Crafting a CV that adequately showcases your diverse culinary expertise and ability to manage kitchen staff can be a daunting challenge for any sous chef. Our comprehensive guide offers tailored advice and practical templates to help you articulate your skills convincingly, ensuring your CV stands out to potential employers.
- Design and format your professional sous chef CV;
- Curate your key contact information, skills, and achievements throughout your CV sections;
- Ensure your profile stays competitive by studying other industry-leading sous chef CVs;
- Create a great CV even if you happen to have less professional experience, or switching fields.
When writing your sous chef CV, you may need plenty of insights from hiring managers. We have prepared industry-leading advice in the form of our relevant CV guides.
How complex should the format of your sous chef CV be?
Perhaps, you decided to use a fancy font and plenty of colours to ensure your sous chef CV stands out amongst the pile of other candidate profiles. Alas - this may confuse recruiters. By keeping your format simple and organising your information coherently, you'll ultimately make a better impression. What matters most is your experience, while your CV format should act as complementary thing by:- Presenting the information in a reverse chronological order with the most recent of your jobs first. This is done so that your career history stays organised and is aligned to the role;
- Making it easy for recruiters to get in touch with you by including your contact details in the CV header. Regarding the design of your CV header, include plenty of white space and icons to draw attention to your information. If you're applying for roles in the UK, don't include a photo, as this is considered a bad practice;
- Organising your most important CV sections with consistent colours, plenty of white space, and appropriate margins (2.54 cm). Remember that your CV design should always aim at legibility and to spotlight your key information;
- Writing no more than two pages of your relevant experience. For candidates who are just starting out in the field, we recommend to have an one-page CV.
One more thing about your CV format - you may be worried if your double column CV is Applicant Tracker System (ATS) complaint. In our recent study, we discovered that both single and double-column CVs are ATS-friendly . Most ATSes out there can also read all serif and sans serif fonts. We suggest you go with modern, yet simple, fonts (e.g. Rubik, Lato, Raleway) instead of the classic Times New Roman. You'll want your application to stand out, and many candidates still go for the classics. Finally, you'll have to export your CV. If you're wondering if you should select Doc or PDF, we always advise going with PDF. Your CV in PDF will stay intact and opens easily on every OS, including Mac OS.
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Use bold or italics sparingly to draw attention to key points, such as job titles, company names, or significant achievements. Overusing these formatting options can dilute their impact.
The top sections on a sous chef CV
- Professional Summary to highlight career goals and expertise.
- Core Skills to outline essential culinary and management abilities.
- Work Experience shows growth and achievements in the kitchen.
- Educational Background demonstrates formal training and qualifications.
- Culinary Certifications to showcase specialised knowledge and standards.
What recruiters value on your CV:
- Highlight your culinary skills and specific cooking techniques you excel in, as these are essential for a sous chef to support and innovate within the kitchen team.
- Emphasise your experience in menu development and your ability to work with the head chef to create innovative dishes that align with the restaurant's concept and seasonal availability.
- Demonstrate your leadership and management abilities by mentioning any experience you have in supervising kitchen staff, training new team members or managing inventory.
- Showcase your understanding of health and safety regulations, as well as proficiency in maintaining high kitchen standards, which are critical for a sous chef's responsibilities.
- Include any experience with cost control, such as managing budgets, reducing waste or negotiating with suppliers, as these skills contribute to the efficient operation of a restaurant's kitchen.
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Tips and tricks on writing a job-winning sous chef CV header
The CV header is the space which most recruiters would be referring most often to, in the beginning and end of your application. That is as the CV header includes your contact details, but also a headline and a professional photo. When writing your CV header:
- Double-check your contact details for spelling errors or if you've missed any digits. Also, ensure you've provided your personal details, and not your current work email or telephone number;
- Include your location in the form of the city and country you live in. If you want to be more detailed, you can list your full address to show proximity to your potential work place;
- Don't include your CV photo, if you're applying for roles in the UK or US, as this may bias initial recruiters' assessments;
- Write a professional headline that either integrates the job title, some relevant industry keywords, or your most noteworthy achievement.
In the next part of our guide, we'll provide you with professional CVs that showcase some of the best practices when it comes to writing your headline.
Examples of good CV headlines for sous chef:
- Sous Chef | Contemporary Italian Cuisine Specialist | City & Guilds Level 3 Certified | 10 Years' Experience
- Senior Sous Chef | Fine Dining Expertise | Menu Innovation | HACCP Certified | 15+ Years in Culinary Arts
- Junior Sous Chef | Modern European Dishes | Culinary Arts Graduate | Passion for Pastry | 4 Years Professional
- Sous Chef de Cuisine | Farm-to-Table Advocate | Advanced Diploma in Professional Cookery | 7 Years' Experience
- Executive Sous Chef | Asian Fusion Styles | Staff Leadership & Training | 12 Years Culinary Expertise
- Sous Chef | Bistro and Casual Dining | Food Safety Manager Certification | Progressive Career 6 Years
Your sous chef CV introduction: selecting between a summary and an objective
sous chef candidates often wonder how to start writing their resumes. More specifically, how exactly can they use their opening statements to build a connection with recruiters, showcase their relevant skills, and spotlight job alignment. A tricky situation, we know. When crafting you sous chef CV select between:
- A summary - to show an overview of your career so far, including your most significant achievements.
