Host or Hostess job description for a resume

The short answer

A host or hostess writing a resume should describe what they actually did — work like provide guests with menus — rather than copying a generic bullet list. The U.S. Department of Labor classifies the role as Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop (SOC 35-9031.00). All 13 of its published duties are listed below. Active Listening is the capability O*NET rates highest for the work.

What follows is the published duty list, not a set of bullets to copy. The difference matters: a line describing work you did not do is one interview question away from falling apart.

What a host or hostess does

Welcome patrons, seat them at tables or in lounge, and help ensure quality of facilities and service.

O*NET occupation: Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop (SOC 35-9031.00).

Host or Hostess duties you can put on a resume

These are all 13 duties O*NET classifies as core to this occupation. Which ranking is a fact from the source; which of them you personally did is not something any dataset knows. Use the list as a memory aid, never as a list to paste.

1. Provide guests with menus.
2. Greet guests and seat them at tables or in waiting areas.
3. Maintain contact with kitchen staff, management, serving staff, and customers to ensure that dining details are handled properly and customers' concerns are addressed.
4. Assign patrons to tables suitable for their needs and according to rotation so that servers receive an appropriate number of seatings.
5. Speak with patrons to ensure satisfaction with food and service, to respond to complaints, or to make conversation.
6. Inspect dining and serving areas to ensure cleanliness and proper setup.
7. Assist other restaurant workers by serving food and beverages, or by bussing tables.
8. Answer telephone calls and respond to inquiries or transfer calls.
9. Take and prepare to-go orders.
10. Inform patrons of establishment specialties and features.
11. Receive and record patrons' dining reservations.
12. Supervise and coordinate activities of dining room staff to ensure that patrons receive prompt and courteous service.
13. Inspect restrooms for cleanliness and availability of supplies, and clean restrooms when necessary.

Skills a host or hostess can list

O*NET rates these at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation.

Active Listening

importance 3.50

Speaking

importance 3.12

Service Orientation

importance 3.12

Social Perceptiveness

importance 3.00

What not to claim

• A duty from the list above that you did not personally perform. It describes Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop as an occupation, not your particular job — and interviewers for host or hostess roles ask about the specifics.
• Work from an adjacent role you have not held. Host or Hostess and the roles beside it overlap, and the overlap is where overstatement creeps in.
• A percentage, a headcount or a volume you did not measure. "Improved satisfaction by 35%" is the single most copied line on resume-example sites, and almost nobody who pastes it can source it.
• Active Listening at a level you have not worked at. O*NET rates it highest for this occupation, which makes it the most likely thing to be probed.
• A tool, system or certification you have not used or hold. This is the fastest claim to disprove.

Source and method

O*NET data are provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence.The duties and skills above are reproduced as published. The resume guidance, the prompts and any generated lines are RoleSprint's, and O*NET did not write them.

Related occupations

Same occupational family in the SOC classification, so the duties often overlap with work you have done.

• Server job description for a resume
• Barista job description for a resume
• Cook job description for a resume
• Bartender job description for a resume