Waiter and cafe CV: example and tips

Keywords that come up in waiter and cafe job ads

The ads vary by place. A restaurant wants to hear about looking after guests, wine and upselling, a coffee bar about coffee, pace and the till, and a hotel about breakfast, functions and banquets. Use the same words as the ad where they match what you have done, also when you apply through an online form. Many places sort applications by the words in the ad. Our guide to an ATS-friendly CV explains how. Most ads in Norway are in Norwegian, so it helps to know terms such as servering (serving), skjenking (serving alcohol) and kasse (till). These words come up often:

• Serving, looking after guests and the guest experience.
• Upselling, wine recommendations and drinks menus.
• Till work, cashing up and ordering systems.
• Barista work, coffee and coffee machines.
• Serving alcohol, responsible hospitality and age checks.
• Allergens, hygiene and cleaning.
• A la carte, functions, banquets and breakfast.
• Fast paced, cheerful, flexible and able to work evenings, weekends and holidays.

Formal requirements: age for serving alcohol and certificates

There are no formal education requirements for waiting tables, but a trade certificate as a waiter is a plus, especially in restaurants and hotels. The training takes two years at school and two years in a company, through the restaurant and food programme in upper secondary school. If you have waited tables for many years without a trade certificate, you can take it as an experienced worker through the praksiskandidat scheme. According to the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training (Udir), this requires at least five years of varied experience.

If you are going to serve alcohol, section 1-5 of the Alcohol Act (alkoholloven) applies. The person serving must be at least 18 for drinks with less than 22 percent alcohol, such as beer and wine, and at least 20 for spirits. The guests must be the same age. So it is worth stating in your CV that you can serve alcohol and have experience with age checks.

If you are applying to be head waiter, restaurant manager or bar manager, you may become the manager or deputy for the serving licence. Under section 1-7c of the Alcohol Act, you must then be over 20, have documented knowledge of the Alcohol Act and have a clean record. According to Helsedirektoratet, there is a separate knowledge test for serving licences, taken at the municipality. If you have passed it, include it with the year. Under the Food Act, the business must also make sure you know enough about hygiene, and according to Mattilsynet, guests must be given written information about allergens. If you have taken courses in hygiene and allergens, include them.

Example of a summary for a waiter or cafe CV

The summary should say where you have worked, what kind of service you know, one result or sense of scale with a number and what you are looking for. Here are two made up examples you can use as a pattern:

Example (waiter): “Waiter with five years of experience in a la carte and functions at a restaurant and a hotel. Looks after six to eight tables on busy evenings and had the highest sales per guest in the restaurant in 2025. Can serve alcohol and has passed the knowledge test for serving licences. Looking for a full time role with the chance to become head waiter.”

Example (cafe): “Cafe worker with two years of experience in a busy coffee bar in the city centre. Makes 200 to 300 coffee drinks on a Saturday, is responsible for cashing up and opens alone. Enjoys regular customers and a fast pace, and is looking for a part time job alongside my studies.”

Replace the numbers with your own, and only write what you can explain in an interview. You will find more examples in our guide to writing a CV summary.

Bullet points with results: weak versus strong

The most common weakness is bullet points that only describe the job. Everyone knows that a waiter serves. What the restaurant manager wants to know is how busy it was, what you sold and what responsibility you had. If you do not have sales figures, show scale instead: tables, guests or coffee drinks per shift.

• Weak: “Served guests.” Strong: “Looked after six to eight tables and up to 60 guests per evening in a restaurant with 120 seats.”
• Weak: “Sold wine.” Strong: “Raised wine sales per guest by 15 percent in six months by suggesting a glass to suit each dish.”
• Weak: “Worked on the till.” Strong: “Cashed up after 150 shifts with no discrepancies, and trained five new colleagues on the till system.”
• Weak: “Made coffee.” Strong: “Made 200 to 300 coffee drinks on Saturdays, keeping waiting times under five minutes during the rush.”
• Weak: “Worked at functions.” Strong: “Led service at 25 functions with 40 to 150 guests, responsible for four waiters.”
• Weak: “Knew about allergens.” Strong: “Answered guests' questions about allergens using the restaurant's allergen list, and alerted the kitchen with every special diet order.”

Skills, systems and courses worth including

Skills become stronger when they are specific. “Service minded” says less than the systems, courses and drinks knowledge you actually have. Include what you can do:

• Till and ordering systems by name, card terminals and Vipps.
• Barista skills: espresso, milk texturing and latte art, cleaning the machine and barista courses by name.
• Wine, beer and cocktails: courses you have taken and knowledge of food and drink pairing.
• The knowledge test for serving licences, courses in responsible hospitality, hygiene and allergens, and first aid.
• Functions and banquets: laying tables, setting up rooms and serving many guests at once.
• Languages: English and any other languages you use with guests, especially in hotels and tourist areas.

First job, or many years in hospitality

Many people start in hospitality without experience, for example clearing tables, washing up or working in a cafe. Highlight what shows you are reliable and enjoy people: the kiosk at your sports club, volunteering or a summer job. Say what you did, for example “ran the cafe at 20 home matches and was responsible for the till”. Also state when you can work, for example “available evenings and every other weekend”. For places that plan shifts, this is one of the most important details. Our guides to a CV for recent graduates and to relevant work experience as a student have more advice.

If you have waited tables for many years, use the space for your responsibilities: shift supervisor, head waiter, training new staff, rotas, functions and sales results. If you have had many seasonal jobs, group them under one heading, for example “Seasonal jobs in hospitality, 2020 to 2024”, with the most important places. If you want to move to a hotel reception, our guide to a receptionist CV has more examples. Keep the CV to one page, or two with long experience.

Common mistakes in a waiter or cafe CV

Most mistakes are easy to fix. Read your CV aloud before you send it, and look out for these in particular:

• No information about when you can work.
• Qualities without proof, such as “cheerful and service minded”, with no example.
• No mention that you can serve alcohol or have passed the knowledge test.
• Long paragraphs instead of short bullet points.
• Many short jobs with no structure. Group your seasonal jobs.
• A holiday or party photo. Choose a neutral portrait, or leave the photo out.

Create your hospitality CV in under a minute with Selja

A coffee bar, a restaurant and a hotel look for different things, and many people apply to several places at once. With Selja you paste in the job ad and upload the CV you already have. In under a minute you get a professional, ATS-friendly CV and cover letter tailored to the job, with the words from the ad, such as looking after guests, upselling or barista, where they match what you have done. That way you can send more good applications in less time.

Selja never adds experience or skills you do not have. If the ad asks for something your CV does not show, for example experience with functions, Selja asks you first and only uses what you confirm. It is free to start: check your CV for free, or take a free ATS check against the ad. Get started when you want to create your first application.

The application, the trial shift and the interview

Many restaurants and cafes ask only for a CV and a short application, and some invite you to a trial shift. Keep the application short: why you want to work there, what you can contribute and when you can work. See our example of a job application for a template you can build on. If you are applying to the same place as the chefs, our guide to a chef CV may also be useful.

The interview is often short and practical. Think of an example of an unhappy guest you won over, and how you suggest something extra without being pushy. Practise with the interview questions for the role. Many people in hospitality are paid by the hour. The free pay check shows figures from Statistics Norway (SSB), and the hourly pay calculator converts to monthly and yearly pay.