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10 Best Skills To Include In Your Hospitality Resume

Oct 10, 2023

Like any other industry, the hospitality industry requires employees to possess several skills to provide maximum customer satisfaction. These skills range from hard to soft skills and can also be classified according to areas of specialization. Hence, it is vital for anyone looking to secure a job in the hospitality industry to possess these skills and include them in their resume.

We will discuss the 10 best skills to include in your hospitality resume to stand a better chance of quickly getting a job in the industry. However, you must know that every aspect of your CV must be well drafted, although you may want to give extra attention to your skillset after reading this article.

What Are Hospitality Skills?

Hospitality skills are simply abilities anyone in the hospitality industry is expected to possess. These skills range from soft skills used in everyday interactions, such as communication and listening, to hard skills, including budget planning and computer skills. Furthermore, this skill can be domain-general or domain-specific, depending on the job you are applying for in the industry.

Domain-general skills are the skills every employee in the hospitality industry possesses regardless of the level of experience, the complexity of the job, and the area of specialization. These skills are essentially the soft skills in hospitality and include the following:

Listening skills
Communication Skills
Emotional Intelligence
Organization skills
Patience
Guest Services
Customer service skills

Conversely, domain-specific skills are particular to each area of specialization and job type in the hospitality industry. They mainly include hard skills since you must have acquired the soft skills before looking to get them. They include:

Computer skills
Inventory management
POS knowledge
Payroll operations
Accounting skills
Stress management
Management skills

Generally, hospitality is an industry that depends mainly on soft skills, and in most cases, you can thrive with little or no hard skills. However, possessing relevant hard skills and noting them in your resume will reposition you in the industry and open you to many opportunities, especially in a country like Maldives, where there are many career opportunities in hospitality.

Let’s quickly look at the 10 best skills to Include in your hospitality resume and get you your first job in the industry.

10 Best Skills To Include In Your Hospitality Resume

Here are our top ten skills you should consider including in your CV in 2023:

Communication Skills

Inarguably, you can only survive in the hospitality industry with adequate communication skills, and that is why it will always come first in any recommendation on the needed skills in the workforce. Usually, your employer will check out your communication proficiency before any other skills since it is the utmost soft skill. Possessing excellent communication skills will ensure you can give and receive information properly regardless of the situation you find yourself in.

In its article on communication skills needed in a resume, the popular job platform Indeed outlined the following skills as a must-have for every communicator:

1. Active listening

2. Using the proper communication method

3. Friendliness

4. Confidence

5. Sharing feedback

6. Volume and tone

7. Empathy

8. Respect

9. Nonverbal cues

10. Responsiveness

You can see that communication skills encompass some elements of other skills, making it challenging to master. However, you can always continue to develop and improve yourself to become a better communicator. Note that showcasing your communication skills begins when you start your resume, so be sure to use the official version of words with minimal grammatical errors and write in a clear tone.

Listening Skills

Listening skills are pivotal in your resume and should come immediately after your communication skills. Some sources suggest leaving it out since it can also be considered a part of communication skills, but it is recommended to include it separately. Listening skills involve more than just communicating with a person; it requires you to pay close attention to the person you are interacting with- noting their use of words and body language to decode the message being passed.

This skill involves using spoken words to give the impression that you heard the other party correctly, and you can also follow up with questions.

Customer Service Skills

This is another crucial skill that must be stated in your resume as it sums up all other soft skills and shows that you have practical experience with these skills. It includes patience, empathy, communication, listening, problem-solving, etc. This will be relevant if you are looking to secure a seat on the help desk or any other position involving helping customers with their issues.

Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills can also be called social skills or social intelligence. These are the skills utilized in everyday interactions with others as we socialize with them. Socialization will ensure that the company can strive in a very competitive environment and will give you an edge over other applicants who do not possess these skills.

Social skills are broader than verbal and non-verbal communication in professional or non-professional environments.

Teamwork Skills

Your teamwork skills should be among the first skills you list on your resume since they inform whoever is reading your CV that you are a team player. Collaboration is essential to drive any organization in the Hospitality industry forward, and having a dedicated team is the easiest way to achieve this. You must have developed a trait to work effectively with others to accomplish a goal.

