The statistics don’t just speak for themselves, the message is clearly audible if you travel down the main café strips of Paddington in Brisbane, Surry Hills in Sydney, or St Kilda in Melbourne. Signs in café windows and sandwich boards on footpaths read: hospitality staff are in demand across the board—chefs, cooks, waiters, front-of-house, and kitchen hands alike.

What personal attributes and skills does a hospitality employer look for in a potential employee?

Have a look at our list and you’ll soon realise that the key attributes and skills are pretty similar to what you’d need to get a job in other industries.

So, even if you don’t plan to stay in hospitality forever, these attributes and skills will be transferable to so many other occupations.

Personal attributes and skills

You can’t really fake these things but you can learn them if you put your mind to it. Here’s our top 19, in no particular order:

New to hospitality? Or been in the industry for a while and looking for a change in direction?

The hospitality industry offers a diverse range of career options...

Bar attendant
Bar attendants prepare and serve drinks to customers in bars, hotels, and licensed dining establishments.

Bar manager