When it comes to writing a Sous Chef CV, you need to know the best way to write down important information that will help your CV stand out to an employer. Start with our tips, which will give you CV writing guidance, and use those tips to inform your writing.
It’s important that you write your relevant skills and experience in a way that’s easy to read. To do this, you’ll need to:
1. Start with a strong personal statement
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. Finish with your hobbies and interests and references.
How to Write a Personal Statement for a Sous Chef
Your personal statement is the first thing an employer will see, so you want it to make a good impression. To do this, write about your relevant skills, qualifications and experience within 150 words to keep the employer engaged and willing to read the rest of your CV.
You don’t need to go into too much detail, as you will expand on these topics in the body of your CV, so make your descriptions brief and to the point.
Waiting Staff Personal Statement Example
“For the past five years, I have worked diligently as a Chef to perfect my craft, learning different cooking techniques and developing recipes which have been added to the standard menu at the restaurant. These dishes have received excellent feedback from customers.
I am confident in my understanding of food hygiene, and health and safety measures that we take while working in the kitchen. I have been trusted with mentoring apprentices in certain skills, and I have taught many the best way to organise their workstations.
I am passionate about my work, and I am looking for the opportunity to grow as a Chef within your company.”
Ideal Work Experience for a Sous Chef CV
An employer will expect a certain level of experience within a culinary role, so it is important to be able to write about your roles. This is why you will need an “employment history” section in your CV.
Which Jobs to Include
Working within a kitchen environment and in a culinary role is essential for a Sous Chef. You will need to list your experience as a chef and describe the skills you’ve acquired from each role. Working as a Kitchen Porter can also be considered valuable, as it will provide you with some necessary skills. It’s best to write about 5-6 relevant jobs and use bullet points to list the jobs and the skills they provided.
Sous Chef CV Work Experience Example
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Personal Chef at [company name] from [start date] to [end date]
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As a Personal Chef, I had to take into consideration the nutritional needs of my client and create recipes based on any food allergies.
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I would create weekly menus with varying recipes that helped me develop my cooking skills and knife work.
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I am well versed in dealing with inventory management and delegating tasks to other chefs who also worked for my client.
When writing about your work experience, start with your most relevant experience and work backwards using bullet points to separate jobs and skills.
Key Skills & Qualifications for a Sous Chef CV
Employers will describe the skills and qualifications they expect candidates to have before applying for the job. Make sure your skills match what is written in the job description before you apply.
Important Skills for a Sous Chef
A Sous Chef position is an advanced role that requires numerous skills. This includes advanced cooking techniques for understanding various cooking methods, flavour profiles, and ingredient pairings. It is also expected that you will have a strong understanding of food hygiene and safety, and ingredients knowledge.
A Sous Chef may need to take on some Head Chef roles, which means you’ll need leadership and management skills for dealing with kitchen staff, mentoring, and resolving conflicts.
Qualifications Needed to Be a Sous Chef
A Sous Chef will need a formal culinary education. An employer may expect you to have a diploma in professional cookery or a foundation degree in culinary arts. These formal qualifications will teach you the important food preparation skills you need to be a sous Chef.
Other useful qualifications include food hygiene certificates and basic first aid qualifications. We have more information about what you need to become a Sous Chef.
Additional Content to Boost Your Sous Chef CV
You can also add hobbies and references to boost your CV. Any hobbies you include should help you develop your skills, and you should always get permission before adding anyone as a reference.
Hobbies & Interests
Your hobbies and interests should boost your skills, this can be culinary related, as it shows your passion for food, and if you have used these skills for any volunteering or charity work, that can help boost your CV. You might have learned budget and inventory management from your own personal cooking interests, which is also worth mentioning.
References
If you’re adding one or two references, make sure that they are people who worked closely with you and held a higher position within the company. This might be a Head Chef, mentor or manager. They should be able to talk about your skills and your work ethic if an employer decides to contact them and ask questions about your performance within your role.
How to Make a Sous Chef CV Stand Out
Make your CV stand out by writing with confidence in your abilities, to do this you need to be professional with the language you use, otherwise an employer might not take your application seriously.
Separate the sections of your CV with titles and use bullet points for your skills and qualifications so that the important information is easy to find. Writing in paragraphs can overwhelm your CV, so avoid doing so when possible.
Writing about work-based achievements that show an advanced level of skills will help boost your CV, as will any personal achievements that have improved your abilities.
Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid sending your CV to an employer before proofreading it for any spelling or grammatical errors. Where possible, ask someone to read your CV for you, as this will be a good indicator of whether your CV is easy to read or if it needs improvements.
Sous Chef CV Examples
Once you’re ready to write your CV after utilising our writing tips and this CV guide, download one of our free CV templates. These templates are easy to use, and they will help you structure your writing optimally so that your CV stands out above other candidates
