Top 12 Catering Assistant Skills to Put on Your Resume

A sharp resume that captures your strengths as a catering assistant can nudge you ahead in a crowded food service field. Blend culinary know-how with tidy organization and warm people skills, and you signal you can handle the rush, the details, and the guests—often all at once.

Catering Assistant Skills

1. Food Safety
2. Menu Planning
3. Customer Service
4. POS Systems
5. Inventory Management
6. Culinary Techniques
7. Event Coordination
8. ServSafe Certification
9. Time Management
10. Team Collaboration
11. Beverage Service
12. Allergen Awareness

1. Food Safety

Food safety means handling, cooking, cooling, and storing food so guests stay healthy and happy. In catering, it’s disciplined hygiene, strict temperature control, careful separation of raw and ready-to-eat foods, and following local regulations without shortcuts.

Why It's Important

It protects guests from foodborne illness, shields your team from costly mistakes, and preserves a client’s trust—one bad incident can unravel a reputation built over years.

How to Improve Food Safety Skills

Build habits that stick and use tools that verify, not guess:

1. Hands and hygiene: Wash thoroughly and often. Change gloves between tasks. Keep nails short; tie hair back.

2. Hold at safe temperatures: Hot holding at 135°F/57°C or above; cold holding at 41°F/5°C or below. Use calibrated thermometers—don’t rely on feel.

3. Prevent cross-contact: Color-code boards and knives. Separate raw from ready-to-eat. Sanitize surfaces and smallwares between uses.

4. Cook to proper temps: Poultry 165°F/74°C; ground meats 160°F/71°C; seafood and whole cuts 145°F/63°C (with rest when required). Check the thickest point.

5. Cool and reheat safely: Shallow pans, ice baths, and blast chillers where available. Reheat rapidly to 165°F/74°C.

6. Store smart: First in, first out. Label and date. Keep raw proteins on the lowest shelves. Freezer at 0°F/–18°C.

7. Keep learning: Complete recognized food safety training and refresh regularly. Share updates with the team.

Do the basics right every time and the big problems rarely show up.

How to Display Food Safety Skills on Your Resume

2. Menu Planning

Menu planning is choosing dishes and beverages that fit the event’s purpose, budget, season, and dietary needs—then aligning portions, prep flow, and staffing so execution is smooth.

Why It's Important

It curbs waste, controls cost, delivers on guest expectations, and keeps the kitchen focused. A well-planned menu feels effortless to guests and doable for the team.

How to Improve Menu Planning Skills

1. Start with the brief: Clarify headcount, style of service, budget, timelines, venue constraints, and dietary restrictions.

2. Match the moment: Tie flavors and presentation to the event’s theme or tone. Casual buffet differs from a plated gala.

3. Balance and variety: Offer vegetarian/vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options. Balance textures, colors, proteins, and sides.

4. Cook with seasons: Seasonal produce tastes better and often costs less. Adjust menus as availability shifts.

5. Plan portions precisely: Use tested portion guides for each service style. Build a buffer for last-minute attendees.

6. Map the workflow: Ensure prep can be staged, transported, and finished on site. Avoid too many last-minute fire-drill items.

7. Taste and iterate: Run tastings, gather feedback, and fine-tune seasoning, plating, and pacing.

Good planning saves the day long before guests arrive.

How to Display Menu Planning Skills on Your Resume

3. Customer Service

Customer service is the calm, attentive attention you bring to clients and guests. You anticipate, you respond, you resolve—without fuss.

Why It's Important

It shapes the experience more than any centerpiece. Great service sparks repeat bookings and word-of-mouth that money can’t buy.

How to Improve Customer Service Skills

1. Listen first: Ask clarifying questions. Confirm details back to the client before you act.

2. Be clear and kind: Use plain language. Explain timing, options, and constraints without jargon.

3. Respond quickly: A fast answer—even to say you’re on it—calms nerves and builds trust.

4. Personalize: Remember preferences, note special occasions, and accommodate reasonable requests.

5. Recover gracefully: Own mistakes, fix them fast, and follow up so the guest feels heard.

6. Seek feedback: Short surveys or quick post-event chats reveal what to refine next time.

Consistency beats flash. Every touchpoint counts.

