Top 12 Barista Skills to Put on Your Resume

Crafting a standout barista resume isn’t only about knowing beans from blends. It’s about showing the craft, the care, and the snap-fast efficiency that keeps a cafe humming. Mix technical chops with warm service and a touch of personality, and you’ve got something that sticks with a hiring manager.

Barista Skills

1. Latte Art
2. Espresso Extraction
3. Customer Service
4. Cash Handling
5. Inventory Management
6. Workflow and Speed
7. Square POS
8. Milk Steaming
9. Coffee Cupping
10. Cleanliness Standards
11. Specialty Coffee Knowledge
12. Time Management

1. Latte Art

Latte art is the graceful dance of pouring steamed milk into espresso to sketch patterns on the surface—hearts, tulips, rosettas, swans—tiny flourishes that turn a drink into a moment.

Why It's Important

It signals mastery. Beautiful art almost always comes from well-textured milk and a properly pulled shot, so the visual becomes a promise: quality inside the cup, not just on top.

How to Improve Latte Art Skills

Progress comes from repetition and feel, not luck. Try this:

1. Milk Texture: Steam to a glossy microfoam—think wet paint, not froth. No big bubbles.
2. Espresso Base: Aim for a rich, stable crema; it’s your canvas.
3. Pouring Control: Start high to integrate, drop low to draw. Steady hands, subtle wrist.
4. Design Ladder: Nail hearts, then tulips, then rosettas and beyond. Build complexity slowly.
5. Inspiration and Feedback: Watch skilled baristas, record your pours, review, repeat. Communities on video platforms and social media can spark ideas.

Patience, practice, and consistent milk quality win the day.

How to Display Latte Art Skills on Your Resume

2. Espresso Extraction

Espresso extraction is hot water under pressure moving through finely ground coffee, producing a concentrated shot with layered flavor and texture.

Why It's Important

Everything flows from the shot. Balance, aroma, body—get extraction right and every drink that follows stands tall.

How to Improve Espresso Extraction Skills

Dial in with intention:

1. Grind Size: Adjust to hit a target shot time around 25–30 seconds for a typical double. Finer slows, coarser speeds.
2. Dose: Keep dose consistent (often 18–20 g for a double). Stability breeds repeatable results.
3. Tamping: Even, level pressure to prevent channeling. Consistency over brute force.
4. Water Temperature: Brew in the 90–96°C (195–205°F) range. Temperature nudges flavor extraction dramatically.
5. Pre-infusion: Lightly saturate the puck first to promote uniform flow.
6. Brew Ratio: Start at 1:2 (e.g., 18 g in, ~36 g out) and adjust for clarity, sweetness, and strength.

Taste, tweak one variable at a time, taste again. Keep notes. Patterns emerge.

How to Display Espresso Extraction Skills on Your Resume

3. Customer Service

Customer service is the art of making people feel welcome, heard, and taken care of—taking orders clearly, solving problems quickly, and sending guests off happier than they arrived.

Why It's Important

Return visits keep the lights on. Friendly, reliable service turns one-off orders into regulars and builds the shop’s reputation day by day.

How to Improve Customer Service Skills

Small behaviors compound:

1. Warm Communication: Greet, listen actively, confirm orders. Eye contact matters.
2. Menu Mastery: Know ingredients and prep methods so recommendations feel natural and confident.
3. Accuracy Under Pace: Move quickly without cutting corners. Double-check names and modifiers.
4. Personal Touches: Remember regulars and their usuals. Offer thoughtful suggestions.
5. Grace Under Fire: Handle complaints with empathy, fix the issue fast, and close the loop.

Service is a habit. Practice it on slow days so it’s automatic on busy ones.

How to Display Customer Service Skills on Your Resume

4. Cash Handling

Cash handling means running transactions cleanly and securely: taking payments, making change accurately, balancing drawers, safeguarding deposits.

Why It's Important

Precision protects trust. Mistakes cost money, time, and credibility—none of which a busy cafe can spare.

How to Improve Cash Handling Skills

Keep it tight:

1. Routine Training: Refresh POS and cash procedures regularly to eliminate guesswork.
2. Reliable POS Cash Management: Use a system that tracks sales, refunds, tips, and cash pulls with clear logs.
3. Frequent Audits: Spot discrepancies early with mid-shift and close-of-day counts.
4. Documented Procedures: Opening, closing, cash-outs, tip handling—write it down and follow it.
5. Secure Storage: Use drop boxes or under-counter safes for large bills; keep tills tidy.

