Barista CV Example & Writing Guide

Baristas bring joy to their customers' days by preparing their favourite pick-me-up beverages brewed to perfection. To successfully land a barista position, you’ll need an attractive CV that effectively engages employers and captures their attention. 

We’ve prepared this helpful guide, along with our top CV tips and customisable barista CV examples to show you how to create a CV that makes an impact and a great first impression. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Highlights of a barista job role
• A step-by-step breakdown of what your barista CV should include
• How to choose a great CV format that conveys your customer service skills and professional personality traits
• How to optimise each CV section, including your header, profile, employment history, education and skills
• The best ways to illustrate your previous professional experiences and demonstrate why you’d make a great barista
• How to select an appropriate CV layout and format to please recruiters, employers and tricky ATS software!

What does a barista do?

Whether piping hot or ice cold, the rich, brown liquid known as coffee has been enchanting the world for centuries. This is where baristas come in: baristas are in charge of making the magic happen, and are tasked with preparing and serving a variety of caffeinated drinks to thirsty customers! Baristas may also be asked to prepare food items such as sandwiches, snacks and desserts, and also take care of some cleaning and maintenance duties. Working as a barista is often a great part-time or summer job for students and young people – and it can also be a well-paying position for professionals in more high-end cafés or establishments. 

How to create a successful barista CV: 

There are advantages both to working for an independent café, restaurant or and for a business. While you can adjust the same CV to either situation, there are a few things to keep in mind. With many locations and positions to apply to, a large chain can be a great entry point into the world of coffee if you’re looking for a part time source of income and you have little experience as a barista. You’ll learn the basics, not only of coffee, but also of the hospitality and catering industry.  

For large businesses, you’ll want a CV that conveys availability, flexibility, customer service skills and reliability. An independent coffee shop, on the other hand, may only be hiring for one or two positions at a time, and it’s likely that they’ll be looking for someone with previous barista experience who has a true passion for crafting coffee. Bringing your CV into the café and meeting the manager is a great way to make a personal connection, and don’t forget to follow up! In a small coffee shop, speed is less important than precision. These shops pride themselves on excellent customer service and well-crafted drinks, so your CV should highlight your previous barista experience and show that your people skills are a notch above the rest. In addition, it's also a great idea to mention any coffee-related education you've pursued, such as completing hospitality courses or obtaining certifications in the field. Including these qualifications will showcase your knowledge and dedication to the art and science of coffee, and could enhance your chances of being considered for barista roles or positions.

Acing the ATS

Most independent coffee shops still hire the old-fashioned way. You may drop your CV off in person or email it directly to a manager who will evaluate your strengths and get in touch. For medium and large-scale coffee businesses, however, the process looks slightly different. Many of these companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to filter large numbers of CVs. The ATS algorithms scan for keywords, especially in the CV profile and skills sections, and send only the highest-ranking CVs to recruiters or employers. Unfortunately, for many applicants, the ATS can amount to one giant CV black hole. But there’s hope! You can avoid that dark oblivion by:  

1. Creating a customised CV that meets the needs of the hospitality industry
2. Optimising your CV with those all-important keywords

Let’s get started!

How to write a barista CV

If you find the hardest part of any writing task is getting started, you’re not alone. But it might help to know that all CVs have the same structure of parts, which can be broken down into manageable steps. Your barista CV should contain these components, confined to a single page:

• Header
• Summary
• Employment history section
• Education section
• Skills section

We’ll be taking a closer look shortly at each section. 

Choosing the best CV format for baristas 

The chronological CV format is recommended for most job seekers, and is the most widely used approach. Recruiters prefer it too because it’s easy to review. Essentially, the employment history section consists of bullet point highlights for each position you’ve held, dated in reverse chronological order.  

Other CV formats may be suitable for those who are new to the workforce or changing careers. They might want to emphasise specialised or transferable skills rather than where they worked, opting for a functional CV or the more versatile hybrid (combination) format. For more information on CV formats, and which format is best for you, check out the cvapp.nz website and our helpful blogs and formatting guides for more! 

CV header

The positive first impression you make on your potential new boss begins with your CV header. The extra thought and attention you devote to this key detail will not go unnoticed, especially if you apply the same header design to your cover letter.  

Besides setting you apart from other job applicants with your own visual brand, the header serves a couple of practical purposes. It immediately draws the reader’s eyes to your prominently displayed name, occupation and contact information. The white space offsetting your CV header creates a striking balance that makes the page inviting to read. Then hopefully, when recruiters are ready to invite you for an interview, they’ll have no problem locating your phone number or email to get in touch.

Barista CV personal statement: A warm greeting

As a barista, you’ll likely be the first face customers see when they walk into the coffeehouse, and your ability to offer friendly service will be an essential part of their experience. The personal statement (also known as the professional summary) serves as that initial greeting for your CV. It gives employers a taste of your personality, top skills and previous employment experiences.  

A few facts about your previous barista positions can also drive this section home. How many customers did you serve daily? Did you develop any new drinks? How many menu items did you memorise and prepare? 

If you’re applying for a managerial or more senior position, you can also highlight previous leadership experiences or advanced training.

Below is a barista CV sample summary you can customise for your own situation.

