Waiter and barista CV example for a first or second job
A waiter or barista CV fits on one page: the shifts you can work, any customer-facing experience, hygiene training, then the drinks, tills and machines you can handle. A first job uses school and volunteering as evidence.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
Start with the shifts you can work
Café and restaurant managers fill rotas. The National Careers Service puts waiters at 30 to 42 hours a week and baristas at 40 to 42, with evening, weekend and bank holiday shifts, and the BLS says part-time work is common. A manager who sees at a glance that you can cover Saturday and Sunday will read the rest of your CV with that gap in mind.
How to write availability
- Available: Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday all day; full time in July and August.
- Available from 3 November, up to 20 hours a week, any shift.
- Can start at 6 am for opening shifts.
Put this line under your name and contact details. If you are a student on a visa with an hours limit, the guide to part-time CVs for UK students covers what you may say.
No experience yet: what counts as evidence
You are not expected to have done the job. The National Careers Service says you can apply for waiter jobs without experience because training happens on the job, and the BLS says waiters typically learn through on-the-job training lasting a month or less. The BLS also notes that food and beverage serving employs more 16 to 19 year olds than any other occupation. What a manager needs is proof of the skills the profiles list: customer service, a good memory, working under pressure, and being reliable.
| Where it happened | Skill it proves | CV line |
|---|---|---|
| School event or fundraiser | Customer service, handling cash | Ran the drinks stall at the school fair; served about 200 people and balanced the cash box |
| Volunteering in a community café | Working with others, food handling | Volunteer, community café, Saturdays for 8 months: took orders and cleared tables |
| Sports team or club | Working under pressure, reliability | Played in a weekend league for 3 seasons; missed 2 matches in that time |
| Family shop or restaurant | Till use, stock, regular customers | Helped in the family grocery after school: till, shelf stocking, deliveries |
| Babysitting or tutoring | Responsibility, punctuality | Regular babysitting for two families, two evenings a week |
Apprenticeships in England
Both profiles list the Catering and Hospitality Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship, open at 16 to 21, and the Food and Beverage Team Member Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, which usually asks for some GCSEs including English and maths. If you hold either, it goes near the top.
Hygiene and alcohol rules that change the CV
| Country | Rule from the official source | Effect on the CV |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | Food handlers do not have to hold a food hygiene certificate; the business must show staff have the right skills and training (GOV.UK, Food Standards Agency). | Optional: list a course if you have one, with the provider and year |
| United States | Most states require workers who serve alcohol to be at least 18; some states, counties and cities mandate alcohol training lasting a few hours (BLS). | Give the state training card if you hold one; your age is not needed |
| Türkiye | In food workplaces covered by the Hijyen Eğitimi Yönetmeliği, no one may work without the hygiene course certificate. | Always list the certificate, with the year |
Barista training
The National Careers Service says employers train baristas in coffee skills and product knowledge, and that training is also available through bodies such as the Specialty Coffee Association. In Türkiye, MYK has a voluntary Coffee Bar Attendant (Barista) qualification at Level 4 whose seven units run from food safety to service and end-of-shift machine cleaning. Name any course with the body that issued it.
Two sample CV sections (examples)
Examples only. The people, cafés and figures are invented to show the form; write your own facts.
First job: a 17-year-old applying to a café
- Ayşe Koç. Manchester. Email, phone. Available Saturdays and Sundays, and full time from 20 July.
- Volunteer, community café, Sep 2025 to present, Saturdays: take orders at the counter, make teas and filter coffee, clear and reset 12 tables.
- School fair drinks stall, June 2026: served about 200 customers in 4 hours; counted and handed over the cash.
- Education: sixth form, A levels in progress. Languages: English, Turkish (fluent).
Second job: one year as a barista, moving to a specialty coffee shop
- Emre Şahin, Barista. Leeds. Email, phone. Available for opening shifts, 30 to 40 hours a week.
- Barista, a chain coffee shop, Sep 2025 to present: make up to 120 drinks an hour at the morning peak; open the store three days a week; train new starters on the till and milk steaming.
