As a Chef, you know which ingredients to use to make an appetizing dish. But, are you having trouble cooking up a job-winning resume? If that’s the case, our expertly outlined resume templates can help. Cook up a resume to fill any hiring manager’s appetite.
Chef Resume Example MSWord®
Make your resume the main course for a recruiter with our Chef Resume template in Word format.
As a chef, you’re an expert when it comes to cooking up a storm.
However, the same might not be true when it comes to cooking up a chef’s resume.
There are lots of things to consider when trying to impress a recruiter.
You’ll need to know answers to questions such as:
A culinary resume can’t just be magicked out of thin air.
Yet, it can be made a lot easier.
That’s why we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about how to make a resume for a chef job.
Our guide explains the key ingredients to a professional chef resume, such as:
If you’re short of time, you can also use our chef resume builder to create an epic resume in just a few minutes.
It’ll walk you through each section of the chef resume template totally free, so you can have an expert bio ready to go whenever an exciting new professional cook job appears.
First up, you might be wondering what an optimized cook’s resume needs to have on it.
To get started, here’s a glimpse at what a smart cook resume sample PDF should look like.
Resume Example Copy to clipboard[Gillian Gerber]
[Chef]
[667 Tanner Drive, Portland, OR, 72484 | 578-555-1710 | gill.gerber66@gmail.com]
Summary
Dedicated and creative chef with over 6 years of professional kitchen experience. I bring expert knowledge of European fusion cuisine, plating, and presentation, as well as a flawless track record (100%) in FDA food safety.
Experience
Chef
La Delicatesse | Portland, OR
Sous Chef
Royal Oak Hotel | Portland, OR
Skills
Education
A.A. Culinary Arts
Clackamas Community College | Portland, OR
Relevant coursework: Japanese Cuisine, European Cuisine, Food Health, and Safety
Certificates
IFT – Certified Food Scientist – 2020
ANSI – Certificate in Food Handling and Hygiene – 2019
Hobbies and Interests
Let’s start cooking a similar chef resume with your information.
Most chef resume examples should be created in a reverse chronological format, showing your most recent experience first.
This is the best choice for a candidate as it’s organized the way recruiters like best and quickly communicates where you are in your career.
There are other options, such as functional and combination templates, which put more emphasis on skills.
However, these aren’t recommended for most chef jobs, as they could put you at a disadvantage.
Don’t forget, the file type you use for your resume counts too.
This is because applicant tracking systems (ATS) are used to scan through most newly sent resumes. They can be pretty harsh if you don’t use a machine-readable document.
That’s why it’s best to use either of the following to submit your resume:
That is, of course, unless the recruiter specifically asks for a certain file type to be used. In which case you should always follow the instructions they’ve provided.
Right, you’re preparing to write a top chef resume.
You’ll want to add some extra sauce at the start to get things rolling.
What you’ll need is a resume summary or objective.
In simple terms, this is your chef resume outline.
Let the chef job description for the resume be your guide in what details to prioritize.
It’s also your chance to immediately get things off on the right foot.
But how do you choose between the two options?
Ideally, you’ll use a chef’s professional summary if you’re more established in your career.
A chef’s resume objective, however, will be essential if you’re making a career jump or you’re fresh out of culinary school.
Both are similar but have some differences you’ll need to be careful with.
Let’s see a couple of examples to see what those are in more detail.
So, you’ve settled on a cook’s resume summary, nice choice.
This short paragraph is your 3-second elevator pitch.
It should quickly throw a few facts about your professional history at the recruiter that sell you best for the job.
However, remember, it has to be relevant. Otherwise, things can end in disaster.
Trained chef, experienced at working in busy kitchens. Expert in meal preparation, restaurant back of house management, food safety, and presentation.
Nice job, if you wanted to make Jamie Oliver cry.
This is trying so little, it might set a new record in how long it takes for a resume to reach the trash can.
The chef resume sample below, however, might have recruiters licking their lips…
If you’re a bit more inexperienced as a chef, a resume objective can come to your rescue.
It has a lot in common with a resume summary.
Both express why you’re a great hire.
The resume objective is still all about selling yourself, so make sure to lead with skills that make you the most employable.
However, an objective takes a slightly different approach by stating your career goals directly.
In the sample resumes for chef positions below, you’ll see where this can go very right and very wrong.
On an entry-level chef resume, a resume objective is great for showing that you’re eager to learn and hungry to grow.
However, this culinary student’s resume for a seafood restaurant position below manages to miss the mark entirely.
Experienced sous chef, eager to lead a kitchen as its head chef. I don’t yet have a lot of experience in preparing seafood but I am adaptable and motivated to learn fast.
