To write a sommelier resume, you want to showcase your abilities, work history, and education in an orderly and professional manner. Your document should represent a summary of your career, designed to catch the attention of hiring managers and impress them enough to call you over for an interview.
In this article, we’ll show you how to write a stellar sommelier resume. You’ll discover what sections are a must-have and which details are important. More than that, we’ll give you examples to show you what the document should look like in practice, and then we’ll top it all off with some expert tips on resume building.
Let’s get started!
Key Takeaways
The chronological resume format is the best format for most job seekers writing a sommelier resume.
There are five must-have resume sections: contact information, objective or summary, work experience, education, and skills.
You can include as many optional sections as you want, as long as they are relevant and don’t extend your resume beyond one page.
To maximize your chances of getting an interview invitation, you should write and submit a cover letter that matches your resume and is tailored to the job you’re applying for.
The Best Format to Use For a Sommelier Resume
While there are many ways to structure your sommelier resume, three formats stand out as the best and yield optimal results. These are:
3 Popular Formats
Chronological format. This is the most common resume format and the best one for the majority of applicants. It features an orderly structure by arranging your past jobs and achievements in reverse chronological order. As an added bonus, the chronological format is compatible with the ATS.
Functional format. This is a skill-centric resume format best used by those with little to no professional history. It makes skills your biggest section, which is perfect when you’re creating a sommelier resume with no experience. However, the format might not be compatible with ATS.
Combination (hybrid) format. This format combines the first two, making skills the main section but backing up each of them with relevant achievements in reverse chronological order. It’s a perfect format for those with employment gaps or those with decades of professional experience.
Sommelier Resume Layout
Resume layout refers to the design part of the document. To achieve a visually striking appearance, you should consider the following guidelines:
Resume Layout Guidelines
Your sommelier resume should be one page long in most cases.
Good fonts for resumes are easy to read and look professional, like Arial, Times New Roman, and Helvetica.
Font sizes should be 10–12 pt for regular text and 14–16 pt for section headings.
You should set your margins to at least 1 inch on all sides.
Line spacing should be 1.0 or 1.15.
Sommelier Resume Mandatory Sections
Every sommelier resume should have these five mandatory sections:
Resume Mandatory Sections
Contact information
Resume objective or summary
Work experience
Education
Skills
On top of that, there are many optional sections to include. These can strengthen your case and provide more details about your qualifications as long as they are relevant to the role you’re after.
Some of the optional sections to consider are:
Resume Optional Sections
Awards
Personal Projects
Conferences/Lectures
Languages
Hobbies & Interests
However, even when you know everything about mandatory and optional sections, it can still feel daunting to look at a blank piece of paper when making a resume. That’s why we created a robust resume builder to help you craft an impeccable document quickly and effortlessly.
We offer countless expert-made templates that are pre-formatted and feature all the necessary details. All you need to do is input your information, and you’re good to go—with the help of our AI, you can have your sommelier resume ready in minutes!
Here’s one of the many sommelier resume templates you’ll find when using your resume builder:
Sommelier Resume Template
Name and Surname
Phone number: 000-000-0000 | Email: namesurname@gmail.com | Location: City, State
[Adjective] [your job title] with [years of experience, if applicable] in [your area of expertise, if applicable] looking for a [position] job at [company name]. Eager to apply [relevant skills] gained through [work/volunteer/other experience] to help [company name] [mention what you can do for the company].
Work Experience
Most Recent/Current Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Previous Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Oldest Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For older jobs, use 2-3 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Education
[Degree] in [Major]
[University/college name]
[Start date] - [Graduation date]
Skills
Soft Skills
Skill #1
Skill #2
Skill #3
Skill #4
Skill #5
Hard Skills
Skill #1
Skill #2
Skill #3
Skill #4
Skill #5
Additional Sections
Add any relevant additional sections (languages, licenses, publications, hobbies, etc.)
Resume templates
Resume templates that are designed to help you win a jobHow to Add Contact Information to Your Sommelier Resume
Contact information goes in the header of your sommelier resume and should include:
Contact Information Mandatory Details
Name
Job title
Phone number
Email address
There are several optional details that you can include, such as:
Contact Information Optional Details
Location
LinkedIn
Personal website or relevant social media page
Here’s what that looks like in an example:
Contact Information Example
Arthur Rodgers Sommelier + 413 313 5460 arthur.rodgers@example.com Springfield, MA linkedin.com/in/arthurrodgers
You should avoid including sensitive personal information such as your age, gender, religious and political affiliations, and more. If you do it, hiring managers can immediately discard your resume due to discrimination concerns.
