The restaurant industry is very competitive, but that doesn't mean that you should give up on your dream of becoming a sous chef. You can work in any kitchen with the right qualifications and showcase your exceptional culinary skills.
Tommy Johnson Sous Chef 036-345-021 tommyjohnson@gmail.com Bridgeport, CT linkedin.com/in/tommyjohnson
Professional Summary
Trained culinary professional with ten years of experience in restaurant operations. Proven ability to build high-performing teams and incorporate various cooking techniques.Committed to delivering exceptional customer service, maintaining smooth and timely operations, and delivering the best culinary experience. Dedicated to food safety and quality food service. Ability to drive sales by ensuring guest satisfaction, reduce food costs, and increase profits by up to 40%.
Work experience
Charleston Grill and Restaurant Head Chef March 2013-December 2016
Created a new and improved food menu listing with over twenty choices of entrees.
Provided training to kitchen staff in all aspects of food preparation, recipe development, different cooking methods, and food presentation.
Increased establishment revenues by 25% by creating enticing specialty dishes to attract new clients.
Cochon Restaurant Line Cook May 2017-July 2019
Developed recipes using knowledge of customer preferences, ideal nutrition, and budgetary constraints.
Cleaned kitchen equipment and assisted in creating seasonal menus to increase sales during peak seasons.
Prepared the same dishes every day, maintaining company standards and ensuring customer satisfaction.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Arts California Polytechnic State University 2016
Skills
Culinary management
Menu development
Quality control
Food production
Customer service
Communication skills
Problem-solving skills
Multitasking
Additional InformationCertification
Certified Sous Chef - American Culinary Federation
However, before getting an opportunity in this line of work, you need a sous chef resume that separates you from everyone else. Sous chefs manage kitchen operations in a restaurant or hotel, so a good blend of managerial and culinary skills will help you stand out.
If you don't know how to present your qualifications on your resume, we'll help you in this article. You can also check out our resume examples which will give you some great ideas and tips. Here are some of the topics we'll be covering in this article:
The right experience for your sous chef resume.
The most valued skills for sous chefs.
The best layout and format for your resume.
How to add your educational qualifications to your resume.
Salary & Employment Rates for Sous Chefs
According to the U.S Bureau of Statistics, the employment of chefs and head cooks is projected to grow 15 percent from 2021 to 2031.
The industries with the highest levels of employment in Chefs and Head Cooks include:
Restaurants and other eating places
Special food services
Traveler accommodation
Other amusement and recreation industries
Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly
The average salary for a sous chef is $49,000. The typical range is between $42,000 and $59,000, depending on the level of education, skills, and experience.
How to Write a Job-winning Sous Chef Resume
The goal of every job seeker is to stand out and get the position over the
other candidates. Head chefs get many resumes and don't have a lot of time to go through each of them. You need to read through the job description and tailor your resume to match the requirements of your potential employer.
Your resume should be one page long, but it should also have all the required details. In addition to your culinary skills, you must show the hiring manager that you can manage the kitchen and direct the staff when the executive chef is not around.
Hiring managers in big establishments use ATS systems to sort through resumes. Use relevant keywords from the job description to ensure your resume gets past the software.
Consider the resume format, layout, and structure. Here are more details on this.
Best Resume Format
The right resume format allows your best qualifications to stand out. Here are three formats you can consider.
Reverse-chronological format - This format is perfect for experienced sous chefs with many years of experience.
Functional resume format - This format is perfect for candidates who recently graduated and career changers looking to get started in the industry. It focuses on your skills and is also called a skills-based resume.
Hybrid/combination resume - This format blends the two previous formats. If you have the perfect blend of experience and skills, this format is for you.
The layout of the resume should be simple to read and understand. Hiring managers encourage job seekers to use easy-to-read fonts like Cambria, Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, Verdana, and Georgia. The font size should be 10-12pt.
The structure of your sous chef resume should have the following sections:
The header section
Professional summary/objective
Work experience
Education section
Skills section
An additional section (Certifications, languages, awards/honors, and interests)
Begin with a Header & Contact Information
The header section is the first part of your resume, which contains your contact and personal details. Always check your resume before sending it to the recruiter to ensure the information is correct. The details include the following:
Your full name
Job title
Phone number
Professional email address
Location
A link to your LinkedIn profile.
Correct example
CORRECT
Christine Davis
Sous Chef
762-283-336
christinedavis@gmail.com
Cleveland, OH
linkedin.com/in/christinedavis
Incorrect example
INCORRECT
Christine Davis
Sous Chef
762-283-336
christinedavis@gmail.com
1530 Sunny Glen Lane
House number 21
Cleveland, OH
Date of birth 21/03/1999
linkedin.com/in/christinedavis
💡The header should always be short and to the point. Add only the relevant details that the recruiter will require.
Describe Your Professional Experience
Sous chefs will require culinary expertise to show the hiring manager they can hold things down in a professional kitchen setting when the head chef is unavailable. This job requires leadership abilities as it can be high-pressure, especially when busy.
List your work history in restaurant management or a hotel setting. Start with your most recent position and go backward. Usually, three previous workplaces are okay but ensure that you focus on the relevant experience.
Under each workplace, add three to five job duties and incorporate keywords and action verbs to optimize your sous chef resume. Quantify your achievements with figures and facts to show the hiring manager what you can do if given the position.
The structure of your work experience section should have the name of the hotel/restaurant, your job title, and the employment dates.
Example for an entry-level sous chef
Geronimo
Entry-level Sous Chef
July 2017-May 2019
Reduced the food cost by 12% by sourcing foods for Italian cuisine from local farms.