Oh boy, this is rancid.
This restaurant cook resume objective would get screamed at by Gordon Ramsey.
This is not the way to go.
Instead, use an example like the optimized chef resume sample below.
Expert sous chef with over 3 years experience, ready to make the jump to leading a kitchen as head chef. Possess strong skills in time management, European fusion cuisine, and an impeccable health safety record.
This is the sort of chef resume example that would make Guy Fieri give you the thumbs up.
It quickly explains your motivation for applying for the job.
After, it goes to town explaining why you’re the perfect fit despite a lack of regular experience.
Your experience in the kitchen is your biggest selling point on a chef resume.
So mixing up a cooking experience section that looks tasty is a must.
In cook resume examples you don’t need to write huge blocks of text about each job.
Always lead with numerical figures. Use budgets you managed, percentile improvements you introduced, etc. to show you’re the real deal as a chef.
Break each job you want to include down into its own individual entry.
A few quick summarized bullet points will help explain the work you did and the goals you achieved in an instant.
But remember, a chef’s resume isn’t one size fits all.
Of course, there’s a lot of difference if you write a prep cook resume sample compared to a sushi chef resume.
You’ll need to modify the skills, KPIs, and achievements you include to fill the precise job description at hand.
Let’s see what this looks like in practice.
Getting your cook experience on your resume doesn’t have to be like constructing a beef wellington.
Simplicity is the key, much like a well-prepared pasta dish.
However, make things too simple and you might end up disappointed as we can see in the example below.
Chef
La Delicatesse | Portland, OR
2019 – 2021
If this were a dish, it would get sent back to the kitchen.
Unfortunately, in this case, it’s a culinary resume template that is not going to be moved forward to the next stage of the interview process.
It’s generic, half-baked, and doesn’t give the recruiter anything to work with.
Chef
La Delicatesse | Portland, OR
2019 – 2021
Now this is the crème de la crème of an experience section.
It’s got some vital statistics from previous jobs.
The information is quick and punchy.
It’s also tailored for the job description by providing specific areas of success.
In short, it’s a feast for the eyes.
Here are some other examples of achievements for a Chef Resume:
If you’re only starting out in your culinary career, your resume might need to approach things a bit differently.
You’ll need to come up with chef resume ideas based on jobs you’ve actually held or from your training.
This, however, still needs to be specific to the profile being advertised.
Unlike the sample below.
Sous Chef
Royal Oak Hotel | Portland, OR
2016 – 2018
Wow, this stinks.
A resume template for a chef like this that is bland, unfocused, and dull is something you want to avoid.
With a few tweaks here and there you can make this information a lot more interesting.
Sous Chef
Royal Oak Hotel | Portland, OR
2016 – 2018
Ok now, this is looking tasty.
This particular resume example gets across a lot more key information even if the candidate’s experience is a bit more basic.
We’ve got some numerical data, specific information about key things the candidate did in the kitchen, and a good range of skills.
This is much more likely to look appetizing to a recruiter.
A lot of chefs’ jobs don’t rely so much on degrees to assess candidates.
But that doesn’t mean the education section on your chef resume doc should be lacking.
Don’t worry about adding a high school diploma unless you have no other education or training to mention.
This is still a core section that must be included, even if you’re just highlighting your high school diploma.
However, there’s much more that you can do here to show you’re the ace chef the employer needs.
What does a chef resume education section look like in the wild?
After all chef qualifications on a resume vary quite a lot.
However, if you have studied a cooking course, you’ll want to make sure you don’t cover it like the example below.
A.A. Culinary Arts
Clackamas Community College | Portland, OR
2013 – 2016
Look, let’s be real here.
The recruiter doesn’t want to know about your college football career.
They’re probably more interested in how you learned to cook.
In short, the example above isn’t going to get you anywhere.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Instead, it’s better to focus on details like the example below does.
A.A. Culinary Arts
Clackamas Community College | Portland, OR
2013 – 2016
Now, this is a satisfying education section.
As a ‘starter’ and ‘main course’, it’s got the key information about the course and college quickly summarized at the top.
However, it’s even thrown in some ‘dessert’ in the shape of the candidate’s relevant coursework.
This should give the candidate plenty of room to impress.
Skills are one of a chef’s strongest assets.
There are hundreds of cuisines and cooking styles to specialize in, which could make interesting reading for the recruiter.
Of course, remember these always depend on the specific job description being advertised.
But in general, what skills should a chef have on their resume exactly?
Consult our list of possible chef skills on a resume below to help you brainstorm some choice ideas for your document.
