Barista Resume

Sample Resume for Barista Job - Tips for your Coffee Shop Barista Resume

Applying to work in a coffee shop and need to polish up your resume? So you want to work as a barista, front counter person and other positions in your favorite coffee house, perhaps Starbucks?

Here are some ideas and examples to ensure you have the best chance of landing that barista job putting you on the road to being a professional barista with a secure job for your future.

What does a barista do?

Yes, a barista makes fine espresso drinks and other coffee beverages, brews a great cup of coffee and has knowledge of coffee bean qualities including such things as coffee cupping (professional coffee tasting) to discern the finer points of coffee including its primary characteristics such as body, aroma, acidity, sweetness/bitterness, and finish/aftertaste.

These days a barista also needs to possess some other skills that are seen as equally important to the above. In fact, since the above skills can be trained, these other skills are perhaps more important as they are harder to instill in someone.

Among these other skills is friendliness and the ability to work with the public in a professional manner. Perhaps even more important than you having a smile all the time is your ability to put a smile on your customers' faces.

Convey this on your resume, that is the best tip on writing your barista resume. More details to follow.

Fast and Friendly Service is Most Revered Quality Among Baristas

You can be fast, and you can be friendly, but it is only when you are fast AND friendly that you have become a truly valuable asset to a coffee shop. There are some baristas who are friendly to a tee. They will chat up the customers to no end. And that's the problem, no end!

The customer waiting behind them in line will become increasingly annoyed not just because they have to wait but because they have to wait for no apparent reason other than a long story about someone's weekend adventures or why the car wouldn't start.

A barista who is a true professional will be able to finish up the chit chat with a customer just as they are finishing dealing with their transaction, and gently prod them onward to await their coffee drink while the next customer's order is taken and rung into the register.

And then there are the baristas who are fast but not necessarily friendly. Even one rude interaction by a barista can do more harm than ten friendly interactions.

A professional barista doesn't bring their personal problems to play at work, and treats each customer with dignity and respect.

Perhaps most importantly they know how to defuse the annoyances of a rude customer without offending that customer, because there are few things worse than an offended customer who is already know to be rude even in the best of circumstances.

Efficient Service is Barista Hallmark

So back to the resume tips. Make sure and put equal emphasis on both the fast and friendly qualities, and convey your ability to blend these two qualities seamlessly in a way that provides an efficient service to the coffee shop customers.

At the same time your professional barista behavior attracts a client base who comes back again and again and each time they are relieved to see you because they know they will get their coffee as quickly as possible and possibly also a kind word in the bargain.

Barista as “People Person”

Your friendly qualities can be mentioned in the cover letter of your resume and can also be mentioned in the Skills Summary section or Resume Profile section.

You might mention that you are a “people person” by nature, or that you are always naturally friendly and warm in your demeanor. You might also mention that you have a great ability to remember names, and enjoy greeting repeat customers by name.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness - Barista Resume Tips

Coffee shops often serve food as well as coffee, and cleanliness is a vital quality that is very important to many customers, and for many it is their primary concern.

If the food is good and the coffee shop conveys a cleanness then many customers might even tolerate slow and less than exuberant service, but if they suspect any cleanliness issues they may never order food there again.

Some cleanliness qualities prized among the barista establishment include the not just your own personal qualities - e.g., clean fingernails, hair grooming, clothing and general outward appearance - but also their ability to keep a clean, tidy and organized work environment.

By the way, this is also very important at the time you inquire about the application for work at the coffee shop, and at the time that you drop off your barista resume.

Make sure your attire is appropriate for the particular venue, and this may differ a bit from coffee shop to coffee shop so scout things out before you make your move. If you have long hair make sure it is tied back and make an unmistakeable effort to create a very well-kept appearance.

Multitasking in the Face of Adversity - Barista Resume Tips

A professional barista in a modern coffee shop is a master of multitasking and these skills do not diminish under pressure but instead that is when they really shine.

On your barista resume don't hesitate to brag about how you thrive in a busy and fast-paced work environment. Remember, when the going gets tough the tough get going!

Be creative with your words as you describe yourself, say what comes to mind when you thin about being a bubbly, outgoing, upbeat person who likes to make people smile.

Paint a Picture of Yourself - The Resume Extraordinaire

Use your words to paint a picture of yourself that shows you in your full glory. A resume is no time for modesty, yet if are a modest person that can be woven into your description as well.

Some “people persons” are more relaxed in their demeanor yet still very comforting to customers without over exuberance. Remember there is a difference between being fast and friendly, and being just plain hyperactive.