Employment history sample: A track-record of success

Your employment history gives employers a sense of how well you might fit in their fast-paced (or laid-back and high-end) coffee shop, priding itself on customer service. Depending on the role, some employers will be happy to train a candidate with the right mix of personality and customer service skills, so don’t fret if this is your first time working as a barista.

As stated previously, it’s best to list your experiences in reverse chronological order, with the most recent experience first. Work backwards until you have at least two or three examples. If you’ve worked enough coffee positions, you may be able to leave off unrelated jobs.  

Below each past employer heading, provide a short description of key job highlights, perhaps as a short bullet-point list (if the job is recent and relevant enough to elaborate on). Facts and figures are the best way to quantify the impact you had at previous positions. How many customers did you routinely serve at each establishment? Were you a crowd favourite? Did you develop any new menu items? How many new employees did you hire and train? Did you work with the owner to make any business decisions to cut costs or improve service? It’s also a good idea to include extra roles beyond your coffee duties — things like placing weekly supply orders, organising and cleaning both the front and back of house, preparing food menu items and sourcing new products.

Below is a barista employment history CV sample you can modify.

When you’re new to the job

Many employers understand that this may be your first barista position, or even your first job. If this is the case, it’s important to show how your previous jobs have prepared you for the work of a barista. You can highlight teachability, reliability and patience, all of which can be learned from other experiences.  

For example, you may have:

• Handled the needs of picky customers while working in a retail store
• Offered patience and individual attention as a tutor
• Created a friendly work environment with excellent customer service as a receptionist
• Prepared food and drinks quickly while working in a fast food restaurant.

Barista CV education example: The knowledge for the job

Many of a barista’s duties can be learned on the job, so formal education is not typically required for this position. However, that doesn’t mean you have to leave this section empty. Any degree in the area of hospitality or food service will be directly applicable to this role.  

But even if you don’t have a degree in a related field, it doesn’t hurt to show that you’ve studied or are in the process of completing your education. This is also the time to mention any additional certificates in coffee, restaurant service, food safety or other related areas.

Below is the education section from a barista CV you can modify.

Certifications

Believe it or not, there are dozens of courses relating to the sourcing, brewing and serving of coffee. Just like wine, coffee is a specialty drink with an entire field of study behind it. If you’ve invested in some sort of coffee or food service education, it’s a great idea to include it in this section. 

CV skills example: Your greatest asset

As a barista, your skills are at the heart of what you do. You’ll need to be experienced enough at making coffee to keep customers coming back, but if you don’t have the personality traits to match, you're just as likely to send customers out the door. Your hard skills are anything that involves a machine, tools or hands-on practical knowledge that you learned from being a barista or working in a related position. That includes all the knowledge required to make drinks and food and to keep the café clean and attractive.

Soft skills are the personality traits and qualities that you picked up through life experience. These include your attention to detail, knack for organisation and your friendly customer service skills. 

A broad list of relevant skills might include:

• Punctual
• Reliable
• Sociable and friendly
• Quick learner
• Competent with various POS systems
• Excellent memory
• Ability to create new drinks based on customers’ needs
• Attentive to food allergies and dietary restrictions
• Comfortable working in a team
• Calm and courteous even under pressure
• Able to clean, maintain and operate full espresso machines
• Coffee sourcing and grinding
• Various brewing methods including filter, french press, cold brew and more
• Preparation of flavoured drinks and addition of syrups, whipped cream and garnishes
• Preparation of soups, salads and sandwiches
• Cleanliness and maintenance of bar counter, dining room and bathrooms.

Check out a barista CV sample for the skills section below. 

CV layout and design: The right aesthetic 

There’s a reason why sleek coffee shops with retro lighting and wooden countertops seem to have taken over the downtown of every major city: aesthetics are important. Just like no customer wants to drink coffee in a dirty café with broken chairs, no recruiter wants to read and evaluate a disorganised CV that lacks critical information or looks like a visual catastrophe.   

Your layout plays a key role in getting you hired. You’ll want to choose a CV layout that shows off why you’re a great fit for the café you’re applying to. That will probably mean a modern style that still conveys professionalism.

With cvapp.nz’s field-tested CV templates and CV builder tool, you can craft a CV that looks just right without wasting precious hours on difficult programs and word processors. For a barista CV, we recommend templates in the modern category, for that right mix of classy and fun. For some coffee shops (depending on mood and theme), simple or creative categories may have good picks as well. Browse our collection and see for yourself!  

And once you’ve got your layout just the way you like it, you’ll want to be sure that the formatting doesn’t change from computer to computer or when scanned by the ATS. That’s why a PDF is the best file format for a consistent CV, whether you’re emailing, uploading or printing. The CV builder tool makes it easy to download a PDF in just a few clicks.

Key takeaways for a barista CV

1. Positions in food and beverage serving, including baristas, are projected to grow by much faster than other occupations.
2. It’s important to emphasise your reliability in the hospitality industry so employers know they can count on you: for this reason, the most successful CVs convey reliability and excellent customer service.
3. Large coffee businesses are likely looking for teachable employees with a wide range of scheduling availability.
4. Independent cafés are continuing to open and hire baristas with a passion for coffee and some previous coffee experience.
5. If this is your first barista position, try drawing parallels between other types of work and the qualities of a top-notch barista.

Now it’s time to get started! Use our CV builder and field-tested templates and you’ll be on your way to pouring that perfect cappuccino in no time!