How to Display Customer Service Skills on Your Resume

4. POS Systems

POS (Point of Sale) systems process orders, payments, discounts, and receipts while tracking sales and, often, inventory—vital glue between service and records.

Why It's Important

Accurate orders, faster lines, fewer errors. Real-time data helps managers staff properly, forecast, and tighten costs.

How to Improve POS Systems Skills

1. Learn the flow: Practice common transactions—split checks, comps, refunds, modifiers, tax-exempt orders—until it’s muscle memory.

2. Customize smartly: Use quick keys, menu groups, and modifiers that reflect the actual menu to reduce taps and mistakes.

3. Master payments: Get fluent with contactless, chip, manual entry, and offline modes. Know how to close batches and tip adjustments.

4. Use reports: Pull sales by item, hour, and team member. Spot trends, dead stock, and bottlenecks.

5. Troubleshoot basics: Reboot terminals, re-pair printers, and check network settings before calling support.

6. Protect cash: Follow opening/closing drawer procedures and document variances.

Speed comes from setup and repetition. Accuracy comes from good habits.

How to Display POS Systems Skills on Your Resume

5. Inventory Management

Inventory management is tracking food, beverages, disposables, and equipment so events run fully stocked without overspending or waste.

Why It's Important

It protects margins, prevents last-minute scrambles, and keeps quality consistent. No stockouts, no surprise spoilage.

How to Improve Inventory Management Skills

1. Use FIFO: First in, first out. Date-label everything. Rotate daily.

2. Count routinely: Weekly cycle counts on key items; full counts as needed. Reconcile against records.

3. Set par levels: Establish minimums by item and season. Adjust after large events or trend shifts.

4. Forecast demand: Use historical data, guest counts, and menus to order precisely.

5. Tighten supplier relations: Confirm lead times, negotiate pack sizes, and build backup options.

6. Track waste: Maintain a simple waste log. Identify culprits and fix root causes.

7. Audit storage: Calibrate fridges, check seals, and keep zones organized to prevent loss.

Small improvements add up to real savings.

How to Display Inventory Management Skills on Your Resume

6. Culinary Techniques

Culinary techniques are the core methods—knife skills, sautéing, roasting, baking, seasoning, and plating—that make food consistent and appealing.

Why It's Important

Better technique means faster prep, cleaner flavors, and reliable results under pressure. Guests taste the difference.

How to Improve Culinary Techniques Skills

1. Sharpen fundamentals: Practice knife cuts, doneness tests, emulsions, and seasoning. Repetition builds speed and safety.

2. Cook across methods: Braise, grill, poach, roast, and steam. Learn when each shines.

3. Mise en place: Organize ingredients and tools before heat hits the pan. Label, tray, and stack to flow.

4. Taste constantly: Season in layers. Adjust acid, salt, heat, and texture as you go.

5. Study and practice: Short classes, chef demos, and trade books keep skills current. Then apply on the line.

6. Seek critique: Ask chefs and peers for blunt feedback on flavor and presentation.

Discipline first, creativity second—and both get better together.

How to Display Culinary Techniques Skills on Your Resume

7. Event Coordination

Event coordination is the choreography behind service: timing, staffing, setup, service flow, breakdown, and client communication stitched into one plan.

Why It's Important

It keeps courses on schedule, vendors aligned, and surprises manageable. When the plan is solid, service looks effortless.

How to Improve Event Coordination Skills

1. Build clear run sheets: Who does what, when, and where. Include contact info, floor plans, and contingency notes.

2. Host a pre-brief: Align kitchen, servers, bartenders, and leads. Clarify signals for course fires and resets.

3. Check the site early: Power, water, access, parking, load-in paths, and holding areas—verify before the rush.

4. Stage the line: Label trays, set garnish stations, and pre-portion where possible.

5. Plan B (and C): Weather shifts, late rentals, dietary surprises—script responses ahead of time.

6. Debrief after: Record what worked, what slipped, and what to change next time.

The details are the event.

How to Display Event Coordination Skills on Your Resume

8. ServSafe Certification

ServSafe Certification verifies knowledge of foodborne hazards, safe handling, sanitization, and regulatory compliance widely recognized across foodservice.

Why It's Important

It signals you understand the rules and the reasons behind them—lowering risk for guests and the business. Some jurisdictions or clients require a certified person on site.