- Training: in-house barista training; allergen awareness course, 2025.
- Tools: two espresso machine models, a card-payment till system, a stock app for weekly ordering.
Both fit on one page with room left. Neither has a personal statement longer than two lines; the availability line does that job.
Skills table for front-of-house work
| Skill on the official profile | Waiter | Barista | Proof on the CV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer service | Yes | Yes | Customers served per shift, complaints handled |
| A good memory | Yes | Yes | Table numbers or orders held without notes |
| Working under pressure | Yes | Yes | Drinks or covers at peak hour |
| Being thorough and paying attention to detail | Yes | Not listed | Allergen checks, correct bills |
| Selling products and services | Not listed | Yes | Upselling, loyalty sign-ups |
| Working well with your hands | Not listed | Yes | Latte art, machine cleaning |
Proof: sources read on 13 October 2026
The BLS counts 2,284,400 waiter and waitress jobs in 2025 and a median hourly wage of $16.94 in May 2025, tips included. The National Careers Service gives waiters £17,000 to £27,000 a year, noting that advertised rates are often full-time equivalents, and baristas £19,000 to £24,000. The UK statement that food handlers need no certificate is on the GOV.UK food business guide.
Age, alcohol and hygiene rules differ by country and city. Check the local authority page where you will work.
When this layout is not enough
- Head waiters and restaurant supervisors: add team size, rota writing and takings; the National Careers Service names these as the next steps.
- Bartenders in cocktail bars: lead with the drinks programme, stock control and any alcohol-service training.
- Cooks and kitchen staff: the chef and cook guide covers stations and covers per service.
Working abroad: students and seasonal jobs
Café and restaurant work is the usual first job for students abroad. The UK part-time CV guide covers the hours a Student visa allows and how to write a one-page CV for hospitality; the overseas job scams guide covers seasonal offers that ask for fees. CitedCV can write the CV in English, Turkish or German from the facts you enter, such as your shifts and volumes; keep every number to what you can explain in an interview.
Questions people ask
How do I write a waiter CV with no experience?
Lead with your availability, then use school events, volunteering, sports and family work as evidence of customer service and reliability.
What should a barista put on a resume?
Drinks per hour at peak, machines and tills used, opening or closing duties, training you received, and the shifts you can work.
Do you need a food hygiene certificate to be a waiter?
Not in the UK, where food handlers need training but no certificate; in Türkiye the hygiene course certificate is required in covered workplaces.
How old do you have to be to serve alcohol in the US?
Most states require at least 18, according to the BLS, and some states set a higher minimum or require short alcohol-service training.
Should I put my availability on my CV?
Yes, for café and restaurant jobs; one line under your contact details saying which days and hours you can work is enough.
What skills does a waiter need on a CV?
Customer service, a good memory, attention to detail and working under pressure, each shown with a short example or a number.
Is barista experience good for other jobs?
Yes, it shows customer service, speed and reliability, which many customer-facing jobs also look for; describe it with numbers.
Sources
- National Careers Service: Waiternationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/waiter
- National Careers Service: Baristanationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/barista
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Waiters and Waitresseswww.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/waiters-and-waitresses.htm
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workerswww.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/food-and-beverage-serving-and-related-workers.htm
- GOV.UK (Food Standards Agency): Staff training, illness and hygienewww.gov.uk/running-food-business/staff-training-illness-hygiene
- Hijyen Eğitimi Yönetmeliği (mevzuat.gov.tr)www.mevzuat.gov.tr/anasayfa/MevzuatFihristDetayIframe?MevzuatTur=7&MevzuatNo=18552&MevzuatTertip=5
- MYK certificate supplement: Coffee Bar Attendant (Barista), Level 4www.myk.gov.tr/images/articles/MYK_sertifika_ekleri/turizm_konaklama_yiyecek_icecek_hizmetleri/kahve_bar_gorevlisi_seviye_4/rev00/kahve_bar_gorevlisi_(Barista)_sev_4_r00_eng.pdf