How To Write a CV For a Head Chef

To write a successful CV for a head chef position, you must first be confident with its purpose – what you are aiming to portray and who your target audience is.

Below are 5 key tips to help you with writing your perfect head chef CV:

1. Stand out. Your CV should demonstrate your unique blend of skills and experience. Make sure you include examples of personal success, experience within the sector and management achievements.
2. Keep it simple. Your choice of font and layout are key to making sure a would-be employer carries on reading your CV. Simple formats work best.
3. Don’t be generic. Work out who your CV is destined for and tailor it to highlight the right aspects of your experience for them, whether it’s a restaurant, pub or hotel – every company is different and as a head chef you will be managing one of the most important aspects of the business, make sure you portray your knowledge of the business from the outset, your CV is a great way to showcase this.
4. Check and check again. Avoid errors at all costs. This means spelling mistakes, dates which conflict with one another and incorrect email address and phone number - This is key when employers try to contact you.
5. Update. Firing off an old CV will look unprofessional, so make sure that yours is regularly updated to meet the requirements of any jobs you see advertised. Each job you have had up until now would have provided you with great experience to become a head chef and most importantly, varied experience within the kitchen.

Let’s Break it Down Further

Your CV will be written for a potential employer. In the case of a head chef application, this is likely to be the executive chef or general manager. The goal is to demonstrate that you have the personal qualities to withstand the high pressure of the kitchen, the culinary, leadership and management skills to perform the job to its highest standard. To do this, you must identify the most important attributes of a successful head chef.

Although you have stated what qualities you have, within your CV it is key to give evidence. From years of experience in the kitchen right up until the current day, as a head chef you will have acquired different aspects of professional skills. Give examples of when you have acquired and developed these skills. Do this by briefly describing any work experience you’ve had, positions of responsibility you’ve held and qualifications you’ve gained. 

Formulating your CV in this way will make it relevant and concise. Management figures within a business are busy and will not want to search for key information for the details they are looking for, hand it to them in a simple, formulated way and you will be walking through that kitchen door in no time at all.

So, What are the key points you should highlight in your CV?

1. Contact details

Your CV should start with your name and contact details. As mentioned before- ensure these are correct and up to date.

1. Personal Statement

Your personal statement should give a brief outline of your career in the kitchen to date, your ambitions and your skills. Include an explanation of why you are a valuable asset to the workplace e.g. leadership skills, experience as a or high-level chef, would could you bring to the kitchen and your brigade.

1. Education

Here you should provide a list of your qualifications you have gained. Format this section chronologically so that the most recent and relevant points are at the top of the list. In this section include your additional training courses such as food safety training and safety courses.

1. Skills

This section should be used to briefly describe both your personal and industry-specific skills. It may be worth using bullet points to make this more concise, the list below includes some of the key attributes that a recruiter will be looking for in a …

Your skills list may include:

• Organised
• Ability to work in a high-pressure environment
• Communication skills
• Leadership skills
• Management skills
• Knowledge of the kitchen
• Passionate about food
• Creativity

1. Work Experience/Employment

This is arguably the most important part of your CV. It provides the evidence to support what you have already said. As a you are the senior position in the kitchen and the general manager or executive chef will be looking for evidence that you have worked in a range of culinary roles, including high-ranking. It is important that they know you have a thorough understanding of kitchen, a passion for food, talent and the right experience to become their .

Give the names of companies you have previously employed you, the dates of when you were employed, your job title and a brief description of the work you did there. Again, present this in chronological order which will help to make the most relevant information obvious to the reader.

1. Additional Skills/Interests

As well as your professional attributes as a , give the reader an insight into your personal interests or skills outside of the kitchen. This will give your potential employer a more distinctive idea of who you are as a person.

1. References

You may want to give references on your CV each with a name, company and contact number/email. Alternatively, ‘References upon Request’ will suffice. Make sure you have at least two referees ready to support your application as a .

If you are looking to apply for a head chef role, please click here to view all jobs available on Hospitality Jobs UK.

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