A creative or visually-stunning resume is a natural asset—if not an actual requirement—if you’re pursuing a job in an artistic profession such as graphic design, photography, writing or fashion. The addition of color, design, imagery, and even whimsy can help you stand out and quickly capture a hiring manager’s attention. But did you know that taking a unique approach to conveying your skills and experience can be equally beneficial in hospitality? Consider these ingenious ways to enhance your resume or cover letter and show potential employers just how awesome you really are.
1. Add logos to your work history
As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words—especially when it comes to branding. If you’ve worked for high-profile hotels, restaurants, or other hospitality employers in the past, consider including their logos next to your former job title, dates of employment, duties, and accomplishments. You’ll add visual interest to your resume and benefit from brand recognition as well.
2. Tell a story with photos
While creative-industry professionals have plenty of images of the work they’ve created to include in their portfolios, hospitality job seekers have to think outside the box if they want to use additional visuals in their resume. Stock photography is a great resource, and you can use stock photos to visually enhance the description of your career progression, job-related accomplishments, and biography. iStock and Shutterstock both offer thousands of royalty-free images for easy purchase and download.
Note: A clutter-free print resume is important if you don’t want to risk turning off employers or confounding their ATS software. You might want to reserve some of your visual story-telling for a digital version (say, on your personal website).
3. Add charts or graphs
Did you increase the average occupancy rate or decrease check-in time at your last hotel job? Did you reduce food waste or improve customer satisfaction for your last restaurant employer? Hospitality hiring managers love it when you quantify your accomplishments with hard data. If you have the numbers, you can even turn them into charts or graphs to showcase them on your resume. (If you really want to go big, try an infographic resume. You can learn how to create one here.)
4. Include quotes from your former employers and coworkers
It’s one thing to confidently tell a hospitality hiring manager that you have the skills needed to excel in the position available. It’s entirely another to have someone else back you up. Consider asking your former supervisors and favorite coworkers to write a sentence or two about their experience working with you. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can use the social media platform’s messaging feature to request a recommendation. Their comments will become part of your profile—enhancing your online reputation—and you can then copy and paste them into your resume or cover letter.
5. Create a video resume
An engaging personality and the ability to communicate verbally are particularly important for professionals working in the hospitality industry. Instead of waiting for a hiring manager to call you in for a face-to-face interview so you can prove you have what it takes, why not include a link to an online video resume in your cover letter. In two to three minutes, you can talk about your passion for the industry, why you are interested in working for their hotel or restaurant, and how your accomplishments make you the best professional for the job.