Commis Chef CV Guide + Tips + Example
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Propel your career with a well-written commis chef CV. This guide will help you create a professional CV for a commis chef to highlight your skills and experience, presenting yourself as a desirable candidate.
Start by editing this sample CV for a commis chef template or explore our 40+ CV templates to find the best one for you.
Commis chef CV example (text version)
Leanne Aldarelli
Jersey City, NJ 07030
(555) 555-5555
example@example.com
Summary Statement
Ambitious and promising commis chef with culinary education and prestigious intern and entry-level work experience. Trained in multiple cuisines and preparations and extremely knowledgeable of basic and advanced cooking techniques. Able to prioritize safety in the kitchen while upholding high standards for meal and ingredient preparation. Takes direction well and can work under extreme pressure while maintaining a positive attitude. Passionate about pursuing a career in the culinary industry.
Core Qualifications
- Catering
- Menu planning
- Stock rotation
- Food plating and presentation
- Kitchen equipment operation
- Attention to detail
- Time management
- Customer service and teamwork
Education
- Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park, NY
Bachelor of Science Hospitality Management - Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park, NY
Associate of Arts Culinary Arts
Work Experience
June 2018 – Current
The Hutton – Jersey City
Commis Chef
- Work in all areas of the restaurant under the supervision of the executive chef.
- Learn new skills quickly and make for an excellent addition to the kitchen team.
- Assist the chef in brainstorming new menu items and specials based on locally sourced, in-season ingredients.
- Season and marinate cuts of meat, poultry and fish for an average of 500 dishes per week.
July 2017 – May 2018
Hyatt Regency – Jersey City, NJ
Kitchen Intern
- Assisted with prep work before the restaurant opened, improving 25% of productivity.
- Helped to prepare the kitchen for nightly service.
- Cleaned and organized 10 kitchen stations and kept them in an enjoyable and orderly place to work.
- Gained valuable knowledge of how kitchens are run and what competencies a chef needs to have to thrive in a kitchen environment.
September 2016 – June 2017
Hilton East Brunswick Hotel – Jersey City, NJ
Pastry Intern
- Assisted in the preparation of doughs, fillings, frostings, glazes and other components of dishes in the pastry department of a high-end hotel restaurant.
- Maintained high levels of quality and safety within a busy and often high-pressure environment.
- Worked under the direction of the head pastry chef and took criticism well.
- Created a new dessert item that was added to the menu and became a best-seller at the restaurant, improving pastry sales by 20%.
Conference Attendance
- Cooking Without Borders or Food Waste – (2022)
- Plant-based Innovation, No Limitation – (2022)
- NYC Culinary Fest – (2019)
Honors and Awards
- Named one of several promising new chefs in the metropolitan area. (2021)
- Recognized for best recipe, plating and food presentation, The Hutton – (2019)
Certifications and Licenses
- Food Handler’s certification – (Updated 2022)
- Food Prepping and Serving License – (Updated 2021)
- Certified Foodservice Professional (CFSP), North American
- Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) – (2018)
Profession Relevant Skills
- Excellent knife skills and understanding of safety in professional kitchen environments.
- Knowledgeable of basic and advanced cooking techniques including but not limited to braising, roasting, searing, sous vide and frying.
- Ability to learn new recipes and preparations quickly.
- Understanding of flavor profiles and pairings.
- Calm under pressure with the ability to take instructions well.
- Active listener with advanced interpersonal communication skills.
- High-energy team player with great collaboration abilities.
Languages
- English
Native or Bilingual - Spanish
Full Professional
Hobbies and Interests
Frequently cook for family and friends and hold weekly dinners focusing on different cultures and cuisines. Guest blogger on a popular food industry website.
5 essentials of a top commis chef CV
Contact details
This section will have all the information needed to contact you for a commis chef interview. The standard is: full name, city, state and ZIP code, phone number and email address. Include your LinkedIn profile or any other professional networking profile. Finally, if you have an online portfolio of your work and projects, include it in this section.
Personal statement
The personal statement, also called a professional summary, is your introduction to the hiring manager. In no more than five sentences, include your strongest qualification, years of experience and a professional accomplishment. Write your personal statement with the job description in mind, by including your best job-relevant skills.
Skills
Create a balanced skills section to showcase your strength as a candidate. Your skills section should include hard skills, like plating and meal preparation, and soft skills, like, teamwork, collaboration and the ability to prioritize. Keep the job description in mind and include job-relevant skills.
If this is your first job in the culinary industry, you can include transferable skills from other employment.
Work history
Build your work history in reverse-chronological order and include the employer’s name, location and dates of employment. For every position, include a bulleted list of three measurable achievements, like the number of dinners you’ve assisted in, how many guests you served per dinner, night or week and that you follow health and food safety procedures.
If this is your first job as a commis chef, you can include other relevant work experience, like volunteer experiences, community service, and more.
Education
To create your education section, include the educational institution’s name, degree conferred and graduation year. Omit the graduation date if it has been over 10 years. If you did not attend college, list your high school and any other post-high school course you’ve completed.
