A waiter or waitress can be a great job to have depending on what your needs are. Typically, a job as a waitress, while it can require many demanding hours, usually has the benefit of a more flexible schedule compared to other jobs.

And, even though waiters and waitresses receive what's considered a low hourly wage, the good news is that you can get decent tips from your customers while having the ability to interact with people on a regular basis. No matter what your experience is with being a waiter or waitress, at some point you'll probably want to add this experience to your resume when it comes time to apply for a new job.

Types of Waitress Jobs

People choose to become a waiter or waitress for many different reasons. Whether it's a teenager trying to save money for a car, a college student trying to pay their way through school or a teacher who is looking to make some extra money on the side, being a waitress is a good job to have. And, whatever motivated you to become a waiter or waitress in the first place, there are many ways to work your way up in the career, despite the fact that many people may feel being a waitress is a temporary gig. There are also many different types of waitress jobs.

For instance, a waiter or waitress can work in a restaurant, on a cruise ship, at a golf course, in a bar or at a hotel. And, while the duties and responsibilities of a waitress in a hotel aren't much different than those at a family-style restaurant, why not have more options? Like with any career, the more experience you have, the more you can move up, have choices about where you want to work and ultimately, earn more money.

Additionally, there are many skills to be gained as a waiter or waitress that may one day give you the knowledge and confidence to open your own restaurant one day. And, if it turns out that's not your future, a waitress is always a great job to fall back on if times get tough or you want to earn a little extra money.

Should You Include Waitress on Your Resume?

Whether you're just getting into the restaurant business as a waiter or waitress or you've been doing it for a while, you may be wondering if it's appropriate to put your experience as a waiter or waitress on your resume. This can be tricky, especially for those who are pursuing another career path. You don't want any unrelated jobs on your resume.

If you are pursuing another job in the restaurant, customer service or in the hospitality business, then you should absolutely put your experience as a waiter or waitress on your resume. Otherwise, you may want to consider if it's going to be beneficial to keep this experience on your resume altogether, as the irrelevance may throw off the HR department of your prospective job in a new career.

Waiter Job Description Summary

Once you've decided that you will include your waiter or waitress experience on your resume, then it's a good idea to include a waiter job description summary in your resume. This summary should be included at the top of your resume near your contact information, to give the hiring manager a little insight into who you are and why you're the best candidate for the job.

For this summary, you can say something along the lines of, "Experienced waitress with more than five years in the restaurant business." Or, if you've worked as a waitress in different environments, then your summary can say something like, "Experienced waitress with more than three years working in some of New York City's top restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions."

If you're new to this role, then it may not be necessary for you to include a summary like this on your resume. But, if you wanted to include it, then you could say something that highlights your skills and attributes that are desired in the hospitality and food service industry. For example, consider writing something like, "Friendly and responsible employee looking for a full-time job in the restaurant business." While you can indicate that you're looking for a job as a waiter or waitress, it's good to be open to whichever jobs may be available.

What are a Waitress' Job Description Skills?

If you have never worked as a waitress or waiter before, you may be wondering what skills are required of you and which of those skills you can really highlight on your resume. In addition to being able to memorize menu items, which patrons ordered what and multi-tasking many jobs at once, there are other skills that a waiter or waitress should possess:

• Friendliness
  
• Pays attention to detail
• Quick on their feet
• Communicates well with others
• Open-mindedness
• Patient
• Approachable

Waitress Job Description for Resume

Now, you'll have to list the rest of your waiter or waitress job experiences on your resume. Though there are different types of resume styles you can use, the most common one is the reverse chronological order resume. This is where you list your waiter/waitress experience from your current job at the top and continue down one by one by what's most recent to the job that goes the furthest back. Do not go back further than 10 to 15 years.

When writing the waitress job description for a resume, you'll want to think about what you did at each specific job that makes you stand out. Of course, most waiters and waitresses have the same general job description – taking orders from customers, memorizing special requests, checking on tables every several minutes to see if the customers need anything, etc. This might bore your hiring manager. So, while you should still list your general job responsibilities, try to think of ways to make those responsibilities sound more unique:

• Making sure guests feel comfortable and welcome the moment they sit down.
• Ensuring that orders are given the right attention, especially to any customers with dietary restrictions or allergies.
• Making sure food is brought out warm or hot.
• Advising customers of any delays in the kitchen.
• Memorizing the daily specials and other key menu items.
• Monitoring tables closely.
• Ability to work well with other employees in the restaurant. 

Other Ways a Waitress Can Boost Their Job Application

Once your resume is clean, updated and ready to go, it's time to start venturing out to restaurants, hotels and other establishments to get your resume in the right hands. Though people can apply for a waiter or waitress job online, it's still commonplace for people to apply in person, which can actually help you land the job quicker. Generally, if the place is interested in you based on your resume, the hiring party will sit down with you and maybe put you to work for a test run.

But, if the hiring party has received a lot of applications and you're really keen on getting that specific job in spite of all the competition, there are a few things you can do to boost your job application.

One, it's always helpful to ask around for jobs through people you know. Secondly, consider gathering references from your past employers that you can provide for your prospective boss. Lastly, be open to taking other jobs as they come up, for instance, if a part-time waitress position or a hostess are the only positions available, it might be good to accept it just to get your foot in the door.