We know, we know—creating a barista resume is tough. That’s why we created this guide. It will help you create a barista resume that actually gets noticed. Let’s get started.
Methodology
The goal of this guide is to give you real data what the “must haves” of barista resumes are.
To do that, we compiled and analyzed data from barista resumes and 14 barista job listings to get the data used for this our barista resume guide.
In addition to barista-specific resume data, we built a database of nearly 1 million resumes and job listings, and we use a propriety machine learning model to understand the anatomy of the best resumes in general.
Quick note: using the data below can help you build a competitive resume, but it’s always important to be creative, unique, and personal to stand out.
If you want more info on our methodology, you can check it out here.
Barista resume objective data + barista objective examples
Pop quiz: do barista’s really need to use an objective?
In general, whether or not you need an objective or professional summary can depend a lot on your personal career level (check out our article on resume objectives), but this is what our analysis found for barista’s specifically:
- 33% of barista’s included an objective section
- 26% of barista’s included a professional summary
- 48% of barista’s included neither an objective nor a summary
Barista objective examples
A highly motivated barista who aims to make use of their interpersonal skills to achieve goals of a company that focuses on customer satisfaction and customer experience.
To secure a position as a barista in a fast-paced coffee shop, utilizing my customer service skills and passion for coffee to create a memorable experience for every customer.
To obtain a barista role in a reputable café, utilizing my extensive knowledge of coffee brewing techniques and customer service skills to exceed customer expectations and drive sales.
To utilize my 3+ years of barista experience to bring high-quality coffee and excellent customer service to a dynamic and growing café, while also expanding my own knowledge and skills.
Skills for barista resumes
These are the skills that occurred most frequently in in barista resumes, which means they tend to be core competencies or highly desired skills.
Of course, you should only list skills that you actually have, and you should prioritze skills most relevant to the job you're applying for. But these are good core skills to include on your resume.
To get more detail on building a powerful skills section, take a peek at our article on resume skills.
*Note: to find skills our machine learning model basically looks for common words, so take these with a grain of salt and use your best judgment.
Most common barista resume skills
Most common hard skills for barista resumes: multi-tasking, coffee machinery, tea knowledge, reliability , and punctuality.
Most common soft skills for barista resumes: communication skills, customer-service skills, interpersonal skills, listening skills, and patience.
Other good barista resume skills
- Customer service
- Milk & latte art
- Coffee brewing & extraction
- Food and beverage pairing
- Food inventory management
- Espresso machine & tamping
- Food safety and hygiene
- Speed and efficiency
- Arithmetic & cash handling
- Point-of-Sale system
- Food & beverage pairing
- Fast-paced work
- Time management
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Inventory and control
Barista skills section examples
Note: these examples are formatted the same here just because it’s simple, but we have more detailed formatting advice (and examples) in our guide to resume formatting.
Barista skills example 1
Customer service | coffee machinery | coffee brewing & extraction | food and beverage pairing | reliability | punctuality | food inventory management
Barista skills example 2
Milk & latte art | communication skills | espresso machine & tamping | customer-service skills | food safety and hygiene | interpersonal skills | speed and efficiency
Barista skills example 3
Collaboration | arithmetic & cash handling | patience | listening skills | food & beverage pairing | customer-service skills | fast-paced work
Work experience for barista resumes
Your work experience section is almost always the most important part of your resume. Because it’s difficult to pull trends from this kind of section, this section is mostly just examples.
For some advanced strategies for writing about work experience on a resume, refer to our article on building a strong work experience resume section. We also have a guide on writing a resume with no experience if you’re just starting your career.
For now, it’s good to remember that the most important experience for any barista resume is the most relevant experience.
A couple examples for you:
Barista work experience examples
WORK EXPERIENCE
Sr. Associate Barista
Stark Industries, 2020-2022
Responsibilities
- Monitor financial markets and the performance of individual securities
- Contact prospective clients to present information and explain available services
- Manage the finances of the facility, such as patient fees and billing
- Oversee the maintenance and repair of machinery, equipment, and electrical and mechanical systems
- Address complaints regarding food quality or service
WORK EXPERIENCE
Associate Barista
Candor Corp, 2017-2022
Responsibilities
- Repair or replace malfunctioning components, parts, and other mechanical or electrical equipment
- Bathe animals, trim nails, clip hair, and attend to other grooming needs
- Responsible for the day-to-day operations of a coffee shop, including managing staff, ordering supplies, and keeping the shop clean and organized
- Operate POS system, including the proper handling and responsibility for accuracy of cash drawer
- Prepare and serve authentic Italian espresso and coffee drinks Provide customers with product details, such as coffee blend or preparation description upon request
WORK EXPERIENCE
Barista Intern
Mystery Meats Co., 2009-2012
Responsibilities
- Maintain a clean and organized work space
- Operating, preparing and cleaning of all equipment
- Preparing and serving hot and cold drinks
- Cleaning and sanitizing work areas, utensils and equipment
- Servicing customers and taking orders
Education for barista resumes
For most positions, work experience is more important than education, although it can be important for new grads or for fields in which specific classes are industry-standard.
