How to Write a CV for a Chef Job in the UK (2024 Guide)

Whether you're a commis chef just starting out or a head chef looking for your next brigade to lead, your CV is the first thing a restaurant manager or recruiter will judge you on — and in a competitive hospitality market, first impressions count. The good news is that a well-structured chef CV doesn't need to be complicated. It needs to be clear, relevant, and tailored to the role you're going for. This guide walks you through exactly how to do that, from the personal profile at the top to the references section at the bottom.

Choose the Right CV Format for a Chef Role

Most chef CVs work best with a reverse-chronological format — listing your most recent kitchen role first and working backwards. This format suits hospitality hiring managers who want to quickly see where you've worked, what level you operated at, and how recently. Keep your CV to two pages maximum. One page is acceptable for junior chefs with limited experience, but two pages gives experienced chefs enough room to detail multiple roles, key achievements, and specialist skills. Use a clean, readable font like Arial or Calibri at 10–12pt. Avoid fancy restaurant-menu-style fonts or heavy graphics — most CVs are screened digitally and overly designed files can confuse applicant tracking systems (ATS). Use clear section headings, consistent spacing, and bullet points to break up text. The goal is to make the hiring manager's job easy, not impressive.

Write a Strong Personal Profile

Your personal profile sits at the top of your CV, just beneath your name and contact details. It should be three to five sentences that summarise who you are as a chef, your level of experience, your cuisine specialism, and what you're looking for next. Avoid clichés like 'passionate foodie' or 'thrives under pressure' — these phrases appear on nearly every hospitality CV and add nothing. Instead, be specific. For example: 'Experienced Sous Chef with eight years in high-volume fine dining, specialising in modern British cuisine. Currently seeking a Head Chef role in a quality-led independent restaurant in London.' Mention any Michelin-star experience, rosette-awarded kitchens, or notable establishments if applicable — these carry real weight in the industry. Keep your profile employer-focused: what can you bring to their kitchen, rather than what you want from them.

List Your Kitchen Experience Effectively

Your work experience section is the heart of your chef CV. For each role, include the establishment name, your job title, the dates you worked there (month and year), and three to six bullet points describing your responsibilities and achievements. Go beyond listing duties — quantify where possible. Instead of 'responsible for preparing starters', write 'designed and executed a rotating starter menu of twelve covers, reducing food waste by 15% through portion standardisation.' Include brigade size if you managed a team, average covers per service, and any seasonal menu changes you led. If you worked in a well-known or award-winning venue, name-drop it confidently — restaurants like The Ivy, Dishoom, or any Michelin-starred kitchen carry immediate credibility. For chefs with many short-term contracts or agency work, group those under a single 'Freelance / Contract Work' entry to keep the CV tidy and avoid the appearance of job-hopping.

Highlight Your Skills and Qualifications

Create a dedicated skills section that lists your core culinary competencies. This is also where ATS keyword optimisation matters — many hospitality recruiters and large restaurant groups use software to filter CVs before a human reads them. Include relevant terms such as: HACCP compliance, allergen awareness, food hygiene, stock control, menu costing, prep kitchen management, and any specific cooking techniques or cuisine styles you specialise in (e.g., French classical, plant-based, pastry, live fire cooking). For qualifications, list your culinary training clearly: NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Professional Cookery, City & Guilds, BTEC, or a degree from a culinary school. Include your Food Hygiene Certificate level and any First Aid qualifications. If you've completed short courses — butchery masterclasses, wine pairing, or management training — these are worth including, especially for senior roles. Tools like StackedCV.com can help you identify missing keywords and restructure your skills section to better match specific job descriptions.

Tailor Your CV to Each Job Application

Sending the same generic CV to every kitchen vacancy is one of the most common mistakes job-seeking chefs make. Each establishment has a different style, service type, and kitchen culture, and your CV should reflect that you understand what they're looking for. Read the job advert carefully and mirror the language used. If they ask for 'strong allergen management skills', use that exact phrase. If they emphasise a 'fast-paced environment' or 'fine dining experience', make sure your CV speaks directly to that. Adjust your personal profile for each application, swapping out your stated objective to match the specific role. You don't need to rewrite the whole document — even small tweaks to your profile and bullet points can significantly increase your response rate. This tailoring process takes ten minutes per application and is genuinely one of the highest-return activities in your job search.

Common Chef CV Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced chefs make avoidable errors on their CVs. Here are the most common ones to watch out for. Spelling and grammar mistakes are an immediate red flag — always proofread or use a spell checker, and ask someone else to read it too. Leaving unexplained employment gaps without context can raise concerns; if you took time out for travel, family, or health, a brief mention in your cover letter is better than silence. Listing responsibilities without achievements makes your CV blend in rather than stand out — focus on what you delivered, not just what you did. Including a photo is unnecessary on UK CVs and can inadvertently invite unconscious bias. Finally, don't include references on the CV itself — 'References available on request' is sufficient, and it saves valuable space. A well-polished CV, ideally reviewed by a tool like StackedCV.com, can be the difference between landing an interview and being overlooked entirely.

Writing a great chef CV comes down to clarity, specificity, and relevance. Showcase the kitchens you've worked in, the skills you've honed, and the results you've delivered — and tailor it every time you apply. If you're short on time or unsure whether your CV is doing justice to your experience, StackedCV.com uses AI to rewrite and optimise your CV in minutes, helping you get more callbacks and fewer rejections. Your next kitchen role is out there — make sure your CV gets you through the door.