Chef job description: what you'll do and what to write on your resume
Applying for chef at a restaurant, hotel or catering kitchen? Copy the duties below into your resume, then read what the interview asks.
Duties to write on your resume
Start each line with what you did. Keep the ones you've really done.
Prepared and cooked dishes to the standard recipe, on time and consistently
Planned menus and daily specials based on stock, season and customer demand
Ordered ingredients, checked deliveries and kept stock records accurate
Trained and supervised cooks and kitchen helpers during each service
Followed food safety rules, including safe storage, labeling and temperature checks
Controlled portions and reduced food waste to keep kitchen costs down
Kept the kitchen, tools and equipment clean, working and ready for inspection
Coordinated with servers and the manager to send orders out correctly and fast
No chef title yet? Use the same lines for cooking at a family business, a school event or a catering side job, and say where.
A resume objective you can adapt
Hardworking cook with kitchen experience looking for a chef position, ready to lead a team, keep food safe and send out consistent dishes on every shift.
Skills employers ask for
Cooking and plating to a standard
Knife skills and kitchen tools
Managing stock and ordering
Leading and training a kitchen team
Staying calm in a busy service
What the interview asks
Walk me through how you run a kitchen during a busy service. Describe your prep, how you assign stations and how you call orders.
How do you keep food safe? Mention handwashing, labeling, storage temperatures and cleaning, with a real example.
What would you do if a key cook didn't show up before service? Say you'd rearrange stations, step in yourself and tell the manager early.
How do you reduce food waste? Give a real habit, like using trimmings in staff meals or checking stock before ordering.
Most posts ask for kitchen experience, often as a cook first, and some ask for a culinary course or diploma.
TESDA offers Cookery NC II and Food Production (Professional Cookery) NC III, which many employers like to see.
Prepare a resume, a valid ID, NBI clearance, a medical certificate and your SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and TIN numbers.
Apply online, through the hotel or restaurant's own hiring page, or walk in with your papers.
Expect an interview and often a trial cooking shift where they taste your food.
Licence or certificate
TESDA offers a national certificate for this work: Cookery NC II. TESDA's online program has a course for it. Source
TESDA offers a national certificate for this work: Food Production (Professional Cookery) NC III. Source
What the work is like
You're on your feet in a hot, loud kitchen, often on rotating shifts that include weekends and holidays. Service rush is the hard part, because everything has to come out right and on time.
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