How to Craft an Ideal Sommelier Resume Objective/Summary
Ideal sommelier resume objective or summary should grab the hiring manager’s attention and convince them to focus on your application. In that sense, you can think of this introductory paragraph as your elevator pitch and a concise description of your sommelier resume.
The difference between the two is that a resume objective is for entry-level candidates who want to showcase their skills and academic accomplishments. Experienced sommeliers should write a resume summary that highlights a couple of their most impressive work-related accomplishments.
Junior Sommelier Resume Objective
The key to writing a strong sommelier resume objective when you’re new to the industry is highlighting your skills, motivation, certifications, academic achievements, etc.
Here’s a good example:
Good Example
“Driven recent graduate with a BA in Wine and Viticulture seeking to start their career as a sommelier. WSET-certified, with completed coursework in wine production, tasting techniques, and food pairings.”
However, if you don’t include any substantial information about your qualifications, you’ll end up with a poorly written resume objective, like in the following example:
Bad Example
“Recent graduate looking for a first job as a sommelier. No experience, but I’m eager to learn on the spot.”
Established Sommelier Resume Summary
A sommelier resume summary, when you’re an experienced professional, should emphasize one or two of your most notable accomplishments. That way, you’ll show tangible work results.
Let’s check out a good example:
Good Example
“Seasoned sommelier with more than 11 years of experience in the fine dining industry. Notable accomplishments include organizing wine-tasting events that drew more than 200 connoisseurs, increasing the restaurant’s revenue by 23%. I am looking to bring my expertise and passion for enology to elevate the art of wine appreciation in your establishment.”
If you don’t showcase any concrete results of your work, you’ll end up with a weak resume summary, like in the next example:
Bad Example
“Experienced sommelier with extensive knowledge of wine and wine-making looking for a new job.”
Sommelier Resume Professional Experience
A professional experience section is typically the centerpiece of a sommelier resume, so let’s find out how you can get the most out of it.
General Tips
In most cases, you want to add your work experience to your sommelier resume in reverse chronological order. You should start with your latest job (since it’s typically the most important and relevant) and list the rest down from there.
For each previous role you had, you should include the following details:
Job title
Organization’s name
Employment dates
Accomplishments and results
The key to making this section shine is creating a standout list of your achievements. These tips will help you do that:
You should use bullet points for accomplishments over blocky paragraphs.
Having between 3 and 5 bullet points for each previous job is an optimal number.
You should use numbers and statistics to add measurable value to your results and make them stand out in the eyes of hiring managers.
Action verbs and power words can make this section—and your whole resume—more memorable.
Sommelier With No Experience
If you’re an entry-level professional without work experience, you can leverage activities such as volunteer work, school projects, or internships for your professional history section.
Here’s an example of a candidate emphasizing their work as a sommelier intern:
Sommelier With No Experience Example
Work Experience
Junior Sommelier Intern Elegance Springfield, MA
May 2023–June 2024
Assisted senior sommelier in the development of a 350-label wine list.
Collaborated with the culinary team to optimize wine and food pairings, enhancing customers’ dining experiences and boosting the restaurant’s revenue by 9%.
Kept detailed records of guest preferences to modify the wine list and provide personalized recommendations to regular patrons.
Experienced Sommelier
As an experienced sommelier, you want to emphasize more than your knowledge of wines. For instance, you can demonstrate everything from your leadership and management skills to your ability to help restaurants increase revenue.
Here’s a good example:
Experienced Sommelier Example
Work Experience
Head Sommelier The Crimson San Francisco, CA
June 2021–Current
Carefully curated and managed a wine list with more than 700 selections to increase the restaurant’s wine sales by 27%.
Managed a team of 5 sommeliers to ensure the highest standards of service, achieving a 98.5% customer satisfaction rating.
Directly negotiated with wine suppliers to ensure advantageous contracts, saving the organization 13% on procurement costs.
Sommelier Resume Education Section
The education section of your sommelier resume typically supports the work experience section. It should be brief and factual, supplementing the work experience section with information about your academic qualifications.
It’s usually enough to list the following details:
Education Mandatory Details
Your highest degree
The institution that issued it
Years of attendance
Here’s an example of a sommelier resume education section:
Sommelier Resume Education Section Example
Education
Bachelor in Wine and Viticulture California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 2019–2022
However, if you’re a recent graduate with no work experience, you can put more emphasis on your education section. You can add a bullet list with notable achievements, such as your GPA (as long as it’s higher than 3.5), extracurricular activities, relevant coursework, and more.