Collaborated with vendors and line cooks to find cost-effective recipe ingredients depending on seasonal availability.
Efficiently cooked innovative dishes by preparing food items beforehand.
Example for experienced sous chefs
Next Restaurant
Executive Chef
January 2015-May 2019
Supervised kitchen team of eight and assigned duties to staff for different food preparation stages, maintaining quality standards.
Assigned tasks, set employee schedules, and coordinated with restaurant managers to arrange employee compensation packages.
Ordered food products needed to maintain the required stock levels for various menu items and ensured they were held in the appropriate storage room.
Give a Detailed Background of Your Education
Sous chefs will require a bachelor's degree in culinary arts or a related field. Any educational qualification in business management will also play a significant role in ensuring you get the position.
The job description will help you determine the exact requirements, but you should always start with your most recent qualification when adding them to your resume. Add the name of the degree/diploma, the name of the school, and the graduation year.
If you have a Master's or Ph.D., you don't need to add the high school diploma. List some of the courses you learned in culinary school that are relevant to the position, especially if you don't have much experience.
Correct example
Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Arts Management
Wichita State University
2016
Sous Chef Skills for Your Resume
Culinary professionals will require specific skills that help them perform their duties diligently in a kitchen organization. Recruiters use ATS systems to filter out resumes that don't have these skills in their resumes.
Your sous chef resume should have a list of hard and soft skills. Hard skills are job-specific and may require some time to learn at culinary school or on the job. On the other hand, soft skills are interpersonal traits that help you interact well with kitchen staff and clients.
Always check the sous chef job description to get some of the skills the recruiter is looking for and add them to your resume. The correct wording/language makes all the difference and increases your chances of landing a job interview.
Use our resume templates which have a simple structure but will allow you to list all your relevant skills.
Hard skills
Inventory management
Culinary management
Recipe development
Quality control
Cost control
Restaurant management
Menu development
Cooking techniques
Soft skills
Time management
Problem-solving skills
Customer service
Leadership skills
Communication skills
Multitasking skills
Decision-making skills
Teamwork
A Professional Summary
Once you've added your contact information in the header, you must introduce your resume. A professional summary highlights your top accomplishments, skills, and experience. This section of your resume is short but has a major impact as it determines whether the recruiter will continue to read your resume or not. Make it interesting and catchy to get the recruiter's attention.
Correct example
CORRECT
Award-winning Sous Chef with eight years of experience in extensive restaurant operations and a passion for driving success and top service. Passionate about trying out new cooking methods to create innovative dishes that cater to all customers. Increased annual sales by 25% by sourcing cheaper food ingredients from local farmers.
💡The example above summarizes the candidate's experience, skills, and accomplishments to capture the recruiter's attention.
Incorrect example
INCORRECT
Ambitious Sous Chef with expertise in Italian cuisine. Experience includes employment in multiple award-winning, upscale restaurants.
💡The example above vaguely describes what the candidate can do but fails to give further details that make them stand out.
A Sous Chef Resume Objective
A resume objective helps you introduce your resume when you don't have much experience. Recent graduates and career changers use it to summarize their career goals and express their interest in the sous chef position. It should also be engaging to get the recruiter to read the rest of your resume.
Correct example
CORRECT
Recently graduated sous chef trained in culinary management with expertise gained through line cook and server roles, restaurant management courses, and experience working in casual dining and catering. Looking for an opportunity to grow and share my skills at an upscale restaurant like Rasika.
💡The example above describes the candidate's experience from school and on-the-job training that has prepared them for the position.
Additional Sections for Your Resume
Every job seeker wants to stand out when trying to get a job in the competitive restaurant industry. An additional section allows you to add extra qualifications that will help you stand out and beat your competitors.
This is also a chance for you to highlight the skills you don't want the recruiter to miss.
Here are a few sections that you can consider for your sous chef resume.
Certifications
You automatically stand out when you have additional training as a sous chef. It will be a great disservice if the recruiter misses the qualification that could set you apart from all the candidates. This is why you should add your certifications in this section to ensure that the recruiter sees them easily. Some of the certifications that will help your sous chef resume stand out include:
Certified Sous Chef Certification
ACFEF Culinary Arts Program Certificate
Certified Master Chef
Languages
If you're a bilingual candidate, add your language skills in this section. Recruiters love candidates who are well-versed in different languages because they can interact well with clients and colleagues from various cultures. Use the official language reference when listing your languages as follows:
SIELE for Spanish
IELTS for English (with 30 points and above)
DELF for French (with 70% and above)
Tips and Tricks to Enhance Your Resume
Keep your resume short and summarize all your qualifications on one page.
Tailor each resume to match the head chef’s requirements so that it gets past the ATS systems.
Refrain from using one job title for multiple applications.
Use the job description to get the keywords and action verbs the recruiter will be looking out for on your resume.
Always proofread your resume before sending it to the recruiter.
Summary: Key Takeaways
The first section of your resume is the header, and it contains your personal information.
A resume summary/objective summarizes your top accomplishments and your career goals as it introduces your resume.
List the hard and soft skills in two separate sections.
Always use figures or facts to quantify your achievements and show the results you could achieve if given the position.
The structure of your resume should have all the required sections.
Highlight your culinary academic background in the education section.
Write a Cover Letter That Goes With Your Resume
A cover letter is crucial to the success of your application. If you send your resume without one, unless this is the instruction by the recruiter, your application will be incomplete. This document gives further details of your qualifications in a more personal way that showcases your personality and writing skills. Check out our cover letter examples and craft your perfect cover letter.
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