Sous Chef Resume: Sample & Complete Writing Guide [20+ Tips]

Sous Chef Resume Sample

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Have a look at these other food-related resume example guides:

• Food Service Resume Sample & Writing Guide
• Fast Food Resume Sample & Complete Guide
• Server Resume Sample & Complete Guide
• Restaurant Resume Sample and Complete Guide
• Line Cook Resume Sample and Complete Guide
• Waiter / Waitress Resume Sample & Complete Guide
• Restaurant Manager Resume Sample & Guide
• Chef Resume Sample & Complete Guide
• Bartender Resume Sample & Complete Guide
• Barista Resume Sample and Complete Guide
• Bar Manager Resume Sample & Complete Guide
• Baker Resume Sample & Complete Guide

We just gave you our recipe for the tastiest sous chef resume example.

Now, this is how to write a sous chef resume of your own:

1. Choose the Best Format for Your Sous Chef Resume

You can often tell a cheap diner from a pricey restaurant by how crammed their menus are.

Resumes are like menus, in a sense—

Like a fine dining restaurant menu, a proper resume format keeps everything neat, orderly, and legible.

Here are formatting rules to follow on an executive sous chef resume:

• Begin at the top with the address on your resume in the professional header.
• Utilize bold resume section titles to make each section stand out.
• The ideal resume format to use is most often the reverse chronological resume format.
• What size font for a resume is just as important as the typeface you choose.

Pro Tip: Send the resume in PDF format unless the sous chef job ad says otherwise. Like a paper plate bending from an oily dish, Microsoft Word documents often render in weird ways on different devices.

2. Write a Sous Chef Resume Objective or Summary

A sous chef resume objective or summary is also known as a professional resume profile.

This introduction is a paragraph that is 3–4 sentences in length. It gives executive chefs and restaurant owners an elevator pitch to announce your eligibility.

Like those teppanyaki chefs at Benihana, this heading statement has to grab the employer’s attention from the start.

The resume summary is perfect when you have solid sous chef experience. A summary statement “sums up” your sous chef skills and experience, and it proves them with a numbered achievement.

The resume objective is ideal when you have little to no sous chef experience. An objective statement gives your restaurant career goals, instead. However, it also includes a quantifiable accomplishment to verify your kitchen skills on a junior sous chef resume.

Pro Tip: Save the summary or objective as the last thing you write. This way you’ll have the other resume parts over and done with to help you identify the choicest, meatiest nuggets of information to include here.

3. Create the Perfect Sous Chef Job Description Resume Section

The work experience description on your resume is the main course.

It should be crafted with as much care as the menu items you’ll prepare.

How?

Here’s how to garnish your sous chef job description:

• Place your most recent kitchen job first, then the one before that.
• Add your job titles, dates you worked, the restaurant name, and several (5 or 6) bullet points describing your kitchen responsibilities and restaurant duties.
• Pick strong resume words (e.g., ordered, supervised, etc.) to start off each entry.
• Show off quantifiable achievements to verify you’re as skilled as you say.
• Always tailor your resume to one sous chef job description. Head chefs will no doubt throw a generic resume into the bin.

Pro Tip: Writing a resume for the first job as a sous chef? No problem! When you list other jobs in your work history, go hard on listing kitchen-related responsibilities and leadership duties.

4. Make Your Sous Chef Resume Education Section Shine

Think your educational background on a resume for restaurant jobs is a waste of time?

Think again.

The executive chef wants to see a poor education section like they want to see a negative restaurant review in the New York Times.

So—

Here’s how to cook up a mean academic resume section:

• Begin by listing the most recent schooling first.
• Include your certificate or degree, graduation date, culinary school name, and college location.
• Add extra, relevant points, such as coursework and extracurriculars.
• Skip adding high school if you’ve finished college or culinary school.

Pro Tip: As a sous chef is a leadership role, emphasize any restaurant management coursework as well as any standard kitchen-related studies.

5. Highlight Your Sous Chef Skills on a Resume

According to the BLS, employment of sous chefs, chefs, and head cooks is expected to increase by 10% between 2016 and 2026.

With over 14,000 cooks aiming for your job, competition is as fierce as Hell’s Kitchen.

So—

Serve up a plateful of resume skills that are cooked to perfection.

Sample Sous Chef Resume Skills List

• Kitchen & Staff Management
• Food & Supplies Ordering
• Inventory Management & Rotation
• Knowledge of Food Ingredients
• Cuisine & Menu Experimentation
• Food & Kitchen Safety & Hygiene
• Food & Product Presentation
• Wine & Cheese Pairing
• Able to Work Well Under Pressure
• Attention to Detail
• Local & State Food Handling Regulations
• Great Communication Skills
• Management Skills
• Time Management Skills
• Creative Thinking Skills
• Leadership Skills
• Decision Making Skills
• Problem Solving Skills
• Teamwork Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills

Now—

You can’t just take this list and put it right into your resume.

Rather, here’s how to tingle their taste buds on a skills resume section:

• Write down the various kitchen and restaurant skills and abilities you know you have.
• Don’t forget to jot down both soft skills and hard skills.
• Bring out the restaurant job description for the sous chef job you’re applying for.
• To find the best resume keywords to add to your resume, highlight skills they require in the job ad.
• If something you wrote earlier is equivalent to something you highlighted, include that in your sous chef skills list.

Remember that, as an assistant chef, you’re applying for a leadership role. Be sure to add manager skills and abilities, as well.

Pro Tip: Regional and national cuisines and specialties (e.g., Chilean cuisine, Italian cuisine, Ethiopian cuisine, Indonesian cuisine) are important to list, as well! If you have a background in a particular style or region of food, add it to your skills list.

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.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Other Sections to Your Sous Chef Resume

Like the rest of the sous chef applicants, you have an okay resume.

But it lacks flavor.

Spice it up by adding extra resume sections to stand out above the other restaurant job candidates.

Here are a few great choices for sous chef jobs:

• Licenses and certifications
• Foreign languages on a resume
• Hobbies and interests
• Community service on a resume
• Professional achievements
• Culinary memberships

7. Attach a Sous Chef Cover Letter to Your Resume

How important is a cover letter?

Well, like a badly-cooked meal, most restaurant managers will return a resume without a covering letter.

So—

Here’s how to write a tasteful sous chef cover letter:

• Learn how to format a cover letter before you dive in.
• The first paragraph of a cover letter should be super compelling.
• Talk yourself up by including relevant kitchen experience and skills.
• Add key cooking achievements with quantifiable numbers.
• The cover letter ending should sign off with a call to action.

Finally, stop by our articles on cover letter tips, cover letter length and cover letter sections.

Pro Tip: After some time has passed, send an application follow-up email to remind them you’re waiting, and practice for the interview during that time!

Got any questions on how to write a resume for sous chefs? Not sure how to talk about sous chef resume skills, food handling certifications, or cooking achievements? Get at us in the comments below, and thanks for reading!