Hospitality & Service · CV Template

Cook CV Template & Example

A cook CV has to prove you hold your station under fire, fire tickets on time, and keep food-safety standards tight during a rush. Kitchens look for the stations you've worked, your speed on the line, and your prep discipline.

Cook CV template example, created with WhizCV

Cook CV professional summary example

Open with two or three lines covering what you do, how long you have done it, and one measurable result.

Line cook with 5 years across grill, saute, and prep stations, plating 200+ covers a night with ticket times consistently under 12 minutes.

Core skills for a Cook CV

The skills worth naming in your skills section. Different from the ATS keywords below, which are the terms a parser scans for.

  • Grill & saute stations
  • Mise en place & prep
  • Ticket timing & expo
  • Food safety (Level 2 Food Hygiene)
  • Portion & cost control
  • Knife skills & butchery

How to write a standout Cook CV

Three things hiring managers and applicant tracking systems look for — get these right and you clear the first screen.

01

Name the stations you've owned

Grill, saute, fry, garde manger, prep. Listing your stations tells the chef exactly where you can slot in immediately.

02

Quantify volume and speed

Cite covers per night and ticket times. 'Held sub-12-minute tickets over 200 covers' proves you can keep pace on the line.

03

Show food-safety habits

Mention Level 2 Food Hygiene certification and temperature/sanitation discipline. Reliability on safety keeps a cook off a manager's worry list.

ATS keywords for Cook CVs

Applicant tracking systems scan for role-specific terms before a human reads your CV. Weave the ones that genuinely apply to you into your summary, skills, and bullets.

line cookfood preparationstation managementLevel 2 Food Hygieneticket timesmise en placefood safetyhigh-volume kitchen

Cook CV bullet point examples

Achievement-led bullets that show impact with numbers — concrete beats vague. Adapt them to your own results.

  • Ran the saute station for 200+ covers per night, holding average ticket times under 12 minutes during peak service.
  • Reduced prep waste 20% by standardizing portioning and rotating stock with strict FIFO discipline.
  • Cross-trained on all four hot stations, allowing flexible coverage that cut callout-related gaps to near zero.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about writing a Cook CV.

What should a cook put on a CV?

The stations you've worked, covers per night, ticket times, your Level 2 Food Hygiene certification, and any cross-training across the line.

How do I get hired with limited experience?

Emphasize prep skills, reliability, Level 2 Food Hygiene certification, and willingness to learn stations. Kitchens value cooks who show up and hustle.

Is a culinary degree required?

No. Most line-cook roles hire on hands-on station experience and speed. A degree is a plus, not a prerequisite.

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