It is important to know how to make your Head Chef CV stand out before you write it. A CV should have specific things that an employer looks for when reading an application, these things include a strong personal statement, and correctly structured sections for your education, qualifications, employment history and skills.
Employers want to know what you have to offer their company, so it’s important to include only relevant skills and experience. Learn the best way to structure any CV by following our writing tips to help you get started.
1. Start with your personal statement to give an employer a brief introduction to your skills and employment history.
2. Follow with your work experience, listing previous roles in reverse chronological order.
3. Include a section for key skills and qualifications relevant to the role.
4. You can also include additional information such as hobbies or references, but they’re not as important.
How to Write a Personal Statement for a Head Chef
Your personal statement is an employer’s first impression of you, so it is important to make it stand out. You should briefly outline your relevant experience and skills, and why you will be a benefit to the company.
Your statement should be no longer than 150 words and it should contain only the most important and relevant information, as you will be writing more about your work experience further in your CV.
Head Chef Personal Statement Example
“Starting with my apprenticeship, I have worked my way up to the level of Sous Chef in the past eight years, gaining experience and confidence in my skills as I trained. Now, I am looking to further my passion as a Head Chef using the knowledge and understanding of food that I’ve developed over the years.
I have been praised for my impressive use of flavours and inventive recipes, and I am capable of leading teams of chefs through dinner service. My goal is to become a successful and confident Head Chef, and I believe my skills and experience will suit the job you’re offering.”
Ideal Work Experience for a Head Chef CV
When listing your work experience it is only necessary to mention the jobs you’ve had that give relevant experience and transferable skills. If you can, write about 5-6 relevant jobs, and use bullet points to separate the jobs and their skills.
Which Jobs to Include
Any kitchen or cookery jobs will provide relevant experience and transferable skills that an employer desires. This will include any position that helped you develop certain skills such as butchery, baking or patisserie. Include any cookery apprenticeships, and junior roles such as Commis Chef of Chef de Partie.
When writing out your employment history, start with your most recent role and work backwards from there, listing each job and the skills you learned from it.
Head Chef CV Work Experience Example
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Sous Chef at [company name] from [start date] to [end date]
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As a Sous Chef, I gained valuable experience taking on Head Chef responsibilities, when necessary, which included supervising kitchen staff and managing food preparations.
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I would often be the one other staff spoke to when a problem arose, and I used my leadership abilities to resolve conflicts and delegate tasks appropriately.
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Being a Sous Chef helped me work on my cooking techniques and I gained a better understanding of food flavours and ingredients to make my dishes stand out.
This is the ideal layout when writing down your skills and work experience, it is easy to read and well structured.
Key Skills & Qualifications for a Head Chef CV
Employers will ask for specific skills and qualifications that are essential for the job they’re offering. Mention these skills and qualifications in your personal statement and specific sections of your CV.
Important Skills for a Head Chef
The most important thing that you’ll need as a Head Chef is previous culinary experience and a comprehensive understanding of various cooking methods. A Head Chef is expected to understand food hygiene regulations, a deep understanding of ingredients and flavours, and a keen sense of taste.
Other skills include leadership skills for running a kitchen, inventory management and cost control for ordering stock, and a passion for cooking.
Qualifications Needed to Be a Head Chef
A Head Chef will have a combination of formal qualifications and relevant certifications to show their level of experience. An employer might expect an applicant to have an NVQ in cookery, a foundation degree in culinary arts or a related field, or a BTEC or HND from a culinary arts program.
You can learn more about what it takes to be a Head Chef with our guide on how to become a Head Chef.
Additional Content to Boost Your Head Chef CV
An employer may also wish to know about your hobbies and interests to learn more about you. Use this section to show how your hobbies have improved your skills, and if you desire, add some references to the end of your CV.
Hobbies & Interests
A Head Chef should be passionate about cooking, so it is beneficial to talk about any cooking you do outside of work. If you have used your cooking skills for charity or volunteer work, mention that here, as this is a good way to boost your CV.
You might also mention one or two hobbies that have developed soft skills such as time management, communication skills and creativity.
References
If you decide to add references to your CV, make sure they are people who worked closely with you in a professional capacity, this might be the Head Chef you worked under as a Sous Chef, or a senior member of staff who mentored you.
A reference should know how capable you are, and you will want them to have a positive opinion of you to share with an employer.
How to Make a Head Chef CV Stand Out
Now that you have the information to guide your CV writing, you will need to make it stand out over other candidates. To make a positive impression with your CV, structure it so that it is easy to read. An employer will want to access important information quickly, so writing long paragraphs of text can be detrimental.
Use headings for each section, and bullet point your skills and qualifications to make them easy to find. Keep your interests and hobbies, and your reference sections short, and make sure you only include relevant jobs and skills.
Have confidence in your writing to show that you are eager to progress and that you are passionate about the job.
Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid making your CV too long. It might seem like a good idea to write down as much information as you can, but if it is irrelevant, it isn’t beneficial to add this to your CV, and an employer may discard an application if they can’t find the information they need.
It is also important that you check your writing for spelling and grammatical errors before sending an application, as obvious errors might give the impression that you’re not serious about the role.
Head Chef CV Example
Now that you have the information you need to get started on your CV, you can use our free CV template to help you structure your writing. This template is free, so all you’ll need to do is customise it to your needs.
