What a cook resume should lead with
Cook jobs are in restaurants, hospitals, schools, and cafeterias. A hiring manager for these jobs reads the top of your resume first, so put this there: kitchen experience, food safety, and working fast during rushes.
Put your work history first, then a short skills section and any certifications.
Write your summary in two or three lines. Say the job you want, what you have done that fits it, and one thing that makes you reliable.
A sample cook resume. Type your details and watch it fill in.
[Your name]
[City, State] · [your phone] · [your email]
Summary
Cook with [number] years of [experience, clinicals or training]. [Your two strongest skills for this job, for example food prep and cooking.] [One result you are proud of, with a number.]
Experience
Cook, [Employer name], [City, State]
[Month Year] to [Month Year or Present]
- Cooked and prepped food to standard [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Followed recipes and food safety rules [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Kept the kitchen clean [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Worked fast during rush hours [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Stocked and rotated food [add how many, how often, or for whom].
[Your previous job title], [Employer name]
- [A duty from this job that also matters as a cook, with a number.]
Certifications
- Food handler card [date earned]
- ServSafe [date earned]
- Allergen awareness training [date earned]
- High school diploma or GED [date earned]
Skills
Food prep · Cooking · Food safety · Knife skills · Kitchen cleaning · Speed · Teamwork · Following recipes · line cook · food handler · kitchen · sanitation
Nothing you type here is sent or saved. The template below is this layout as a Word file and a PDF, with tips for career changers.
Resume template
A cook resume, laid out and ready to fill in
- The cook duties, skills and the words hiring systems scan for, already in place.
- Blanks in [brackets] for your own facts, and tips for career changers.
- A Word file to edit and a PDF to send, emailed in minutes.
$4.99, one time
One payment. Nothing recurring. No account needed.
Credentials to list on a cook resume
List only what you hold or are finishing. Put the state or issuing body and the year.
- Food handler card
- ServSafe
- Allergen awareness training
- High school diploma or GED
Example cook resume lines
These are things people in this job really do. Use a line only if you did it, and add a number when you have one: how many patients, loads, orders or rooms, or how often.
- Cooked and prepped food to standard
- Followed recipes and food safety rules
- Kept the kitchen clean
- Worked fast during rush hours
- Stocked and rotated food
- Washed dishes and kept stations ready
- Took orders and handled payments
- Trained new team members
Skills and words employers look for in a cook resume
Many employers search resumes by keyword, and recruiters skim for the same words. Use the ones that are true for you, spelled the way the job posting spells them.
Skills: Food prep, Cooking, Food safety, Knife skills, Kitchen cleaning, Speed, Teamwork, Following recipes, Stocking, Reliability.
Words from cook job postings: food prep, line cook, food safety, food handler, kitchen, sanitation, recipes, fast-paced, teamwork, stocking.
| Top skills to show | Words employers search for |
|---|---|
| Food prep | food prep |
| Cooking | line cook |
| Food safety | food safety |
| Knife skills | food handler |
| Kitchen cleaning | kitchen |
| Speed | sanitation |
| Teamwork | recipes |
| Following recipes | fast-paced |
| Stocking | teamwork |
| Reliability | stocking |
What the job involves: O*NET 35-2014.00, Cooks, Restaurant (US Department of Labor).
Coming to cook work from another job
Your past work counts if you say what it shows. Any restaurant or cafeteria work counts; home cooking for a family shows recipes and food safety.
Never claim a duty you did not do. Say what you did in words this job uses.
Next steps
- Get the cook resume template, a Word file and a PDF laid out for this job, $4.99 one time.
- Have your own resume rewritten for one cook job, using only what is on it, $14.99 one time.
- See cook jobs near you and get your resume rewritten for each one. The first application each month is free.
- Check your resume first with the free resume grader.