- An objective - to show a conscise overview of your career dreams and aspirations.
Find out more examples and ultimately, decide which type of opening statement will fit your profile in the next section of our guide:
CV summaries for a sous chef job:
- With a robust 10 years of culinary experience in high-paced, upscale restaurants, this sous chef brings expertise in French and Mediterranean cuisine, strong leadership in kitchen management, and a history of reducing food cost by 20% at a Michelin-starred establishment.
- Offering 7 years of dedicated experience within bustling seafood eateries, this candidate possesses a track record of developing award-winning seasonal menus and mentoring junior chefs to win regional cooking contests.
- Transitioning from a career in food journalism, this individual comes with a fresh perspective and a deep understanding of global gastronomy, eager to apply their strong writing and communication skills to creatively present dishes and enhance menu offerings.
- A financial analyst with a passion for gourmet cooking, looking to embrace a new culinary career path, brings a meticulous eye for detail and a strong foundation in analytical skill sets, coupled with extensive knowledge of international cuisines from personal travel and research.
- Aspiring sous chef, with no formal kitchen experience but a profound appreciation for Italian culinary traditions, seeks to contribute to a dynamic team with innovative approaches while honing skills in pasta preparation and regional Italian sauces.
- Keen to dive into the culinary arts, this recent culinary school graduate is adamant about blending a love for Asian fusion dishes with an eagerness to learn under seasoned professionals and contribute fresh insights into contemporary menu development.
The best formula for your sous chef CV experience section
The CV experience section is the space where many candidates go wrong by merely listing their work history and duties. Don't do that. Instead, use the job description to better understand what matters most for the role and integrate these keywords across your CV. Thus, you should focus on:
- showcasing your accomplishments to hint that you're results-oriented;
- highlighting your skill set by integrating job keywords, technologies, and transferrable skills in your experience bullets;
- listing your roles in reverse chronological order, starting with the latest and most senior, to hint at how you have grown your career;
- featuring metrics, in the form of percentage, numbers, etc. to make your success more tangible.
When writing each experience bullet, start with a strong, actionable verb, then follow it up with a skill, accomplishment, or metric. Use these professional examples to perfect your CV experience section:
Best practices for your CV's work experience section
- Managed a team of 8 chefs, assigning tasks and ensuring that all kitchen activities were executed efficiently and to a high standard, promoting teamwork and maintaining harmony among staff.
- Developed seasonal menus in collaboration with the head chef, incorporating fresh, local ingredients to maintain an innovative and competitive edge, whilst also managing inventory and reducing food wastage.
- Rigorously enforced food safety and sanitation protocols, consistently passing health inspections with high ratings, and providing regular staff training to maintain compliance.
- Streamlined kitchen operations by implementing a new stock rotation system, ensuring all produce remained fresh and high quality, reducing spoilage and cutting costs by 15%.
- Collaborated with suppliers to secure the best prices on high-quality ingredients, building strong relationships that ensured the restaurant could offer premium dishes at a competitive price point.
- Acted as the key liaison between the kitchen and front-of-house staff, facilitating clear communication to ensure guest satisfaction and the smooth delivery of services during peak times.
- Designed and executed special event menus, receiving commendations for creativity and attention to detail, which elevated the dining experience and attracted positive media coverage.
- Conducted monthly inventory audits and produced detailed reports for the management team, offering actionable insights to optimise food cost and manage budgets effectively.
- Mentored junior chefs through structured training programmes, encouraging continuous professional development and fostering a culture of culinary excellence and innovation in the kitchen.
- Oversaw the development and launch of a new seasonal menu, which increased customer base by 25% in six months.
- Supervised a kitchen team of 10, improving productivity by streamlining prep processes and reducing food waste by 20%.
- Collaborated with the head chef in designing special event menus for private dining experiences, contributing to a 30% increase in event bookings.
- Implemented a new inventory control system, reducing ingredient costs by 15% annually while maintaining quality standards.
- Led a kitchen brigade during lunch and dinner services, consistently achieving a 95% satisfaction rating from diners.
- Trained junior chefs on modern cooking techniques, ensuring consistent quality and increasing menu offerings by 10%.
- Managed a kitchen team to execute a high-volume service, serving up to 450 covers per night with precision and attention to detail.
- Pioneered a waste reduction initiative that saved the restaurant £3,000 per month in costs.
- Curated a series of pairing dinners that attracted renowned food critics and increased media exposure for the restaurant.
- Assisted in the kitchen redesign and menu overhaul, resulting in a Michelin Star re-acquisition within a year.
