Are you thinking of becoming a cook? Have you got that calling to create culinary delights to bombard customers’ taste buds with delicious concoctions in flavorful meals?
With the profession set to grow 26% by 2030, there are plenty of opportunities for you to land a role as a cook.
But we all know that changing careers and entering a new industry is challenging. Whenever you do this, you’ll need to perfect your resume to convince a recruiter that you’re suitable for the role. Follow a resume template explicitly designed for cooks to ensure you cover all the basics and give you the best chance of landing a role.
Let’s go through some of the basics to remember:
Include Your Contact Information
This may be an obvious point, but you’d be surprised how many people forget to include their contact information in a prominent position in their resume for the recruiter. The best place for your contact information is in the header so the recruiter can easily see it if they need to contact you.
You should include your full name, phone number, address, and email address. You can also link to relevant social media or websites, especially if you have any of your cooking skills showcased anywhere.
Include a Resume Summary or Resume Objective
A resume summary is an excellent addition for candidates who want to give a quick overview of their work history, which many applicants overlook. It concisely summarizes your career highlights for the recruiter.
In no more than three sentences, a resume summary describes your career highlights thus far, usually referring to your years of experience or skill – it’s like the headline displaying your qualities as a professional chef. For experienced candidates, a resume summary is ideal, even if you only have restaurant experience without being a cook or chef.
A resume objective outlines your aspirations and ambition, explaining how you hope to grow into the role. Use it to show your goals align with your potential employer. If you’re an entry-level candidate, a resume objective is better.
How to Write Your Other Sections: Education, Experience, and Skills
In the education section of your resume, you can list any relevant credentials or professional degrees that will help you establish your reputation as a cook. Look for local providers and culinary schools to help acquire a fundamental knowledge of cooking skills, then feature these in your education section.
Recruiters, on the whole, will overlook applicants who do not have a basic understanding of food preparation, food safety, and culinary techniques, as indicated by professional certifications.
In the skills section of your resume, you’ll need to list both hard and soft skills to land a role as a cook. Don’t forget, being a cook is so much more than just preparing meals, so those key soft skills are extremely important for recruiters, too. Here’s a list of the in-demand skills for cooks to consider including in your resume:
- Teamwork
- Time management
- Attention to detail
- Ability to work under pressure
- Flexibility
- Food hygiene and safety knowledge
- Interpersonal skills
- Specific cooking skills
Don’t forget to comb the job description for clues about the skills that the recruiter is looking for.
Finally, in your experiences section, you usually list your relevant work experience in reverse chronological order.
Previous work experience in a restaurant or kitchen is obviously beneficial to put here because it demonstrates that you are familiar with the working environment.
However, you can still put roles here if you have no prior cooking experience or have never worked in the food service industry.
Instead, include any positions connected to the responsibilities of the listed position. For the recruiter, try to draw a line between your previous experience and the advertised role. Include roles that demonstrate your ability to operate under pressure as part of a team, for example. Any role that values customer service or creativity could also be relevant.
