What hospitality HR is looking for
Hospitality CVs are read fast. A hotel HR officer reviewing 200 applications for a seasonal commis role spends 12–20 seconds per CV on first pass. Yours has to communicate, in that window:
- The role you want and the level you're at.
- What you can do on day one (specific skills, equipment, languages, certificates).
- Where you've worked recently — property names matter; chains and recognisable brands get pulled forward in the pile.
- Why you're a low-risk hire — visible signs of reliability (tenure, references, certificates).
Anything beyond that gets read on the second pass if you make it through the first cut. This guide gives you the structure that works — and three variants for different roles.
Last reviewed: May 2026.
The structure that works
A one-page CV for entry- and mid-level roles, two pages maximum for senior roles. Use plain Word/Google Docs formatting — fancy templates with sidebars and graphics often break ATS (applicant tracking systems).
1. Header (top of page)
- Name (size 18–20pt, bold).
- Phone, email, city, country (size 10–11pt, one line).
- Optional: LinkedIn URL, work permit / visa status (e.g. "EU passport holder" or "Work permit holder, Cyprus").
2. Headline (1 line)
- Role you're aiming at, plus years of experience. Example: "Chef de Partie | 6 years across UK & Cyprus 5-star hotels."
3. Profile / summary (2–3 lines)
- A factual description of who you are professionally. Avoid adjectives like "passionate", "dedicated", "hard-working" — every CV uses them.
- Better example: "Chef de Partie with 6 years on fish and sauce stations at 5-star resorts in Cyprus and the UK. Comfortable running stations to 80 covers, mentoring 2 commis chefs, and operating to Michelin-aligned standards."
4. Key skills (1 short block, bullet or table)
Hospitality HR scans for specific keywords:
- Stations (sauce, fish, larder, pastry, sauté, grill, butchery, banqueting)
- Equipment (combi oven, sous-vide, salamander, blast chiller, Espresso machinery brand)
- Software / PMS (Opera, Mews, Cloudbeds, micros POS)
- Certificates (Level 2 Food Safety, Allergen Awareness, HACCP, WSET wine, NEBOSH)
- Languages with level (English C1, Greek native, German B2)
5. Work history (in reverse order)
For each role:
- Property name, location, dates (month/year format).
- Role title.
- 2–4 bullets describing what you actually did. Lead with verbs (managed, ran, trained, opened, reduced).
- One bullet on impact if possible (cover count, team size, GP%, RevPAR change). Don't invent numbers.
6. Education & certificates
- Only formal hospitality or food-safety qualifications. Don't list high school unless you're entry-level.
7. References
- "References available on request" if space is tight. Always have 2 named references ready on a separate sheet.
Sample CV — Entry-level F&B (commis waiter)
MARIA NICOLAOU
Limassol, Cyprus | +357 99 000 000 | maria.nicolaou@example.com | Cypriot passport
Commis Waiter | 2 years F&B service in Cyprus 4-star hotels
PROFILE
Commis waiter with 2 seasons at 4-star beachfront properties in Limassol, working
banqueting and à la carte. Comfortable in English- and Greek-language services,
running a 6-table section, and supporting a senior waiter on weddings up to 150 covers.
KEY SKILLS
- Service: à la carte (4-star), banqueting up to 150 covers, breakfast buffet
- Equipment: La Marzocco espresso, full bar service, wine service basics
- Software: Micros POS, Opera billing
- Certificates: Level 2 Food Safety (2024), Allergen Awareness (2024)
- Languages: Greek (native), English (C1), Russian (A2)
EXPERIENCE
Atlantica Bay Hotel — Limassol, Cyprus
Commis Waiter | April 2024 – October 2024
- F&B service across the main restaurant (220 covers) and pool bar.
- Supported senior waiter on 12 weddings up to 150 covers.
- End-of-season feedback: 4.8 / 5 from supervisor on punctuality and table reading.
Mediterranean Beach Hotel — Limassol, Cyprus
F&B Trainee | April 2023 – October 2023
- 6-month introductory placement covering breakfast buffet, lunch service and bar.
- Rotated through main restaurant, room service and bar in 2-month blocks.
EDUCATION
Cyprus Higher Hotel Institute — Hotel Operations, NVQ Level 2 (2022)
Lyceum Apostolos Petros, Limassol — secondary diploma (2022)
REFERENCES
Available on request.