The following skills will further help you solidify your teamwork skills:

Negotiation
Organization skills
Decision-making skills
Respect
Teaching and mentoring
Collaborative skills
Idea Exchange and so on

Computer Skills

To many working in the hospitality industry, having advanced computer skills may not be necessary, which is true, but if you can, it will be better to do so. Computer skills represent your abilities to handle and use a computer system effectively to complete a task. This may be as easy as operating a POS or inputting data into the computer. The following are some of the skills that fall under computer skills you should highlight if you have acquired them:

POS knowledge
Data Entry
Data Analysis
Digital Marketing Skills

In most hospitality positions, mild or no computer skills are usually required, which makes them more of an additional skill and can come at the lower range on your skill list. However, if you are applying for a more specialized position, consider emphasizing your computer skills more.

Problem-solving Skills

Problem-solving skills may appear as a soft skill to some people, but it is no soft skill due to the complexity of its nature and one of the hard skills on our list of 10 best skills to include in your hospitality resume. The skill involves thinking critically to make decisions and presenting them creatively so everyone can process the information. The hospitality sector is complex since it involves human satisfaction, which technically cannot be satisfied. Hence, divergent problems which will require you to provide solutions happen periodically.

It is recommended you take a course on problem-solving to establish your stance further and make it easier for you to be identified as a problem-solver. Here are some tips on how to effectively manage problem-solving skills:

Time Management
Prioritize, Plan, and Execute
Risk Management
Work Under Pressure and so on

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence, also shortened as EQ, focuses on the ability to understand and manage emotions. These emotions can be yours or that of the customers. In a hotel, restaurant, or any hospitality establishment, you will frequently encounter guests from all walks of life, and some may be upset, stressed, or difficult to please. High EQ allows you to remain calm and composed, control tense situations, and provide excellent customer service.

According to Mental Health America, the following five skills are crucial to developing a high EQ:

Self-awareness
Self-regulation
Motivation
Empathy
Social skill

Management Skills

Management skills are another vital set of skills that you need, especially if you are looking to oversee a hotel, a restaurant, or an event. Highlighting strong management skills in your resume will ensure everything runs efficiently. These skills include coordinating staff, managing resources, and ensuring guests have a seamless experience.

You can highlight any experience where you managed a team or were responsible for organizing and executing events or projects in your resume to wow your employers. You should also mention the results of your strategies in those events.

Leadership Skills

Leadership skills go hand in hand with management skills, but take it a step further. While management is about getting things done, leadership extends to inspiring and guiding others to achieve their best. In hospitality, being a good leader helps your team perform better and creates a positive work environment. Guests can often sense when staff is motivated and well-led, which enhances their overall experience.

One of the best ways to showcase your leadership skills in your CV is by backing it up with proof under Achievements and Recognitions. Ensure you refer to any awards you have received for your leadership role in the past.

Other Aspects To Focus On In Your Resume

As we have stated earlier, your skills are not the only elements in your resume/CV that require special attention, although they may be the deciding factor when you apply for jobs. The following are some vital sections you should also focus on in your resume:

Profile & Contact Information

This section is tricky, and while some may argue that adding a profile is optional, you should do so when applying for a hospitality job. Your profile gives an insight into who you are and will save your employer the stress of asking questions about this.

You can also provide information on ways to be contacted but should only dwell a little on this aspect. If a hotel or resort needs you, you will be approached via your submitted phone number or E-mail.

Objectives

Your resume should include your objectives and those you want to achieve with the company you are applying to. Your objectives inform the company about your targets, and they can easily see if these targets align with their own before employing you. You must display your communication and problem-solving skills in this section by writing clearly and concisely vis-a-vis, including solutions to relevant issues in the hospitality industry.

Education

Your academic pursuit is handy but usually needed for domain-specific jobs. The hospitality industry is one of the few with more unspecialized job opportunities. Nevertheless, you should include your educational journey in your resume since your level of education can qualify for a better offer.

Work And Related Experience

Experience, they say, is the best teacher, which is why you must focus on this aspect. Your experience over the years is significant to your employers because it shows you can handle the job. This is why you must include any experience you have gained regarding the role you are applying for.

Wrapping Up

The above-listed skills are essential because they are the foundation of a successful career in hospitality. However, you can acquire many skills to step up your game. Apart from the 10 best skills to include in your hospitality resume, you should also be flexible, dynamic, patient, and creative.

Being skillful will make you a more attractive candidate to potential employers and ensure that you can excel in a challenging and dynamic industry. So, when crafting your resume, showcase your abilities in these areas, and you will be on your way to landing your dream hospitality job.