How to Improve ServSafe Certification Skills

1. Study the official content: Focus on time/temperature control, cross-contact, cleaning and sanitizing, and HACCP basics.

2. Take practice exams: Identify weak spots and drill them until you’re quick and confident.

3. Attend a review class: Ask scenario-based questions tied to catering realities like off-site holding and transport.

4. Stay current: Revisit updates to the Food Code and renew on time. Share key changes with teammates.

Knowledge is only useful if applied every shift. Make it habit.

How to Display ServSafe Certification Skills on Your Resume

9. Time Management

Time management is prioritizing prep, setup, service, and cleanup so deadlines are met and quality doesn’t wobble.

Why It's Important

It reduces stress, prevents bottlenecks, and keeps the guest experience smooth from first bite to last plate cleared.

How to Improve Time Management Skills

1. Plan backward: Start from service time and schedule each prep step to land on time.

2. Batch and stage: Group similar tasks. Pre-portion, label, and tray items to speed final assembly.

3. Prioritize ruthlessly: Tackle high-impact tasks first. Defer non-essentials until the rush passes.

4. Avoid split focus: One task at a time for accuracy and speed. Multitasking invites errors.

5. Use short breaks: Quick resets keep accuracy high during long events.

6. Delegate smart: Assign tasks by skill and station. Clear ownership prevents duplication.

Good timing feels like magic. It’s usually just a better plan.

How to Display Time Management Skills on Your Resume

10. Team Collaboration

Team collaboration is tight communication and clear handoffs across kitchen, floor, and bar—so service flows without tripping over itself.

Why It's Important

Coordinated teams move faster, fix hiccups quietly, and deliver consistent quality. Guests notice the harmony, even if they can’t name it.

How to Improve Team Collaboration Skills

1. Daily huddles: Quick stand-ups before shift to review menu changes, VIP notes, timing, and roles.

2. Shared task boards: Track prep, pack-out, and return lists where everyone can see progress.

3. Common signals: Standardize calls for firing courses, clearing, and resetting.

4. Cross-train: Learn a neighboring station’s essentials to cover gaps during crunch time.

5. Feedback culture: Give concise, respectful notes mid-shift and deeper debriefs after events.

When everyone knows the play, the play works.

How to Display Team Collaboration Skills on Your Resume

11. Beverage Service

Beverage service covers selecting, prepping, and presenting drinks—from coffee stations to full bars—delivered safely and with style.

Why It's Important

It elevates the menu, boosts revenue, and frames the guest experience from welcome to farewell.

How to Improve Beverage Service Skills

1. Know the crowd: Confirm preferences, signature drinks, and non-alcoholic highlights in advance.

2. Set for speed: Logical bar layout, backup ice, labeled syrups, clean garnishes, and plenty of glassware.

3. Serve responsibly: Check IDs, watch service pace, and follow alcohol laws and company policies.

4. Nail the details: Correct glassware, accurate pours, proper dilution, tidy garnishes, and consistent presentation.

5. Offer range: Include low-ABV and zero-proof options. Provide allergen-aware mixers and clear labels.

6. Stay sustainable: Reduce single-use items, batch where appropriate, and manage waste and recycling.

7. Gather feedback: Track popular items and adjust future menus accordingly.

Clean, quick, consistent—that’s the bar standard.

How to Display Beverage Service Skills on Your Resume

12. Allergen Awareness

Allergen awareness is knowing common allergens, preventing cross-contact, labeling accurately, and communicating clearly with guests and the kitchen.

Why It's Important

Allergies can be life-threatening. Strong practices keep guests safe and protect the business.

How to Improve Allergen Awareness Skills

1. Know the majors: Peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, and sesame.

2. Prevent cross-contact: Dedicated tools and zones, color-coded boards, fresh gloves, and thorough cleaning between tasks.

3. Label and log: Ingredient lists for each dish, with clear allergen flags. Update immediately when recipes change.

4. Ask and confirm: Proactively check for allergies when taking orders. Repeat back details to ensure accuracy.

5. Plan safe swaps: Maintain allergen-free alternatives and prep them first or in separate areas.

6. Be emergency-ready: Recognize signs of anaphylaxis and follow the venue’s emergency protocol promptly.

Clarity and discipline save lives. Make it standard, not special.

How to Display Allergen Awareness Skills on Your Resume