers maintain an inviting facility by coordinating areas such as inventory, staff schedules, advertising, and promotional events. They also often focus on keeping the facility compliant with local regulations and licensing requirements.

That’s a lot to relay to another employer if you ever find yourself in the position to seek new employment. As you probably guessed, you’ll need a compelling resume that extolls your achievements and experiences in a way that makes you stand out from the very large crowd of other job seekers. Well, you’ve come to the right place!

Here, you’ll find a stellar Bar Manager resume example and several tips and tricks you need to write one yourself. Don’t worry, we’ll be with you every step of the way.

How to write a resume

Before you open a Word or Google Doc, there’s some homework you have to do. Writing your resume isn’t simply about listing the jobs you’ve held and the responsibilities you had at each one. You have to show future employers what you bring to the table for them. The best way to do that is through achievements. When they can see things you accomplished in past roles, they’ll get a glimpse into what you can do for them.

Make a list of achievements

Think of every job you’ve had for the last 10 years and answer these questions about each one:

What is something you did at that job that you’re most proud of?
What was going on?
What did you do about it?
What was the result?
Were you ever called on to perform some task that went above and beyond your job description?
Did you win any awards or were you recognized for outstanding performance?Once you have the answers to these questions, you can start to figure out how your skills and achievements mirror the duties prospective employers will want you to perform.

Dissect the job description

The best way to figure out what they want you to do is to read the job description. As you work through each line, pull out the relevant keywords. These phrases will need to show up on your resume so that you can get past the applicant tracking systems (ATS) that companies use to weed out candidates.

You won’t be dissecting just one job description though. You’ll need to do it every time you apply for a position because your resume needs to be tailored to each job individually.

Reverse-chronological format

Now that you have a good idea of what you’ll be writing, it’s time to start typing. There are a lot of resume formats out there. A lot of people feel that they need to use a heavily-formatted, eye-catching resume to grab the hiring manager’s attention. For the love of everything good in this world, avoid doing that at all costs. The ATS can’t properly parse information from those resume styles.

Your best bet is to use the reverse-chronological format that you’ll find in the Bar Manager resume example in the next section. It may look boring, but it’s what the ATS can scan the best, and – believe it or not – it’s what hiring managers expect to see.

Proofread it when you’re done

Technically speaking you’re never done writing your resume as you should be updating it regularly – every six months or so is best. Every time you touch it to add a new word, phrase, or line, you should be proofreading it at least three times to ensure that what’s on the page is spelled correctly and that there are no grammatical or syntax errors. One of the times you read it should be out loud because when you read silently, your brain will interpret what’s supposed to be on the page rather than what actually is there. Being able to hear the words will help you identify something that’s out of place or wrong.

Bar Manager resume example

Here it is – the Bar Manager resume example we promised.

Name

Title

City, State or Country if international

Phone | Email

LinkedIn URL

BAR MANAGER PROFESSIONAL

A dynamic, results-oriented Bar Manager offering focused leadership to drive sales and profitability in highly competitive markets. Noted for outstanding communications skills, both with guests and staff; ability to resolve problems quickly and equitably to ensure satisfied customers and happy employees. Consistently achieve performance goals through enthusiasm, tenacity, and initiative. Manager with the ability to motivate staff members and turn under-producing teams into record-breaking units. Well organized with a track record that demonstrates self-motivation, perseverance, and the creativity to achieve both personal and corporate goals.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Team Building
Staff Training
Customer Service
Restaurant Management
Guest Relations
Purchasing/ Inventory
Cost Containment/ Control
Quality Assurance
Policies/ Procedures
Facilities/ Safety Management
P & L Management
Loss Prevention

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

BAR MANAGER

COMPANY INC | CHICAGO, IL | 2015 to 2020

Responsibilities

Managed bar operations for smooth functioning operation while maintaining a high standard of customer satisfaction.
Responsible for the overall food and beverage operations by formulation of policies, business goals, and exceeding revenue targets.
Focused on continuous staff training and development to ensure policies and procedures were followed.
Developed close relationships with clients and analyzed their needs to develop and build menus and personalized events to ensure top-level customer service, retention, and referrals.
Ensured company standards for quality and service were exceeded by each team member.
Effectively implemented new systems and procedures that increased sales by 20%.
Responsible for the strategic marketing and advertising efforts that increased brand awareness, exposure, and overall revenues by 30%.
Assisted with interviewing, hiring, training, and development of qualified employees.
Managed front of house staff including servicers, bussers, hostesses, and bartenders: had a record low turnover of 10% and through creative improvement initiatives, increased productivity by 40%.
Managed back of house operations including food preparation, quality control and expediting: continuously achieved a 100% audit on xxx and a 98% customer service satisfaction on food quality and timing.
Ensured quality and critical communication between the front and back of house: this resulted in a record number of nights with zero mistakes and increased revenues of over 130%.
Created numerous contests and promotions to increase sales, productivity and facilitate team building: ideas were so successful they were adopted by the corporate office and used for training purposes.
Handled customer complaints and concerns, achieving record 100% customer satisfaction ratings.
Worked directly with health inspectors and city officials to ensure that restaurant met and exceeded local laws and codes: achieved a record rating of 100% for 6 audits.
Created employee schedule to ensure labor hours fell within projected guidelines and accommodating numerous employee requests.

