Startender

How to Get a Bartending Job With No Experience

Everyone starts somewhere. Here’s the step-by-step that actually works when you’ve never worked a bar.

Start as a barback

The single best move with no experience is to take a barback job. You get paid to learn the bar, you show you’re reliable, and you’re first in line when a bartender spot opens. Most bartenders started exactly here.

Get any required certification

If your state requires a responsible-alcohol-service certification (TIPS, ServSafe Alcohol or a state program), knock it out online for a small fee. It removes an easy reason to pass on you.

Trail and stage

Ask to “trail” (shadow a shift) at bars you like. It shows hustle, gets your face known, and often turns into a tryout. Showing up in person, ready to work, beats a cold résumé.

Build a profile that shows your hustle

You may not have bar experience yet, but you can still show who you are — your personality, any service or hospitality work, your availability. A profile that reads like a portfolio gets you noticed by venues that hire and train newcomers (and plenty do).

The shortcut: be seen

However you break in, the people who get the best work aren’t the ones sending the most résumés — they’re the ones venues can already see. Startender is the private network where bars, clubs and restaurants discover and book nightlife pros directly. Build a profile that works like a portfolio, and get found. Free for talent.

Find the work

• Barback Jobs · New York
• Bartender Jobs · New York
• Bartender Jobs · Los Angeles
• Bartender Jobs · Chicago

More guides

• How to Become a Bartender
• How Much Do Bartenders Make?
• Is Bartending School Worth It?
• Do You Need a License to Bartend?
• Barback vs Bartender
• How to Become a Cocktail Server

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