One: Start with Clarity
Be clear on the particular hospitality job you will be applying for and then use it as the title on your first page. The recipient of your resume will know immediately what position you’re seeking. If this doesn’t suit the style of your resume, make it dominant in your cover letter.

Two: Education details
Next, list any education or training that might relate directly to your job search. If you are comparatively new to the industry and have little relevant experience, your education section will go towards the top of your resume. If you have industry experience, this should take priority, with your other education details moving to the bottom.

Three: Job Descriptions
Be sure to write a briefly detailed description of your past jobs, highlighting any responsibilities you were given, specific tasks that you performed – and especially any promotions earned, or greater responsibilities assigned on the job.

Four: Your Jobs in order
Starting with your present position, rough out a list with the title of every job you have held, along with the name and location of the business, and the period you worked there. You can list in “rounded fashion” – years only (1996-present) or months and years (May 1996- present), as you prefer.

Five: Duties in detail
Under each job, briefly note your duties, highlighting phrases from the job description where you are now applying, wherever they are pertinent. You won't have space to write lengthy sentences so keep your notes brief and meaningful. The less you have to tell. The less you write.

Six: Accomplishments
When you are finished, go back over the job list. Evaluate and isolate what you‘ve done “beyond the call of duty”. Now write down any particular achievements or accomplishments that show potential employers the added value you might bring to their business.

Seven: Delete and tighten
Now that you have the words roughly noted, go back over each list and choose which items are most relevant to your target job. Eliminate anything that don't relate, including teenage casual work and short-term part-time stints. You’ll find you can get the list to reach only as far back as those jobs and experience that are relevant to the job you’re now seeking.

Eight: Rewrite
You can now rewrite these key items into complete sentences. Still aim to be brief but informative, just don’t let your sentences get too short and blunt. Avoid too much first-person (I, my, me) and make it more neutral, just the facts. Not "I sorted stock, carried out food preparation for the kitchen and I also covered all the clean-up” – but rather, "Responsible for stock management, food prep for all mains, plus clean-up.” Keep your sentences positive, brief, and accurate.

Nine: Compose the order
Next, review the sentences you have written and prioritise their order of appearance. Simply place a number 1 at the most important description of your past job tasks. Then a number 2 by the next most important responsibility or achievement, and continue until they’re all numbered. Then rewrite cleanly in that order, always keeping in mind what will appeal to the point of view of a future employer. Make your new sentences and paragraphs flow as smoothly as possible.

Ten: Other Qualifications
At the bottom of your resume, think about anything else that might qualify you for your job objective. You are more than the actual job you perform so you should let an employer see the other interesting sides in your make-up. This includes driving licences, certifications, and sometimes even personal interests if they truly relate.

Eleven: Your Pocket Profile
“The last shall be first”… Compose four or five sentences to provide a concise summary of your overall qualifications. This will go at the beginning of your resume to catch the eye and attention of a prospective employer. It can of course include some of your personal interests, strengths or special skills. This profile content must still have immediate relevance to the job in question. You want this employer to call you back, not someone else.

Twelve: Friendly Review
Finally, ask someone qualified to look over your resume as a detached party – someone who’s more advanced in business, or more literate that yourself. They will not only check your spelling, grammar and style – they will also bring an objective judgment to your resume content and help ensure its clarity and effectiveness in selling you to a new employer.