| I have been in the restaurant and bar business | | | | banquet staffing agencies in town. *Please note |
| for over 12 years. The question I am asked the | | | | that after hiring dozens of bartenders and |
| most, by a landslide, is "how do I become a | | | | hundreds of restaurant employees I know that |
| bartender?" I have been asked this question by | | | | this cover letter and resume would have gotten |
| people already in the restaurant business and | | | | him a job as a bartender in a regular restaurant |
| people with no experience just looking to make | | | | or bar. He, however, wanted to start at a staffing |
| some extra money. I give them all the same | | | | agency, so he could gain some on-the-job |
| answer, "Decide that you want to become a | | | | experience in a low stress environment. You need |
| bartender and resolve yourself to doing it." | | | | to do what is comfortable for you.* |
| Becoming a bartender is just a matter of | | | | He was offered temp jobs by both staffing |
| convincing a bar manager that you would be good | | | | agencies and took shifts for both. After 2 weeks |
| at the job. Some people have advocated that this | | | | he realized the money was better at one and |
| requires lying your way into a job. DO NOT do | | | | eliminated the other agency. After another 2 |
| that. Not only is it unnecessary but your lies will | | | | weeks he was being requested by one |
| be discovered and your job will be at risk. If you | | | | establishment on a regular basis. |
| want to know how to become a bartender simply | | | | My student took his job seriously and used his |
| look at your current job and life experiences and | | | | time at the staffing agency to sharpen his drink |
| think about how your skill set can be applied to | | | | making skills. Do not believe the myth that |
| bartending. To show you what I mean I will walk | | | | bartenders need to know hundreds of recipes. |
| you through a case study on how a student of | | | | Once you become a bartender you will be |
| mine became a bartender and doubled his take | | | | absolutely amazed at how often you make the |
| home income, with no previous bartending | | | | same drinks. You will need to know about 20-40 |
| experience. | | | | drinks, but they are all so similar they are very |
| The first thing we did was write out all the skills | | | | easy to remember. So he didn't concentrate on |
| that he had learned and mastered at previous | | | | recipes but on technique and efficiency. |
| jobs that could relate to bartending. These skills | | | | After another 2 weeks the establishment that |
| included conflict resolution, customer service, | | | | was requesting him so often offered him a |
| inventory management, upselling, etc. We then | | | | part-time job. He now works 2 nights a week and |
| wrote a resume, geared specifically for bartending | | | | brings home anywhere from $300-$500 working |
| jobs, that featured these skills. | | | | just those 2 nights. He works on Tuesday and |
| The resume did not include unrelated skills that | | | | Sunday which aren't your prime time shifts and is |
| you often see thrown onto resumes like I can | | | | still able to double his take home income. |
| type 65 word a minute or I am proficient in excell. | | | | Let's review. My student had no previous |
| These skills are often put onto a resume as an | | | | bartending experience. We wrote industry specific |
| afterthought or to take up space. What you are | | | | cover letters and a resume. He worked a temp |
| telling the resume reader is that you couldn't | | | | job for 6 weeks and now has a part-time job, 2 |
| come up with enough job related skills to fill ONE | | | | nights a week, that matches his 40 hour a week |
| page of type. Leave these unrelated skills off | | | | full-time job. |
| your resume if you want to become a bartender. | | | | He has opted, for now, to keep his full-time job |
| They are irrelavant and insult the intelligence of | | | | because he gets health care for his family and |
| the resume reader. | | | | they have a tuition reimbursement program. So |
| Second, we created a dynamic and interesting | | | | he has one job that provides him with the |
| cover letter to accompany the resume. The | | | | necessities of life, including college tuition, and |
| cover letter told a story about how the student | | | | another that allows him to have fun, drive a |
| had handled a difficult situation with a customer. | | | | better car and go on vacation. |
| Bartenders deal with difficult and/or drunk people. | | | | Do not overestimate your competition or the |
| This story showed how to effectively and | | | | difficulty in learning how to become a bartender. It |
| professionally handle a potentially volatile situation. | | | | really is as easy as deciding that you want to do |
| The story showed my client's professionalism and | | | | it and taking the steps to achieve your goal. For a |
| personality. Bartenders are expected to show | | | | more detailed plan and to sign up for my free |
| their personality behind the bar. You need to have | | | | newsletter "How to Get a Bartending Job," go to |
| your personality come across in your cover letter | | | | my website |
| and put it on full display during your interview. | | | | You can do this, just believe in yourself and take |
| Next we sent the cover letter and resume to 2 | | | | action. |