So it’s not a big section, but it’s still important, and often, barista job postings list a minimum education requirement.
Check out our blueprint for education on resumes for our full playbook on education sections.
Data from our sample of 933 barista resumes
- 9% barista resumes listed an associate’s degree
- 59% barista resumes listed a bachelor’s degree
- 27% barista resumes included a masters degree
- 1% barista resumes mentioned a doctoral degree
Barista resume education examples
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science
Piedmont Community College, 2020
Awards & Honors
- Cum Laude
- Summa Cum Laude
- Class Rank Recognition
EDUCATION
Associate of Arts
Blinn College District, 2017
Certifications for barista resumes
Certifications aren’t a strict requirement for every job, but there are almost always certifications you can get to boost your chances of success.
If you want to see how to build these sections, we have a guide about certifications on resumes.
We did a little research and found certifications can help barista’s specifically, according to CareerOneStop.
Barista certification examples
CERTIFICATIONS
ServSafe Alcohol
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, 2020
Certified Home Brewers
Specialty Coffee Association of America, 2017
CERTIFICATIONS
ServSafe Alcohol, Certified Home Brewers, Certified Restaurant Server
Barista resume action verbs
Using our database of nearly 1,000,000 publicly available resumes, we compiled an index of action verbs and cross-referenced it with our sample of 933 barista resumes and job postings to uncover which action verbs are most commonly used by barista’s and barista employers.
The most common action verbs on barista resumes are: program, process, assist, prepare, and manage.
The most common action verbs on barista job postings are: lead, plan, review, handle, and field.
Other action verbs for barista resumes:
- Perform
- Develop
- Design
- Test
- Direct
- Create
- Monitor
- Track
- Organize
- Resolve
Full barista resume example
Lastly, we wanted to give you a couple full barista resume examples..
Please note: you can write a better resume than this. This is just a quick illustration to show you how these pieces might fit together.
If you’d like to see “perfect” resumes, we have a showcase of resume examples.
Barista resume example
Rebecca Allen
Barista
2779 Valley Lane, Austin, TX
To obtain a barista role in a reputable café, utilizing my extensive knowledge of coffee brewing techniques and customer service skills to exceed customer expectations and drive sales.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Sr. Associate Barista
Stark Industries, 2020-2022
Responsibilities
- Ordering, receiving and distributing stock supplies
- Receiving and processing customer payments
- Providing customers with drink menus
- Taking orders while paying attention to details
Associate Barista
Candor Corp, 2017-2022
Responsibilities
- Serve beverages and prepared food, like cookies, pastries and muffins
- Maintain stock of clean mugs and plates
- Check if brewing equipment operates properly and report any maintenance needs
- Communicate customer feedback to managers and recommend new menu items
Barista Intern
Mystery Meats Co., 2009-2016
Responsibilities
- Packaging food and beverages
- Taking inventory and replenishing items in display cases, at tables, or behind the counter
- Properly handle and maintain all equipment
- Accurately handle cash and credit card payments
CERTIFICATIONS
Certified Coffee Specialist
National Automatic Merchandising Association, 2020
ServSafe Alcohol
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, 2017
SKILLS
Customer service | food inventory management | organization | interpersonal skills | communication skills | multi-tasking | arithmetic & cash handling
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science
Piedmont Community College, 2020
Associate of Arts
Blinn College District, 2017
What experts say about barista resumes
Before we wrap it up, we want to leave you with some advice from other experts we admire.
“Personality counts; the best spot to show off your personality is to summarize these three to four lines at the top of your resume. It gives you the freedom to express your coffee knowledge and the ability to get through the morning rush, keep it professional but let these sentences flow a little freely.” – How to write your barista resume
“Expand on your experience. Never brewed coffee for others before? No problem, most employers will train you if you have a strong work ethic, use your employment history section to demonstrate organization reliability time management and efficiency.” – How to write your barista resume
“Think outside the box Baristas need a wide variety of people skills, so you may want to add some additional sections to your resume to highlight your abilities.” – How to write your barista resume
Want help with your barista resume?
That’s all for now. Hopefully this data helps you understand what exactly makes a great barista resume. Of course, if you have any questions, just drop them in the comments!