Consistency is your firewall against error.

How to Display Cash Handling Skills on Your Resume

5. Inventory Management

Inventory management means tracking beans, milk, syrups, cups, pastries—everything—so you have what you need without drowning in waste.

Why It's Important

Run out of oat milk at the morning rush and you’ll hear about it. Stock control keeps service smooth, costs in check, and quality fresh.

How to Improve Inventory Management Skills

Make the system work for you:

1. Regular Counts: Weekly or bi-weekly audits to reconcile expected vs. actual stock.
2. FIFO Always: First-in, first-out to protect freshness, especially dairy and pastries.
3. Smart Tools: Use inventory features in your POS or dedicated systems (e.g., Lightspeed, Square) to track thresholds and automate reorders.
4. Supplier Relationships: Communicate needs, negotiate terms, and secure backup options for shortages.
5. Team Training: Show everyone proper rotation and storage; waste drops when the whole crew cares.
6. Read the Data: Adjust par levels for seasons, promos, and weather swings.
7. Waste Plans: Discount near-expiry items or creatively repurpose overstock in specials.
8. Set Pars: Establish minimums for staples and revisit them monthly.

Lean, clear systems free you to focus on guests.

How to Display Inventory Management Skills on Your Resume

6. Workflow and Speed

Workflow and speed cover the way a barista moves, sequences tasks, and keeps drinks flying without chaos—mise en place, multitasking, and rhythm.

Why It's Important

Quality is non-negotiable, but speed keeps lines short and smiles wide. Smooth workflow squeezes more out of every minute.

How to Improve Workflow and Speed

Build habits that stack:

1. Set Your Station: Tools in consistent spots, pitchers pre-chilled, rags ready, backup milk nearby.
2. Batch Smart: Group similar drinks, steam milk for two compatible orders, and pull shots in sequence.
3. Two-Handed Moves: Pour with one hand while prepping the next cup with the other.
4. Standardize Recipes: Clear, posted specs reduce hesitation and re-dos.
5. Practice Under Pressure: Simulated rush drills sharpen decisions and timing.
6. Tidy As You Go: Quick wipes and purges prevent slowdowns later.
7. Communicate: Call out orders and coordinate roles when the rush hits.

Speed follows structure. Structure starts with setup.

How to Display Workflow and Speed Skills on Your Resume

7. Square POS

Square POS is a point-of-sale system that handles orders, payments, discounts, and reporting while tying into inventory—handy for fast-moving coffee bars.

Why It's Important

It trims friction at checkout, helps keep lines moving, and surfaces data you can act on—what sells, when it spikes, and what to prep.

How to Improve Square POS Skills

Dial in the setup and the team:

1. Clean Item Library: Put top sellers up front, group items logically, and name modifiers clearly.
2. Use Modifiers: Milk choices, extra shots, sweetness levels—build them once, tap fast forever.
3. Hardware Shortcuts: Configure readers, printers, and screens for your flow.
4. Quick Discounts: Preload promo buttons for effortless comps or loyalty perks.
5. Offline Mode: Enable it so payments don’t stall if Wi‑Fi hiccups.
6. Train the Crew: Short, regular refreshers on new features and common edge cases.
7. Read the Reports: Use analytics to plan staffing, menu placement, and prep.

Good POS hygiene saves seconds on every order. Seconds add up.

How to Display Square POS Skills on Your Resume

8. Milk Steaming

Milk steaming means heating and aerating milk with a steam wand to build sweet, silky microfoam for lattes, caps, and flat whites.

Why It's Important

Texture is taste. Properly steamed milk unlocks sweetness, supports latte art, and defines the drink style.

How to Improve Milk Steaming Skills

Chase consistency:

1. Cold Start: Use fresh cold milk and a chilled stainless pitcher.
2. Right Fill: Just below the spout’s base so milk has room to expand.
3. Wand Position: Tip slightly off-center to create a rolling vortex.
4. Stretch Briefly: Introduce air at the start, then stop once foam level is set.
5. Heat to Sweet Spot: Aim for ~60–65°C (140–149°F) for balanced sweetness and texture.
6. Polish: Swirl and tap to knock out bubbles and shine the surface.
7. Clean Immediately: Wipe and purge after every use—no excuses.

Microfoam is a feel thing. The pitcher will tell you when you’ve got it.