Keep the focus on the customer, so even when you are describe how you are proficient at doing all of the coffee making and other coffee shop tasks, even those duties are done with the customer experience in mind.

Other Barista Resume Tips

Think back to your schooling and mention any classes you may have taken to do with food service, coffee shops, business, even things like bartending. Also any experiences working with the public.

These are all worth mentioning as they bear some relation to working at a coffee shop. This is true for high school classes, college, and any classes you took outside of traditional schools. If have taken any training do with first aid or emergency procedures this is also relevant.

Experienced Barista Application Tips

If you have some knowledge of coffee shops and have worked in any phase of the industry then this knowledge needs to be shared in its entirety.

Don't just say that you worked at a coffee shop, but instead expand it to include finer details of what your responsibilities were, how you excelled and what you learned.

What kind of training did you receive? Have even attended or participated in any coffee cupping (professional coffee tasting) events or formally evaluated coffees?

Have you competed as a barista, brewing espresso coffee drinks to be evaluated by judges? By the way, if being a barista is a future ambition then participating in these types of activities now will go a long way toward helping you fulfill your aspiration someday of being a barista. Plus its fun and you will learn a lot.

Search the internet for local coffee events or competitions, and if possible enter. It doesn't matter if you win, just being there will be significant. When you apply to enter offer to volunteer in helping to organize and run the event as this takes your involvement to another level that shows commitment.

Key Qualities of Professional Baristas

Above we have covered most of the major points of what to include on your barista resume including your friendly qualities, your neatness in work habits and appearance.

Now here is a sample resume to show you how to include these items in a formal organized resume that you can provide to the coffee shop where you are applying.

Sample Barista Resume

Daniel Johnson

732 Fairhaven Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93111

probarista@yahoo.ca, 805-423-9825

Personable Coffee Shop Barista and Counter Person, skilled at all aspects of customer service and coffee drink preparation, always focused on creating a positive customer experience. Fluent in English and Spanish. Training in CPR.

“Daniel is a fast and efficient worker who often greets customers by name and with a smile, and everyone appreciates his professional and personable approach.”

Jack Finnegan, Owner/Manager of Coffee Hut

WORK EXPERIENCE

Coffee Hut Coffee Shop

Counter Person and Barista, 2008-2010

Prepared espresso coffee drinks, kept counters and equipment clean, prepared food items, etc.

Finishing Up the Barista Resume

The above section should go on for a while, listing as many important duties. Also mention if you helped with any ordering, bookkeeping or any other facets of the business.

Finish up with a note about the customers, and how that was your greatest skill and responsibility, ensuring their great experience and developing a client base that was glad to see you when they came in the door just as you were glad to see them.

The final section of your resume with list your Education, which should contain just a few lines stating any degrees and training you completed.

Final Barista Resume Tips

Be confident! A person can be modest, yet a certain confidence in your skills is a very desirable quality without being overbearing or over sure of yourself.

Highlight your willingness to learn and even name some specific things you are interested in learning more about, such as espresso brewing. At the same time highlight your existing skills, and that should be the perfect combination that will set you on the road to your career as a barista.

Don't be afraid to be yourself as a Barista. It is okay to reflect your own distinct personality and demeanor, and indeed this is what will most endear you to the clientele as well as the other workers, since everyone likes someone who is authentic. The professional Barista knows how to let their own personality shine through while not crossing any lines between personal issues/attitudes and the workplace.

For example, the master Barista will not start vehemently spouting off an extreme political view, or for that matter much of any political views at all in the work place since the Barista is aware that customers include people of all political persuasions, and the heated debate over issues can occur among the coffee patrons at their tables amongst each other rather than at the cash register or Barista counter, where the conversation should be kept much lighter and focus on positive things.

If a customer laments some woe they are experiencing you can nod an affirmation implying some sympathy, but don't try to get to involved in their personal issues between the time they order and pay for their drink.

One last thing a Barista can do is to try to increase their overall knowledge of gourmet coffee in as many ways as possible, from the coffee tastings to the knowledge about the countries and farmers that grow the world's best coffee. It's also nice if the Barista has some knowledge of the history of coffee and how it spread throughout the world.

Also some fun tidbits, like how the rebelling colonists at the Boston Tea Party through the British Tea into the Boston Harbor and from this time on coffee became the patriotic drink since drinking tea was a sign of support for the British and their policies of Taxation without Representation.

That's right, Coffee is the Patriotic Drink! Take that Tea Party! Remember, keep it light, work hard and fast, chat a little but not too much, keep all of the Barista equipment clean, maintain a clean personal hygiene, and one by one develop knowledge of the world's finest gourmet coffees.

Good Luck to all of the Aspiring Baristas Out There!