
Resume PDF or Resume Word Doc (Best Format to Submit)
Should you save your resume or CV as a .pdf or MS Word .doc file type? Does it matter what document format you choose? Here's the answer.
You’re not a “cook.” Cooks make food. You design creative and exciting experiences for your patrons. Prove you’ve earned your cutlets with this umami-level sample culinary resume.
Martin Brandao, Head Chef
martin.q.brandao@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/martinqbrandao
603-481-7565
Talented head chef with 7+ years of experience. Skilled in staff management and creating menus. Seeking to enhance the dining experience at The Joyous Ocelot. At The Prawn Broker, received two five star reviews from Massachusetts Life Magazine for, “exciting menu, flawlessly executed.” Served a packed house 5 nights a week thanks to vibrant word of mouth.
Chef
The Prawn Broker
Feb 2014–May 2019
Chef
Northern Maine Outdoor Center
Jan 2012–Feb 2014
2012 Cambridge School of Culinary Arts
Professional Chef’s Program Graduate
2007–2011 Boston College
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Do you need a certain kind of resume for culinary jobs? See our other guides:
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Sample Culinary Resume—See more templates and create your resume here.
Here’s how to write a culinary resume that gets jobs:
Culinary professionals like chefs, sous chefs, and pastry chefs have expert-level food-preparation knowledge. They create and implement menus that excite and delight their patrons. A culinary resume must show skills in food safety, kitchen management, and other chef and kitchen skills.
Presentation matters.
That’s true in a dining room and in a resume for culinary jobs.
So—
You need a well-proportioned resume.
That’s why the resume samples for experienced culinary pros online use the chronological resume layout.
It’s the best layout for resumes, just as clock-face plating is the best food presentation style. It puts things in the right order for the customer.
Pro Tip: What font should a resume be in? Pick an easy-reading font like Calibri, Cambria, Verdana, or Helvetica.
The restaurant manager is busy.
Your culinary resume must be appetizing right away.
So write a short elevator speech. It’s called a professional profile or a profile summary for a resume.
Either way, it’s a sampler of all your finest culinary moments.
Here’s the recipe:
In a resume with no experience, you won’t have all those ingredients.
So—prove transferable abilities from non-culinary roles in an objective on your resume.
Example: if you managed a team of hotel valets, that proves leadership.
Pro Tip: How long should a professional resume be for culinary jobs? One page, unless your many food service accomplishments would rival Paul Bocuse’s.
You’re a culinary pro, not a resume-writing pro.
Don’t make this rookie mistake:
Don’t whip up a generic culinary resume for every job opening.
Knowing how to write experience in a resume means knowing how to tailor your resume to each position.
Pro Tip: Spice things up by using the right verbs for resumes, like “served, trained, raised.” Never settle for the bland “responsible for” or “handled.”
Most resume education sections are as alike as canned food.
Make yours sizzle.
Don’t stop with your school name, dates of attendance, and degree.
Show off your culinary skills with more achievements.
Did you lead a culinary club? That proves leadership. Did you excel in food safety classes? That’s another plus.
Pro Tip: Definitely list cum laude on your resume for culinary jobs if you scored that high. Was your GPA more in the McDonald’s zone? Then leave it off unless you graduated this year.
List these work skills in your culinary resume:
This technical skills list gives the basics:
Of course you’ll need some soft skills too:
Pro Tip: Use a good mix of hard skills vs soft skills in your culinary arts resume. But don’t list too many. Go heavy on the few abilities the job ad holds in high regard.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
You can’t stop after “education.”
That’s as boring as a dry, plain chicken breast.
Add one or two of these:
Pro Tip: Listing certifications on a resume is easy. If they matter for the job, make a “Certifications” section under “Education.” If they’re “extra,” add them to “Activities.”
Should I submit a cover letter with my culinary resume?
It’ll boost your chance of getting hired.
But—
Don’t make an over-processed culinary cover letter.
Unsure how to follow up on a job application? Send a short, polite note once a week, with a brief reminder of the most memorable fact in your cover letter.
That’s it!
That’s how to write a culinary resume.
Will they be more impressed with your culinary arts resume or your cooking? Can you think of a way to make a resume for culinary jobs reflect your skills so they “get it?” Give us a shout in the comments. We’d love to talk!
Should you save your resume or CV as a .pdf or MS Word .doc file type? Does it matter what document format you choose? Here's the answer.
An employment gap is a period of time (months of years) when a job seeker didn't have a job. While out of work, employees use their time to have children, travel or go to school full time.
How to write a general cover letter? Copy our sample generic cover letter template, adjust and use it to land an interview. Read more!