How to Display Milk Steaming Skills on Your Resume

9. Coffee Cupping

Cupping is a structured tasting method to evaluate aroma, flavor, body, and finish. Slurp loudly, spread coffee across the palate, and compare with intent.

Why It's Important

Cupping sharpens your palate. You’ll learn origin traits, processing quirks, and roast effects—knowledge that improves both recommendations and brewing choices.

How to Improve Coffee Cupping Skills

Train your senses:

1. Palate Practice: Taste a wide range of coffees and try to name what you perceive; the SCA flavor wheel is a helpful reference.
2. Consistent Protocol: Keep grind, ratio, water temp (~93°C/200°F), and steep times steady to make fair comparisons.
3. Water Quality: Use clean, neutral water that meets specialty coffee standards so the cup isn’t skewed.
4. Note Taking: Record acidity, sweetness, body, clarity, and aftertaste; patterns build memory.
5. Community Sessions: Cup with others—shared vocab and debate refine description skills.
6. Keep Learning: Study processing methods, varieties, and regional profiles to connect flavors with causes.

Repetition carves nuance into your tasting memory.

How to Display Coffee Cupping Skills on Your Resume

10. Cleanliness Standards

Cleanliness standards are the daily habits that keep a cafe safe and sharp: sanitizing gear, managing food-contact surfaces, storing ingredients properly, and following health codes.

Why It's Important

Hygiene protects guests and staff, preserves flavor quality, and passes inspections without stress. A clean bar looks fast even when it’s busy.

How to Improve Cleanliness Standards Skills

Build cleanliness into the flow:

1. Written Schedules: Daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning lists for machines, grinders, counters, and drains—check off as you go.
2. Proper Storage: Label, date, and seal. Dry goods elevated and sealed; cold items held at safe temps.
3. Personal Hygiene: Frequent handwashing, neat uniforms, hair control, no jewelry where it shouldn’t be.
4. Train and Retrain: Short refreshers on sanitizer use, cross‑contamination prevention, and food safety principles.
5. Guest Area Upkeep: Wipe high-touch points and tidy tables often; empty bins before they’re full.
6. Follow Current Codes: Align procedures with your local regulations and the latest FDA Food Code edition.

Clean as you go is more than a phrase—it’s the secret to staying fast and inspection‑ready.

How to Display Cleanliness Standards Skills on Your Resume

11. Specialty Coffee Knowledge

Specialty coffee knowledge spans farms and fermentations to grinders and brew recipes—origins, processing methods, roast levels, extraction science, and service.

Why It's Important

Knowing the story behind the cup helps you brew better and speak with authority. Guests trust suggestions when you can explain the why, not just the what.

How to Improve Specialty Coffee Knowledge Skills

Blend study with hands-on work:

1. Structured Learning: Consider courses from recognized coffee organizations to formalize fundamentals.
2. Read Deeply: Books like The World Atlas of Coffee offer a strong foundation.
3. Watch and Compare: Educational videos and cafe tours can reveal techniques you haven’t tried.
4. Brew Iterations: Log recipes, measure outputs, taste critically, and adjust one variable at a time.
5. Events and Cuppings: Expos, throwdowns, and tastings expand perspective fast.
6. News and Podcasts: Follow industry outlets and conversations to track trends and debates.
7. Community Forums: Share experiences, ask questions, and swap ideas with baristas worldwide.

Curiosity is the engine. Keep it running.

How to Display Specialty Coffee Knowledge Skills on Your Resume

12. Time Management

Time management means prioritizing tasks—orders first, cleaning between, restocking before the lull ends—so the bar stays calm even when the door never stops swinging.

Why It's Important

It lowers stress and lifts quality. Drinks come out fast, stations stay tidy, and guests feel the smoothness.

How to Improve Time Management Skills

Work smarter in the rush and between it:

1. Prioritize Ruthlessly: Active orders beat everything else; restock in micro-moments.
2. Batch Tasks: Group similar drinks and chores to reduce switching costs.
3. Block Time: Use short timers or mental sprints to keep momentum and avoid drift.
4. Organize the Bar: A clean, consistent layout trims seconds from every move.
5. Lean on Tools: Use POS reminders, checklists, and prep sheets for repeatables.
6. Delegate: Share roles—one on register, one on bar, one floating—then rotate.
7. Review and Adjust: After rushes, debrief what slowed you down and fix it before the next one.

Time you save becomes time you can spend with guests. That’s the point.

How to Display Time Management Skills on Your Resume