Editor’s note: Chef: What you Need to Know about CV Keywords was originally published in November 2015 and most recently updated in May 2022.
A winning chef CV is one that is accurate, clear and concisely states the sum and merit of your skills and experience.
But in today’s job market it’s also important your CV includes keywords and phrases. These need to signal you are a clear potential match for the chef job. And they should be easy for an applicant tracking system (ATS) and/or hiring manager spot, so your CV makes it past the first sift.
Chef: What you need to know about CV keywords and phrases
Keywords consist of job-related nouns that describe your skills and qualifications for a job. Action verbs demonstrate what you’ve accomplished in your work experiences. Combining keywords and action verbs create phrases that recruiters or applicant tracking system scan CVs for when shortlisting candidates for a chef job. So it’s important that your CV talks in the language typically used to describe your chef duties and responsibilities. Because this is what recruiters and ATS are actively looking to see in your CV.
Consider using action verbs throughout your CV, especially in your work experience section where you highlight your past chef roles and previous duties. Examples of this,
Skilled in appetiser, starter and dessert preparation for an extensive menu in a four star restaurant with 50+ tables per dining service.
Directed a comprehensive review of kitchen processes and practices increasing official food hygiene rating from 3 to 5 stars.
Motivated and supervised a team of 3 chef de parties and 2 commis chefs.
Scanning your chef CV for keywords and phrases
These days you should work on the basis that an applicant tracking system will scan your CV. ATS software makes light work for a hiring manager, so it’s no surprise their use is on the rise.
The ATS task is to scan incoming CVs as suitable for a role based on pre-programmed criteria. It then ranks those CVs in terms of how they best match. Perhaps you might have already heard a recruiter talk about your CV in terms of its scan ability?
If your CV doesn’t include the keywords and phrases the ATS has been programmed to look out, yours will not be a top ranking CV. Worse still, it could be entirely passed over. You fail to make it onto a shortlist despite being a really strong candidate.
This is less likely in the case of a manual scan, thank goodness. But chef recruiters will still only spend seconds looking over a CV to identify those desired keywords and phrases.
The solution? Make sure you always send out a scanable chef CV. Get to work at weaving those keywords and phrases that the ATS and recruiters are actively looking to find throughout a CV for your role.
Tips for finding your CV’s relevant chef keywords and phrases
The job you are aiming for will usually be described using a clear title. For example, let’s say chef de partie. Review ten ads for CDP roles, and make a list of the common keywords and phrases that keep popping up. These keywords and phrases will most likely be what the ATS and recruiters are looking for when they scan a chef de partie CV. So these are the ones to incorporate into your own CV, if you’re looking for work as chef de partie.
If you’re tailoring a copy of your CV to a specific job, then it’s a no brainer to do the same exercise on the job description. Where your skills and experiences match, highlight this clearly using the keywords or phrasing being used in the job description and with quantified examples.
But don’t – at any point – ever! – stuff your CV with endless keywords or phrases that bear no relation to your actual skills and experience. It will be spotted by both ATS software and hiring managers.
Did you know that being honest and trustworthy is routinely placed in the top 3 reasons employer’s hire someone? Keyword stuffing (as it’s commonly called) means your CV will lack authenticity and integrity. It will send your chef CV to the bottom of the pile. And you’ll wave goodbye to making it to the interview stage.
How to effectively list keywords and phrases in your chef CV
– Use variations of chef keywords
– Include location-based keywords
– Focus on hard skills from a keywords and phrases perspective
– Incorporate keywords and phrases throughout your CV
Use variations of keywords
Alongside the hit list of keywords and phrases you have researched via job ads, try brainstorming other close matches. Using a wide variety of keywords and phrases will increase your chances of your CV being picked by an ATS or hiring manager. As well as describing your skills and experiences more vibrantly!
Include location-based keywords
Including your town and county, city and state, and country in your CV will help the ATS or human reader identify you as a potential candidate based on your proximity to the job.
Focus on hard skills from a keywords and phrases perspective
Hard skills are job-specific skills needed to perform in your job. You acquire them through training or formal education. As a chef, your CV likely focuses on food preparation and kitchen skills. Additionally, business skills if you’re in a more senior chef position.
What every jobseeker should know about CV keywords is that hard skills are the skills to really focus on from a keyword/phrases perspective. ATS filters prioritise these because they are simpler to rank as suitability indicators.
Read: Chef, Here’s what Employers Want to see in a CV
Soft skills are still important. Team working, paying attention to detail, taking criticism well, keeping a cool head and decisiveness under pressure are all still important. But your chef CV doesn’t need to be full of clichés around these softer skills. Any interested, potential employer will be able to determine how exactly you have these softer skills during an interview.
How and where keywords and phrases should appear in your chef CV
Personal statement or CV introduction:
Clearly and quickly reference the job title and what value you can bring to a company, and it’s your opening gambit at being a clear match.
Work experience:
Place keywords into context by associating them with your skills and experiences.
Education:
Showcase how you have matched the required qualifications for the position by clearly stating your own certifications.
Skills:
Show a quick, accessible summary of the skills you bring, then give greater detail and supported by clear examples using keywords and phrases throughout the course of your CV.
Bonus Tip! What every chef jobseeker should know is don’t rely on including a Skills List on your CV that matches the keywords and phrases you’ve researched to be the solution to beat the ATS or catch a recruiter’s eye.
Many ATS systems look for the frequency of keywords that are sprinkled throughout the text of a CV, rather than listed altogether.
For example, ‘Developed an on budget / margin, seasonal dessert menu with my team in response to a brief from the head chef that resulted in a 20% increase in dessert sales over previous quarter’ will perform better than a list of keywords you’ve placed under a general heading on your CV.
Check your success
Take a look at resumeworded.com, you’ll be able to review the progress and effectiveness of your CV in relation your job search goals.
Chef: What you need to know about CV keywords – conclusion
The rise of the ATS becoming gatekeeper in a chef job search is only ever going to be more commonplace. So it’s important your chef CV satisfies both audiences – automated and human – and effectively incorporates keywords and phrases relating to your skills and experience. Whatever time you have available to invest in this process is worthwhile. Your chances of being selected for an interview are much higher if your CV has this keywords and phrases focus.
-
Looking to hire or find your next Chef opportunity?
Only Chefs is your dedicated platform for connecting skilled chefs with top employers across the UK. Whether you’re a chef ready to make your next career move or an employer seeking fresh talent, our easy-to-use site helps you find the perfect match.
Explore listings, post jobs, and upload CVs—all in one place.