Sample CV — Mid-career chef (Chef de Partie)
DAVID WILLIAMS
London SE1, UK | +44 7700 000 000 | david.williams@example.com | EU settled status
Chef de Partie | 6 years across UK & Cyprus 5-star hotels
PROFILE
Chef de Partie with 6 years on fish and sauce stations at 5-star resorts in Cyprus
and London. Run stations to 80 covers, mentor 2 commis chefs, and operate to
Michelin-aligned standards. Looking to move into a senior CDP or junior sous role.
KEY SKILLS
- Stations: fish (3 years), sauce (2 years), larder (1 year cover)
- Equipment: combi oven, sous-vide, blast chiller, smoker
- Standards: HACCP-managed kitchens, Michelin-aligned brigade
- Certificates: Level 3 Professional Cookery NVQ, Level 2 Food Safety, Allergen Awareness
- Languages: English (native), Greek (B1)
EXPERIENCE
The Berkeley — London, UK
Chef de Partie, fish | March 2023 – present
- Run fish station to 60 covers à la carte plus 80 covers banqueting on event nights.
- Mentor 2 commis chefs; introduced station-prep checklist that reduced mise misses by ~60%.
- Worked under Head Chef [name] through brigade restructure in late 2024.
Anassa Hotel — Polis, Cyprus
Chef de Partie, sauce | April 2021 – January 2023
- 2 seasonal contracts running sauce station at 5-star resort with three restaurants.
- Trained 4 commis through the season; 3 returned the following year.
- Owned daily stock, ordering, and section food cost (target GP%: 70).
The Ledbury — London, UK
Commis Chef | September 2019 – March 2021
- 18-month rotation across larder, fish and sauce.
- Operated under Michelin 2-star kitchen standards.
EDUCATION
Westminster Kingsway College — Professional Cookery NVQ Level 3 (2019)
REFERENCES
Available on request.
Sample CV — Senior management (Hotel Manager / GM)
ELENA POPOV
Limassol, Cyprus | +357 99 000 000 | elena.popov@example.com | Cypriot citizen
Hotel General Manager | 14 years, 4 properties, 4- and 5-star Mediterranean resorts
PROFILE
General Manager with 14 years across Greek and Cypriot 4- and 5-star resorts.
Last role: GM of a 280-key resort property, P&L EUR 22M, GOP up 18% over 3 years.
Pre-opening experience (one property, 2018) and multi-outlet F&B oversight.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
- Reopened the Anassa Hotel main restaurant within 6 weeks of arriving as F&B
director (2017), restoring 5-star service standard ahead of summer season.
- GM of XYZ Resort 2021–2024: GOP 32% to 38%, NPS +22 points, staff retention
improved from 56% to 71%.
- Built and led teams of up to 220 seasonal staff across rooms, F&B, spa, leisure.
EXPERIENCE
XYZ Resort — Paphos, Cyprus
General Manager | March 2021 – February 2024
- P&L EUR 22M, 280 keys, 4 F&B outlets, 18-treatment spa.
- Reported to Group COO; oversight from group revenue, marketing, HR.
[further roles, 2-page format]
EDUCATION
EHL Lausanne — BSc in International Hospitality Management (2010)
REFERENCES
Available on request.
Common mistakes that get CVs binned
- Lying about dates or properties. Hospitality is a small world. References get called. One discovered lie ends the application.
- Generic adjective-stuffed profile. "Passionate, hard-working, customer-focused" tells HR nothing. Replace every adjective with a specific fact.
- No certificates listed. Food Safety Level 2 is the entry ticket for kitchen and F&B roles. List it.
- Long-winded bullet points. Each bullet should be one line. Lead with a verb, end with a specific.
- Including a photo at the top. Standard in some EU countries (Germany, Austria) but not in the UK or Ireland. Default: no photo.
- No languages listed with level. "Fluent English" means nothing — use CEFR levels (A1 to C2).
- Bad email address. "partyboy_94@hotmail.com" gets read differently than "david.williams@example.com." Use a clean professional email.
ATS-friendly formatting
Many hotel chains use applicant tracking systems (Workday, Greenhouse, BambooHR) that parse your CV into a structured database. To stay ATS-friendly:
- Use a single-column layout. Sidebars and tables get scrambled.
- Save as both
.pdf(for human reading) and.docx(for some ATS). - Use standard section headings: "Profile", "Experience", "Education", "Skills". The ATS recognises these.
- Avoid graphics, icons, charts, header/footer text — most ATS strip these.
What to do next
- Pick the variant closest to your level.
- Replace placeholder content with your actual properties and dates.
- Cut anything that doesn't directly support the role you're applying for.
- Have one trusted colleague read it before sending — typos are the most common reason CVs lose the first 12 seconds.
- Apply: browse hospitality jobs in Cyprus →.
- Prep for the interview: Hospitality Interview Questions.