Sommelier Resume Skills
The skills section of your sommelier resume should demonstrate what makes you the best person for the job.
There are two guidelines you should follow to accomplish that, and they are:
Resume Skills Guidelines
Your sommelier resume skills need to be relevant to the role you’re applying for. That’s why you should research the company and thoroughly read the job ad to figure out which abilities hiring managers and employers are looking for.
You should justify your competence by linking your skills to relevant achievements. This can be done by adding your skills throughout your resume and not just in a dedicated skills section. Most notably, you should add your most impressive abilities in your resume summary and work experience sections.
When creating a list of skills to add to your resume, you want a strong mix of hard and soft skills. However, since hard skills are job-specific, you should list them first and mention your soft skills separately since they are quite different in nature.
Sommelier Hard Skills
Here are some of the most impressive hard skills you can add to your sommelier resume:
Hard Skills
Food preparation
Nutrition
Wine tasting skills
Wine and food pairing
Hospitality
Catering
Mathematics
Record keeping
Proficiency in safety standards
Sommelier Soft Skills
Here are some of the most sought-after soft skills hiring managers look for in professionals:
Soft Skills
Customer service
Stamina
Accuracy
Attention to detail
Delegation
Sommelier Resume: 4 Additional Sections
Optional sections can greatly improve your chances with hiring managers as long as they provide information relevant to the role you’re after.
Awards
Listing awards on your sommelier resume is a great way to add credibility to your skills and expertise. Having a Sommeliers Choice Award or a similar accolade shows that you excel in your field and that your competence has been recognized by other professionals. This can set you apart from the other candidates and further emphasize your commitment to the craft.
Professional Affiliations
Having a list of professional affiliations on your sommelier resume shows that you’re an active member of the industry and wine community. Memberships in organizations like the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale and the North American Sommelier Association show your passion and commitment to continuous learning.
More than that, these memberships provide great networking opportunities and access to exclusive events and resources that can contribute to your abilities and career. Moreover, all those improvements are something employers can also benefit from.
Conferences/Lectures
Conferences and lectures signify that you take a proactive approach to learning and improving. If you regularly attend industry gatherings—like the American Wine Society’s National Conference—you’re likely up to date with the latest knowledge and practices.
Furthermore, your eagerness to attend these events demonstrates your dedication to professional growth. It showcases that you’re passionate about your career and likely to excel in your role.
Languages
Sommeliers are customer-oriented professionals, and language skills help them cater to a wide range of patrons. Proficiency in multiple languages allows you to communicate with a diverse clientele, understand them on a personal level, and provide personalized service.
Highlighting multilingualism also speaks volumes of your ability to adapt and be culturally aware, which is highly important in today’s global business environment. When listing language skills on your resume, you should choose the established framework and put the one you’re most proficient in at the top.
Do I Need a Cover Letter as a Sommelier?
Cover letter templates
Create a cover letter by filling in a free template and sharing it for freeYou need a cover letter if you want to go above and beyond and show hiring managers that you’re a dedicated professional. While this is typically an optional document, it’s another tool that helps you convey more information about your skills and qualifications.
To get the most out of your cover letter, you should keep it one page long and between 250 and 400 words. Your writing should be concise, but you should still highlight your passion for the industry and the abilities that will make you excel in the role that you’re applying for.
3 Expert Tips for Writing a Sommelier Resume
Here are some final tips that will turn your sommelier resume from great to exquisite:
3 Expert Tips for Writing a Sommelier Resume
You shouldn’t include personal pronouns in your resume summary or objective. That way, you’re shifting focus from what you want to what you can offer employers.
Your cover letter should match your resume. This includes using the same format and layout to create a cohesive appearance. Furthermore, you shouldn’t repeat the information from one document to another; instead, take the opportunity to talk about additional skills and experiences and your drive.
You should carefully proofread your sommelier resume before submitting it. Even a simple typo can detract from your document’s message. By having a spotless resume, you’ll underscore your professionalism and attention to detail.
Closing Thoughts
Sommeliers have a wide range of careers to look forward to. Whether you’re applying for the position of a restaurant sommelier, a wine event planner, or even a wine and beverage director, you’ll need a strong resume that optimally demonstrates your competence.
By following the rules and guidelines outlined in this article, you’ll end up with an outstanding document that will grab the reader’s attention and convince them of your expertise. It won’t be long before you’ll be invited for a job interview, so make sure you familiarize yourself with the most common interview questions. Best of luck!
