Sous Chef Resume Examples
Cook up your next career move with a new resume
Create Your Sous Chef Resume
Professional Resume Samples for a Sous Chef
Fresh resume, fresh ingredients
Sous Chef Resume Tips and Ideas
Sous chefs are cooks that report directly to the executive chefs. Sous chefs oversee everyday kitchen activities such as food preparation, food safety standard adherence, supervising and scheduling kitchen staff, training new staff, and keeping an adequate inventory.
Sous chefs must combine managerial skills with cooking, food safety, and food storage expertise. Can you take the heat? Would you like to pursue a career in the kitchen? Creating a professional sous chef recipe is a good place to start. You can use the following resume writing tools as well as our resume samples to help you get started.
Top Tips
- A chronological resume format is recommended.
- When designing your resume, consider:
- Professional appearance
- Sections and headings
- Margins
No
- Contact information
- Skills
- Work history
- Education
Required:
- Objective statement
- Honors and awards
- Language fluency
Optional:
| One page, letter size, 8.5 by 11 inches |
Format
A chronological resume format is recommended for professional fields such as that of the sous chef.
Your chronological resume should begin with your contact information and a list of your most relevant skills. Then, you will list your work experience and education in reverse-chronological order, that is, beginning with your most recent experience. You may then add optional sections, as discussed below.
Because culinary school is a mandatory requirement for sous chefs, functional and combination resume formats are not recommended.
Design
How should your sous chef resume look? Professionalism is important in the culinary field, and your resume should reflect this. You want a resume that is clean, uncluttered, and easy to read.
This can be easily accomplished by using an online resume template, or you can build your own in a few simple steps.
First, you will organize your text into logical sections. Each section should have a title such as “Skills” or “Education,” making the desired information easy to locate. You should choose one font style to use throughout the document. We recommend a simple, sans-serif font such as Calibri or Arial. Size the body text at 11 or 12 points; you can make the headings a few points larger. You can also highlight the headings using bold or italic fonts.
Leave ample white space, known as margins, around your text sections.
Photo
Generally, you should not include a photograph with your sous chef resume. Why not? In some countries, such as the United States, strict anti-discrimination laws are in place. Some employers may reject photographic resumes so as to avoid any accusations of discrimination or favoritism.
However, you may be applying outside of the United States in order to hone your skills in the great kitchens of Europe or elsewhere. If this is the case, research resume practices in that land. In some European nations, for example, resume photos are both expected and encouraged.
Sections of a Resume
A number of resume sections are vital to every resume, including your sous chef resume. These are:
- Contact information
- Skills
- Work history
- Education
What do the above sections do for you? They serve as your introduction to your new employer – likely the head chef of the kitchen in which you will work. These sections afford him or her a glimpse of your background and abilities.
You may also choose to include several other, optional resume sections that can enhance your perceived value as an employee. These sections include but are not limited to:
- Objective statement
- Honors and awards
- Language fluency
The objective statement is used to capture the attention of the hiring manager, often by highlighting especially interesting past accomplishments. Honors and awards show the unique quality of your culinary skill. These could include published original recipes, photographs of your work in print or online, or cook-off style competitions.
Finally, many kitchens around the world are home to employees from different backgrounds. You may even be working overseas in order to hone your skills under the supervision of a notable chef. If so, fluency in a language other than English can be a real asset.
Resume Length
Generally, your resume should be limited to one page in length.
Sous Chef Resume Section Headings
Education, skills, and work experience are among the most important sections of your sous chef resume.
Education
Sous chefs are generally required to attend culinary school. An associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree in culinary arts is preferred by some employers.
Skills
Sous chef are responsible for the quality and presentation of the food their kitchen serves. Therefore, you will need to “know your way around the kitchen.” You should understand food chemistry, preparation techniques, equipment use, and food safety.
Soft skills include creativity as well as the ability to make decisions quickly and work well under pressure. A reasonable degree of physical health and stamina is required, as sous chefs often work long hours and spend the entire shift on their feet.
You should have administrative and communication skills in addition to your cooking skills, as you will need to supervise much of the kitchen staff. You will also need good leadership, supervisory, and organizational skills, as you may be required to perform the duties of the head or executive chef in their absence.
Work experience
Previous culinary, food service, or cooking experience is a must. This experience could be gained through work, hands-on classwork, internships, apprenticeships, or on-the-job training.
Sous Chef Resume Vocabulary & Writing Tips
Selecting just the right ingredients is key to preparing a flavorful meal. Choosing the right words for you resume will likewise result in a tasteful document that is appetizing to your hiring manager.
Today, resume writers must think about “feeding” not just their hiring manager but also the resume software that will likely be used to rank and analyze their resume. This can be done by including resume keywords, which are often found in the original job description. We’ve compiled the following list of common sous chef resume vocabulary terms to help you get started.
When your resume is complete, do not neglect to reread it and correct any errors.
Words to Use
- Cooking
- Kitchen
- Food preparation
- Food safety
- Food quality
- Presentation
- Restaurant
- Entree
- Menu
- Recipe
- Garnish
- Proportion
- Vendor
- Waitstaff
- Dish
- Sanitation
Action Verbs
- Cook
- Prepare
- Supervise
- Create
- Present
- Test
- Deliver
- Maintain
- Inventory
- Check
- Oversee
- Schedule
- Assign
- Train
- Resolve
- Develop
Resume Samples
1. Candidate seeking sous chef position
A rapid decision-maker who thrives in a fast-paced and challenging work environment.
- Graduated in the top 10 percent.
- Experience as waitstaff, mixologist, line cook, and kitchen assistant.
- Able to prepare meals per existing recipes or create new dishes.
- Knowledgeable of applicable food safety laws and best practices.
- Associate’s degreein culinary arts
- 5 yearsin the workforce
- 3 yearsof foodservice experience
- Food safetytraining
2. Candidate seeking sous chef position
A talented chef who knows his way around the kitchen.
- Completed a total of three years of internships in the finest kitchens of France and Italy.
- Produced six-course menus that rotated on a daily basis.
- Assumed the role of the head chef when she was absent for industry conferences.
- Recipient of five culinary arts awards, including the Outstanding Pastry Chef.
- Bachelor’s degreein culinary arts
- Internshipsin France and Italy
- 8 yearsin the workforce
- Outstanding Pastry Chefaward recipient
