Career Advice for a Bartender

Bartenders work in pubs or hotels and serve customers drinks and snacks. They greet customers, assess their needs, and make drinks. Bartenders have extensive knowledge of cocktail recipes and create new items to entice customers.

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How to Become a Bartender

Choosing your career path and learning how to become the person you aspire to be is not always straight forward; getting a job in your chosen industry will take dedication, focus and the right qualifications.

When you have chosen the career path you wish to follow, you will need to learn how to become a Bartender

Should you wish to work as a Bartender you will need to evaluate what courses are required, their cost and what qualifications you need. It is important that you also assess whether you have the right credentials from a personality point of view, what the demands of the job are and whether they complement the lifestyle that you desire.

Another factor to consider, should you wish to fulfil your career aspirations, is the number of jobs you will need to have to reach your ultimate job, and the length of time it will take to reach this goal.

Common Qualifications for a Bartender

  • Apprenticeship in hospitality
  • Award in Professional Food and Beverage Service Skills
  • Professional Food and Beverage Service certificate

Key Responsibilities for a Bartender

  • Greeting customers to the bar
  • Listening to customer preferences and making recommendations
  • Taking drink orders
  • Planning drink menus
  • Informing customers of new beverages and special offers
  • Confirming customers are of legal age to purchase alcohol
  • Checking stock and ordering supplies
  • Following quality and safety regulations
  • Handling cash and card transactions
  • Balancing the till at the end of the shift

What to expect as a Bartender

Bartenders serve classic drinks and cocktails and create new drinks to serve customers. You will greet patrons, determine their preference and prepare and serve drinks. To be successful as a bartender, you will need to have an approachable and friendly personality and have excellent knowledge of mixed drinks.

Recommended Bartender Jobs

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How to get Bartender Jobs

Our advice on how to get a Bartender job is to focus on preparation and personalisation.

Preparation

This occurs before you write a CV cover letter or complete a Bartender application. If you have not held a Bartender position before, it will help to research the industry and review what a typical career path might look like. If you have held a Bartender role, focus your research on the company where you are seeking employment.

Valuable resources that will help you learn about the employer include the company’s career page, social media page, blog, job ad, and job description. Helpful information will consist of the company’s mission statement, values, and vision. You could also use an employer review site to gain insights on average salaries, what current employees say about the company culture, and what it is like to work for the organisation.

Personalisation

You are now in a position to use what you have learned in your Bartender CV, cover letter, and application. You should personalise each Bartender application, cover letter, and CV; prioritising job skills and relevant experience and providing examples that show you have similar values and goals.

This pre-application stage is a crucial step in how to become a Bartender in the UK. It puts you in a superbly informed state, ready for forthcoming telephone, video, or in-person interviews.

Students: How to Become a Bartender 

As with all professions, choose your study topics carefully. Review the qualifications needed to be a Bartender and the subjects you will need to enrol in certification courses, higher education, or online courses. 

Aligning your study subjects

The more closely you align your study subjects with your career path, the more likely you will be to have projects and modules that you can refer to and show a prospective employer that you have practical or theoretical Bartender experience.

How to get Bartender Experience

What does it take to be a Bartender? The best way to find out is to get work experience, which will be invaluable when applying for Bartender jobs. You can learn how to be a successful Bartender through internships, apprenticeships, or volunteering for a local business.

How to be a Bartender Part-Time 

If you are wondering how to get into Bartender part-time, there are several possibilities. You might find a new employer looking for a part-time Bartender or find your existing employer is amenable. Often companies recognise the value of flexible hours and having more staff at work during busy times of the day. 

Bartender freelance work

If you have impressive Bartender qualifications and experience, you could take on the challenges of working freelance with control over your schedule.

Making a Career Change

How to start a career in this profession if you work in another industry may require studying for qualifications online and focusing on transferable skills when writing your CV and attending job interviews.