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Chef resume

What the hiring manager reads first

All roles Hospitality and food service Reading notes, not rules

Summary

A general manager or chef usually looks first for the volume handled, the station or role, and documented results.

Also posted as: sous chef, head chef, executive chef, kitchen manager, chef de cuisine.

See a sample applicationNot taking applications yet.

Read first

  1. Kitchens run and covers per night
  2. Food cost and labor results
  3. Menus created
  4. Team size and training

One line, before and after

  • Original: Sous chef in a 140 seat restaurant, about 300 covers a night. Rebuilt the prep lists, which brought food cost from 34% to 29%.Suggested: Brought food cost from 34% to 29% by rebuilding prep lists as sous chef in a 140 seat restaurant serving about 300 covers a night.
Why this changedFood cost is the number an owner reads first. Every figure in the rewrite is in the original line; nothing is added.

Section order

  1. Summary
  2. Experience
  3. Skills
  4. Certifications such as ServSafe
  5. Education

Where your resume has these sections. A section your resume does not have is not added.

Mistakes that cost interviews

  • Cuisine adjectives without numbers
  • Adjectives in place of volume
  • Team results written as personal ones

Evidence that counts in hospitality and food service

  • Covers, guests or rooms handled
  • Food cost, labor and sales results as documented
  • Guest scores and reviews
  • Team size and training
  • Food safety certification as written

Use what your resume already shows. A line without a number can still be strong when it says clearly what you did and where.

Line Cook, Restaurant Manager, Hotel Front Desk Agent, Event Planner, Restaurant Server, Bartender, and all 150 roles.

These are common reading conventions drawn from hiring guides and career services, not rules every employer follows.