GENERAL MANAGER

COMPANY INC | CHICAGO, IL | 2012 to 2015

Responsibilities

Provided maximum customer satisfaction and effective management of operations and supporting services by sustaining growth and quality while driving profitability.
Partnered with large booking agencies and hired local and national live acts to increase revenues and gain exposure.
Responsible for controlling costs of material related to production and service.
Maintained expenses below budget through accurate planning and waste reduction.
Initiated a positive approach to receiving customer feedback, satisfaction and address problems and concerns.
Achieved targets and goals resulting in an increase in sales by 30%.
Revitalized the Restaurant menu with financial viability in mind by developing and introducing new concepts.
Initiated a promotion by introducing a specialty cuisine attraction at the restaurant which increased foot traffic by 20%.
Responsible for conducting sales calls, client visits, promotions and maintained relationships with suppliers.
Ensured store stock levels were appropriate for operations and managed ordering of supplies.
Hands-on operator during peak hours.
Trained staff on a regular basis on improving their customer service standards and Food and Beverage product knowledge, wines, and spirits.
Increased annual revenues by 50% and took a declining market to high levels of sales within one year.
Exceeded corporate and personal quotas on a consistent basis.
Developed lasting relationships with contacts which prove to be an excellent referral source.

EDUCATION

Complete School Name, City, St/Country: List Graduation Years If Within the Last Ten Years
Complete Degree Name (Candidate) – Major (GPA: List if over 3.3)

Relevant Coursework: List coursework taken (even include those you are planning on taking)
Awards/Honors: List any awards, honors or big achievements
Clubs/Activities: List clubs and activities in which you participated
Relevant Projects: List 2-3 projects you have worked on

As you can see it is a simple text resume with no fancy formatting. It is okay to use color shading and bold text, but that’s about it for styling. In this case, the content of your resume is more important than aesthetics.

Feel free to use this Bar Manager resume example as a template so you’ll know how to lay out the text. Then add your own profile summary, core proficiencies, work history, and education.

Key hard & soft skills for Bar Manager

Let’s talk about the Core Proficiencies a bit. As tiny as the section is, it packs a very powerful punch. In fact, a lot of resume writers call this section the ‘Beat the Bots’ section. It’s the place to add keywords and phrases that are specifically found in the job description. Now, that’s not to say you can’t put relevant keywords and phrases throughout your resume. However, the Core Competencies section – sometimes called Areas of Emphasis or simply Skills – is a crucial keyword location.

As you weave keywords into your resume, you’ll want to ensure there’s a good mix of hard and soft skills. When you have a balanced presentation of different types of skills on your Bar Manager resume, you present yourself as a well-rounded candidate for the open position the employer is trying to fill.

Hard skills for Bar Manager

Hard skills, also known as technical skills, are specific and teachable. These are the abilities and knowledge that you’ve earned from education and experience. On top of that, they can be quantified and measured. When it comes to doing the everyday functions of your job as a Bar Manager, hard skills are the things that will get you through.

Examples of hard skills for Bar Manager:

Inventory management
Point of sale systems
Staff training
Food and beverage management
Wine knowledge
Menu development
Liquor licensing
Safety & Hygiene
Event planning
Bar equipment operation

Soft skills for Bar Manager

On the other hand, soft skills – sometimes called interpersonal skills – are people skills and personal attributes that you possess that make you good at your job. They’re not easily quantified and can sometimes not even be taught – you are either good at listening to others or you’re not. It’s important to know that employers rely heavily on soft skills when looking for new staff members, especially when they have two candidates with equal qualifications in front of them.

Examples of soft skills for Bar Manager:

Communication
Leadership
Customer service
Teamwork
Problem-solving
Adaptability
Time management
Conflict resolution
Emotional intelligence

Summary & last words

As you build your Bar Manager resume, remember that a traditional reverse-chronological format will serve you best, but that it’s also critical to include career achievements and a good balance of hard and soft skills. Interview-winning resumes speak directly to the job description so that future employers know what you will bring to the table for their team.

Introduction to ZipJob: Professional resume writers

As we mentioned at the beginning, ZipJob’s team of professional resume writers is here with you every step of the way. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting your career as a Bar Manager – or if you have aspirations to ascend to that leadership role – our writers will work with you one-on-one to analyze your knowledge and skills to craft a master resume that will properly serve your job-seeking needs.

Why you should make use of our resume writing services to land your next job as Bar Manager

The most important thing you need to know about ZipJob is that we use the same tech that companies use – those pesky ATS that scan resumes. That’s how we are able to guarantee that you’ll see more interviews within 60 days of getting your new resume. Not only will you be assured of getting past those company resume scanners, but the overall confidence you’ll feel knowing that you can adequately discuss your career achievements in a way that will impress a hiring manager is often the best medicine to cure job search blues.

Resume writing service for Bar Manager: Let us write your resume

Our team of professional resume writers is ready to work with you wherever you are ready to take the plunge. When you consider the returns you’ll receive with a new career, hiring a professional resume writer is a small price to pay. It’s more of an investment in your future, especially considering that your resume is arguably one of the most important financial documents you’ll ever own. Think about that for a minute. Without your resume, you can’t get an interview to land the job you’ll need to get the money to pay bills, go on vacation, and save for retirement. Let’s get started.

Bar Manager Sample