Cook CV example

If you want your next role to recognise that skill, your CV needs to serve up more than a job list.

This guide will walk you through writing a CV which describes your experience in a way that resonates with employers and showcases your strengths.

In a professional kitchen, everything has its place – and the same applies to your CV structure. If your experience and skills are poorly presented, or just full of avoidable visual mistakes, a hiring manager won’t stick around to find out what you can do. You’ll need to guide them effortlessly through your application.

Here’s the layout to follow:

• Name and contact details – These personal details sit at the top to provide easy access for prospective employers.
• Profile – Hook the recruiter right away by stating the value you’ll bring to their company.
• Core skills – State your best qualities at a quick glance.
• Work experience – List your previous job titles from newest to oldest.
• Education – Show off your academic record and qualifications.
• Additional info – Include anything from your hobbies and interests to the languages you speak – these are all totally optional.
  

Use clear section headings to break up the content, a simple readable font to keep things professional, and bullet points throughout each section to break up blocks of text. Stick to a two-page maximum length, and leave enough space between sections to make scanning easy. A cluttered CV format can be just as off-putting as a cluttered kitchen – so keep it sharp and well laid out.

Your CV profile is your first opportunity to give the recruiter a flavour of what you bring to the kitchen – so make it count. This short paragraph should outline the environments you’ve worked in and your strongest cooking-related skills.

You might be working in a fast-paced pub, a school canteen, or a five-star hotel – whatever the setting, your profile should convey your ability to handle pressure and maintain food safety. Recruiters should quickly understand why you’re a suitable choice for the role.

Make sure to cover the following:

• Where you worked – Cafés, pubs, schools, restaurants, care homes, hotels
• Your top qualifications – Food hygiene certificates, NVQs in Catering, or chef training
• Essential skills – Food prep, portioning, time management, following dietary needs
• Types of meals or cuisine – Bulk prep, carvery, à la carte, buffets, ethnic cuisines
• Kitchen environment – Solo cook, small team, or large kitchen with brigade structure

This part should summarise the practical skills and kitchen experience you bring to the table in a short list of bullet points.

The best part? You can easily tailor your CV skills to different roles: a useful tip is to scan over the job spec to inform you precisely what keywords the employer will be looking for in an application. Focus on those tangible, hard skills which are really valued in the kitchen.

The work experience section is where you show how your skills translate into real results – not just cooking, but supporting the kitchen team and making sure food is served correctly and on time.

Go over your past jobs starting with your most recent. For each role, begin with a short overview of where you worked and the type of food service, followed by bullet points breaking down your responsibilities and any key achievements. If you’ve worked outside of professional kitchens (e.g. in volunteer food services or private events), these can still be included, especially if you’re early in your career.

• Outline – Give context: what kind of kitchen did you work in, what was the menu like, and who did you report to?
• Responsibilities – Use action words like “prepared” and “maintained.” For example: “prepared and plated 80+ lunch covers daily in a care home kitchen” or “maintained clean prep areas and followed strict food hygiene regulations.” Mention shifts, teamwork, and specific duties.
• Achievements – Include anything that proves your value – positive hygiene inspections, helping reduce food waste, or improving prep times. Add numbers or details where you can.

This section should list your food-related qualifications and any formal education you’ve completed. List them in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent or relevant.

You can also mention general education qualifications if you’re early in your career, or note if you’re working towards a professional cookery qualification, but try to keep the section brief, as your experience is what really matters the most.