Cook CV examples & writing tips

Whether you’re applying for a first-time cook position or are looking to advance your culinary career, you need a job-winning cook CV. Regardless of their level of experience or culinary skills, a professional cook’s most powerful tools in their job search are their CVs and cover letters. The ideal cook curriculum vitae catches the attention of hiring managers while also impressing restaurant owners with relevant culinary skills and qualifications.

Recruiters and hiring managers at top restaurants often use ATS, or applicant tracking system software, to aid their hiring needs. Applicant tracking system software works by collecting, organising and tracking job applications and CVs. For example, recruiters use ATS software to filter out all the irrelevant or unqualified job applications that don’t fit the job description the best.

So if you’re advancing your career in the culinary industry, you need to create a standout cook curriculum vitae that doesn’t get filtered out by ATS software and actually reaches the desks of hiring managers. Your cook CV should convincingly showcase your culinary skills as well as the interpersonal and management skills required to run a successful restaurant.

This article will walk you through what professional cooks should highlight on their cook CVs to land more job interviews. We’ll then go over the structure of a professional cook’s curriculum vitae and dish out some valuable writing tips and dos and don’ts to follow so you can land the cooking job at your dream restaurant.

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Your CV’s objective should be to highlight your relevant culinary experience, skills and years of experience as they apply specifically to the job description. Take advantage of valuable CV examples and CV builders to increase your chances of getting hired.

There are a variety of kitchen staff jobs in the culinary and restaurant industry, such as a line cook, sous chef, kitchen manager and head chef. Though even though their job descriptions may vary greatly, they share common elements to be included on a cook CV such as:

• Professional summary showcases your culinary skills and expertise.
• Culinary experience, achievements and technical or hard skills.
• Culinary-related keywords and action verbs.
• Soft skills that contribute to a productive and positive working kitchen environment, such as communication skills and being a team player.

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Your cook CV can vary depending on your level of experience and the type of culinary job position you’re applying for. However, the best format for most professional cooks is the reverse-chronological format. By using this format, professional cooks can easily showcase how they’ve refined their culinary and soft skills through n their culinary career path.

The three most commonly used CV formats are:

• Reverse-chronological: This format lists your skills and work experience with your most recent job at the top. This is the most commonly used CV format and most preferred by hiring managers.
• Functional: This CV emphasises relevant skills as opposed to work experience. This format is excellent for entry-level candidates or those changing industries with limited culinary experience.
• Combination/Hybrid: This format combines aspects of the reverse-chronological and functional CV formats. It focuses on work experience and skills and is well-suited for seasoned career professionals.

Regardless of your CV format, follow this CV structure to best showcase your cooking skills and competencies:

Contact Information

Your cook CV header section should feature the following information about yourself:

• Your name
• Contact information such as phone, email and social media profile links such as LinkedIn

Professional summary

The professional summary section is the first section hiring managers see. It’s a professional cook’s first significant opportunity to leave a memorable first impression using a few short sentences that showcase their relevant culinary skills, achievements and competencies.

Skills

Your cook’s CV’s skills section may vary slightly depending on the line of culinary work you’re applying to. Most members of the kitchen staff have some level of experience and technical skills in the following:

• Food handling
• Food preparation
• Food presentation
• Food safety standards in the kitchen
• Use of standard restaurant kitchen equipment such as knives, ovens, and so on
• General culinary knowledge of most food products
• Servsafe experience
• Experience in food service by taking food orders
• Maintaining cleanliness of kitchen work areas and discarding of food waste

Regardless of their position in a kitchen, a cook’s CV should also showcase relevant soft skills as they relate to the culinary industry and cooking position they’re applying for, such as:

• Attention to detail

Being detail-oriented is a must when it comes to working in the kitchen. From following recipes to following sanitary procedures and precautions, professionals in the kitchen need to pay attention to detail.

• Culinary expertise

This is a varied skill set that can be broken down into various skills. This would include a professional’s expertise in cooking and kitchen protocols, and the ability to work productively and positively in a professional kitchen setting.

• Organisational skills

Organisation is a highly regarded skill in the food industry. Members of the kitchen staff work simultaneously on several tasks and dishes, which can cause confusion and stress without organisation skills.

Effective collaboration and communication

Communicating clearly and collaborating effectively in a team is crucial in the culinary profession. Kitchen staff members rely on one another to effectively carry out their tasks and dishes.

• Problem-solving skills

Cooks and other kitchen staff members often work in a fast-paced and stressful environment, especially during peak hours such as lunch or dinner. These working environments are prone to problems. Therefore, practical problem-solving skills are needed to keep operations running smoothly.

Work Experience

Your cook CV’s work history should expand on the qualifications you stated in your professional summary section. Each job description should showcase your career progression as a professional cook and highlight your most significant achievements with specific examples and their outcomes.

Education

Your cook CV’s education section should include any relevant culinary education, certifications or professional training you’ve received.

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Below is a list of some valuable dos and don’ts when crafting the perfect cook CV:

Dos

• Use an ATS-friendly CV template for your cook curriculum vitae. Hiring managers use ATS software to filter out irrelevant applications and show only the applications and CVs that best fit the job description and the company’s needs. All the CV templates on our site are built for easy scanning by ATS.
• Proofread your cook CV for any typos, misspellings or factual inaccuracies you may have made. Additionally, your cook CV should be compatible on all viewing devices such as desktop, mobile and tablet.
• Consider extra sections that list any relevant memberships you have that are related to the culinary industry, such as cooking workshops or culinary clubs. You may also have a section featuring links to reviews of your food or restaurants, or even video links of your cooking if you have them.

Don’ts

• Don’t include vague statements such as “great under pressure” or “great problem solver.” It’s always better to come up with concrete examples of how you’ve used your skills.
• Don’t use culinary terminology that is not relevant to your cooking experience in an attempt to wow hiring managers.
• Don’t use flashy or overly customised CV design layouts and formats. Make sure your CV looks professional and is easy to follow.

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