This involves shouldering responsibilities like staff management, training staff and ensuring unwavering compliance with food safety regulations.
Earning the trust to helm a kitchen requires a stand out resume that presents your relevant skills, experience and qualifications. In this guide we will walk you through the art of crafting a compelling kitchen manager resume and give you the tools to showcase your best professional self. Without further ado, let's transform your professional aspirations into reality by crafting an apt resume that speaks volumes of your expertise in running kitchen operations.
What does a kitchen manager do?
A kitchen manager position comes with a huge list of responsibilities. The duties performed by a kitchen manager ensure that the daily operations of the kitchen are uninterrupted. The specific duties of a kitchen manager may vary as per the size and type of food establishment they are handling, but here are some of the common tasks expected of a kitchen manager.
Guiding the Kitchen Employees
Kitchen managers are responsible for recruiting, training and supervising the kitchen staff. They are required to schedule and manage the shifts to ensure a seamless rotation of staff members. A kitchen manager is also expected to maintain a positive and inclusive work environment for the entire staff.
Ensuring High Food Quality Standards
A kitchen manager role is not merely an administrative one. As a kitchen manager you are expected to supervise the food preparation carefully and ensure culinary excellence
Inventory Management
Inventory control is paramount to ensure the optimum levels of food supplies at all times in the kitchen. A meticulous management of the inventory helps reduce food wastage which keeps the food costs in check as well.
Upholding Strict Food Safety Standards
It is extremely important to maintain a sanitized and hygienic kitchen at all times. Every commercial kitchen is expected to comply with the strict health and food safety standards while preparing food for customers. This includes ensuring safe food handling practices in the kitchen.
Menu Development
As mentioned before, a kitchen manager needs to possess a versatile set of skills and one of them is having the knowledge of menu planning and development. It is the kitchen manager's duty to ensure that the menu meets the expectations of the customer and aligns with the brand and remains cost-effective.
Financial Responsibilities
Budgeting is a huge part of the kitchen manager job. As a manager, you are expected to develop and manage the kitchen budget. This includes monitoring labor costs, food costs and overhead expenses.
Customer Service
A kitchen manager is expected to work closely with the front-of-house staff and ensure they provide excellent customer service. They are also required to address customer complaints and concerns related to the kitchen and food service.
How to Write an Impressive Kitchen Manager Resume?
Kitchen manager resumes need to present a candidate's capability of supervising and optimizing day to day operations for a food serving establishment. This requires a strategic approach of highlighting relevant information about your professional background that can showcase your suitability for any kitchen manager role. Let's take a look at some of the main steps of writing a great kitchen manager resume.
Choose an appropriate resume layout and format to present your professional details in your manager resume.
Divide the resume into clearly demarcated sections to ensure it conveys information in an organized manner.
Maintain consistent formatting especially in the font size, style and visual elements of your resume.
Make a prominent header section to display your full name and contact information clearly.
Write a clear and targeted professional summary which provides a brief overview of the relevant skills and qualifications you have attained in the course of your career.
Detail your past work experience in a structured manner, specifying the key roles and responsibilities you had in your previous roles.
Highlight your top skills as a kitchen manager and make sure to mention both your technical and soft skills.
Mention your academic credentials in the education section of your resume. If you have received any relevant degree and certification, make sure to add that here.
Ensure your manager resume is visually appealing and has a clean and polished look. Stick to a minimalist design and make sure it is neat and structured well.
Choose the Right Resume Format
Choosing the right resume format ensures that your professional information is presented in the best possible way. There are mainly three resume formats prevalent in the job market, let's take a look at these in more detail.
Chronological
The chronological format focuses on highlighting your work experience section to showcase your steady career progression. In this format, your previous jobs are listed in a reverse chronological order starting with the most recent job you have held. This format is recommended for candidates with a strong employment history and a stable career background.
Functional
The functional format focuses on your skills and achievements rather than your employment history. This format is recommended for candidates who have a lot of career shifts and huge gaps in their professional background.
Hybrid
The hybrid format mixes the main features of the chronological and functional formats. This particular format gives equal importance to your skills and experience section. This format is highly recommended for candidates who want to portray a well-rounded and balanced image of their professional competencies and skills.
Create a Professional Resume Header
The topmost section of your resume is called the header. In this section include your full name, job title, phone number, email address and a LinkedIn profile link if you have one. Here's an example of a header section of a kitchen manager resume.
Example
Write an Informative Professional Summary
The professional summary of a kitchen manager resume should provide a brief description of the candidate's experience, skills and specific areas of expertise. The summary section should not be longer than 3-5 sentences and should be tailored to meet the requirements of the position. Let's take a look at an example of a professional summary for a kitchen manager resume.
Example
Showcase Your Work History a Kitchen Manager
In the recruitment process, your experience section is meticulously evaluated by your potential employers. In order to showcase your career progression, list your prior work history in a reverse chronological order. Mention the job title, name of the company and the exact dates of employment for each of your previous roles. Opt for bullet points while listing your roles and responsibilities. Begin every sentence with a strong action verb. Use specific metrics and examples to mention any notable achievements you have had in your career. Let's take a look at an example of an experience section for a kitchen manager resume.
Example
Highlight Relevant Skills
The skills section of your kitchen manager resume should contain a balanced mix of both your hard and soft skills. The skills listed in this section should reflect your professional competencies and capabilities as a manager. Organize your skills in order of relevance to the position you are applying for. Let's take a look at an example of a skills section for a professional manager resume.
Example
Mention Your Academic Qualifications
The minimum educational requirement for a kitchen manager role is a high school diploma. However, some establishments may require a bachelor's degree or a certification course from a culinary school. Candidates with the relevant academic credentials are given a higher preference during the hiring process. Mention the name of the degree and institution along with your graduation date while listing your educational qualifications. Here's an example of an education section for a kitchen manager resume.
Example
Proofread and Edit
The final step of your resume drafting process is proofreading and editing. These steps ensure there are no avoidable mistakes present in your kitchen manager resume. Editing can also help cut out irrelevant information and help tighten the loose ends in your resume.
Customize Your Kitchen Manager Resume Before Every Job Application
In order to find success during your job hunt, it is absolutely necessary to tailor your resume to fit the requirements of the manager role you are applying for. To accomplish this, you will need to review the job description carefully and incorporate relevant skills and experience into your resume. To best align your resume with the requirements of the job, make sure to incorporate the same keywords used by the employer in their job ad.