- Managed supplier relationships to ensure the highest quality of ingredients, achieving a 10% reduction in the cost of goods sold.
- Conducted staff training workshops, leading to a team with enhanced culinary skills and a 15% increase in kitchen efficiency.
- Revamped the kitchen's operational workflow, which improved service speed by 25% during peak hours.
- Directed the introduction of an organic and locally sourced ingredients policy, boosting the restaurant's reputation for sustainability.
- Mentored three junior sous chefs who have since stepped up to lead sections, underlining the commitment to staff development.
- Created an award-winning dish that was featured in 'Eat Out' magazine, drawing significant attention to the restaurant's culinary creativity.
- Performed regular stock audits to track and reduce kitchen costs by 18% without compromising on the quality of dishes.
- Coordinated with the front-of-house team to enhance the guest dining experience, noticing a 20% uplift in repeat customers.
- Spearheaded a kitchen equipment upgrade that resulted in a 30% faster preparation time and increased meal consistency.
- Developed a cross-training program where kitchen staff could learn different roles, improving versatility and team efficiency.
- Initiated a monthly cooking workshop for guests, enhancing the restaurant's community engagement and profile.
- Designed and implemented a rotational menu system that increased repeat customer visits by 35% within the first year.
- Successfully managed the catering for several high-profile events, each for over 300 guests, ensuring top quality and service were delivered.
- Forged a partnership with local culinary schools to provide internships, fostering talent and creating a recruitment pipeline for the restaurant.
Swapping your professional experience (when you have none) with skills and more
Never underestimate the importance of relevancе when it comes to your sous chef CV. Even if you don't happen to have much or any standard (full-time contract) professional experience, this doesn't mean you shouldn't apply for the role. Instead of a bespoke CV experience section:
- Showcase more prominently any internships, part-time roles, and volunteer experience that are applicable to the role and have taught you job-crucial skills;
- Feature a strengths or achievements section with your transferrable skills or talents you've obtained thanks to your work or life experience;
- Write an objective statement that clearly outlines your values as a candidate and defines your career ambitions;
- List your education or certificates that match the job profile closer to the top of your CV.
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Include examples of how you adapted to new tools, environments, or work cultures, showing your flexibility.
Mix and match hard and soft skills across your sous chef CV
Your skill set play an equally valid role as your experience to your application. That is because recruiters are looking for both:
- hard skills or your aptitude in applying particular technologies
- soft skills or your ability to work in a team using your personal skills, e.g. leadership, time management, etc.
Are you wondering how you should include both hard and soft skills across your sous chef CV? Use the:
- skills section to list between ten and twelve technologies that are part of the job requirement (and that you're capable to use);
- strengths and achievements section to detail how you've used particular hard and soft skills that led to great results for you at work;
- summary or objective to spotlight up to three skills that are crucial for the role and how they've helped you optimise your work processes.
One final note - when writing about the skills you have, make sure to match them exactly as they are written in the job ad. Take this precautionary measure to ensure your CV passes the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) assessment.
Top skills for your sous chef CV:
Knife skills
Food preparation
Cooking techniques
Menu planning
Inventory management
Food safety and hygiene
Cost control
Kitchen equipment operation
Recipe development
Pastry preparation
Leadership
Teamwork
Time management
Communication
Problem-solving
Attention to detail
Creativity
Adaptability
Stress management
Mentoring
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If there's a noticeable gap in your skillset for the role you're applying for, mention any steps you're taking to acquire these skills, such as online courses or self-study.
Your university degree and certificates: an integral part of your sous chef CV
Let's take you back to your uni days and decide what information will be relevant for your sous chef CV. Once more, when discussing your higher education, select only information that is pertinent to the job (e.g. degrees and projects in the same industry, etc.). Ultimately, you should:
- List only your higher education degrees, alongside start and graduation dates, and the university name;
- Include that you obtained a first degree for diplomas that are relevant to the role, and you believe will impress recruiters;
- Showcase relevant coursework, projects, or publications, if you happen to have less experience or will need to fill in gaps in your professional history.
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Use mini case studies or success stories in your CV to demonstrate how your skills have positively impacted previous roles or projects.
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Key takeaways
What matters most in your sous chef CV-writing process is for you to create a personalised application. One that matches the role and also showcases your unique qualities and talents.
- Use the format to supplement the actual content, to stand out, and to ensure your CV experience is easy to comprehend and follows a logic;
- Invest time in building a succinct CV top one third. One that includes a header (with your contact details and headline), a summary or an objective statement (select the one that best fits your experience), and - potentially - a dedicated skills section or achievements (to fit both hard skills and soft skills requirements);
- Prioritise your most relevant (and senior) experience closer to the top of your CV. Always ensure you're following the "power verb, skill, and achievement" format for your bullets;
- Integrate both your technical and communication background across different sections of your CV to meet the job requirements;
- List your relevant education and certificates to fill in gaps in your CV history and prove to recrutiers you have relevant technical know-how.