See why MyPerfectResume is a 5-star resume builder
Action words for a stand-out commis chef CV
Use action words to impact hiring managers on your commis chef achievements and skills. These verbs will also highlight your strength and confidence as a potential employee. Combine them with numbers and achievements for an effective CV.
Here’s a short list of action words for a commis chef:
- Assisted
- Focused
- Adapted
- Plated
- Served
- Displayed
- Prepared
- Combined
- Created
- Followed
Building an effective commis chef CV can be quick and easy with the help of our CV Maker. It has all the tools you need to create a great CV, like step-by-step guidance and industry-specific expert suggestions. Once you’re satisfied with your CV, you can download it in multiple formats.
Top skills for a commis chef CV
Carefully review the commis chef’s job description and match the required skills to the skills and traits that fit you.
Your skills might include:
- Food safety
- Food service
- Customer service
- Catering
- Teamwork
- Time management
- Attention to detail
- Excellent communication
- Creativity
- Hospitality
- Physical stamina
Certifications for a commis chef CV
Certifications can help advance your career by gaining expertise in a particular subject. They can also add value to your commis chef CV and help you stand out from the pool of candidates.
These are a few examples of certifications for a commis chef CV:
- Worldchefs Global Commis Chef
- Certified Professional Food Safety
- ServSafe Alcohol
- Pre-Commis Chef by Worldchefs
- Food Hygiene Certificate
See how your CV could look! We have 300+ CV examples to help you create an effective commis chef CV.
Pair your CV with a matching cover letter
Commis chef CV FAQ
How to write a commis chef CV?
Save or screenshot the job description and use it to tailor your CV. Start with the essential sections:
- Contact information
- Personal profile
- Skills
- Job history
- Education
Because a CV is a longer document, you can include more information to help you stand out from the pool of candidates. Think of optional sections you could add that will catch a recruiter’s attention. For example:
- Professional memberships
- Grants or scholarships
- Certifications and licenses
- Special projects
- Volunteer experience
If you still want to include more information, remember that you can write a cover letter to include with your commis chef CV. A cover letter gives you the chance to connect with an employer you haven’t met and take control of your career’s narrative. Not sure how to write one? Our Cover Letter Builder can help you. It has the same feel as our CV Builder, and you’ll be done quickly.
What does a CV for a commis chef look like?
Like your plates need to look beautiful before savoring them, your commis chef CV needs to look clean, organized and readable before a recruiter reads the content. Choose the right font and style to create a document for your style. You can always check out our CV template collection and see how a finished document should look.
If you’re not comfortable creating a CV on your own, use a tool like our CV Maker. It provides step-by-step guidance and editable content suggestions for your industry and career level. You don’t have to worry about the layout because the CV Maker will automatically adjust it according to the template you choose. Unsure about the template? Pick another one and the information will transfer automatically. It’s that simple!
How to write a commis chef CV with no experience?
If you want to create a commis chef CV with no experience, there’s no need to panic. It is possible to write a CV that attracts the right attention, just think outside the box:
- Choose a format that highlights your skills.
- Tailor your skills section and personal summary to the job description.
- Include experience relevant to the position you are applying for.
- Highlight education beneficial to the role, like courses, certifications and other training.
A key reminder is to always tailor your commis chef CV to the job description by including the skills and experience that match the ones the employer is seeking.
Do’s and don’ts for building a commis chef CV
- Use measurable achievements to describe your commis chef skills and experience.
- Use action words to make an impact on your commis chef CV.
- Tailor your CV to your target commis chef job.
- Use keywords from the job description throughout your commis chef CV.
- Format your commis chef so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
- Lie about your commis chef experience and skills.
- Boast about your “incomparable” commis chef abilities.
- Include irrelevant personal information such as your ethnicity and age.
- Add skills and experience that do not pertain to a commis chef CV.
- Forget to proofread. A commis chef CV with errors is unprofessional.
Top 4 tips for acing a commis chef interview
Research the employer before your interview.
Learn more about a potential employer before your interview. Use their official channels, news and ask previous and current employees about their experience. Your knowledge will help prepare you for the interview. Plus, it’ll show your potential employer your commitment and dedication. It’ll also help you feel more confident to have this information before arriving at your interview.
Practice at home.
Preparation can help ease your nerves. Get ready for the big day by reviewing the most common interview questions, such as:
- Tell Me About a Time When You Failed to Meet a Deadline. What Things Did You Fail to Do?
- Tell Me About a Time When You Were Forced to Think on Your Feet
- What Have You Accomplished That Shows Your Initiative and Willingness to Work?
Ask a friend or relative to perform a mock interview. Use these or look up other possible interview questions. Write down your answers, and then practice with your interview partner. Once done, ask for feedback and work with them to improve your answers, tone and body language. Preparation will add confidence to your interview style.
Pro tip: Practice in front of a mirror. Pay attention to your facial expressions and body language, which hiring managers will notice.
Be proactive and ask questions.
An interview goes both ways. You are interviewing the employer as much as they’re interviewing you. Use your questions to learn more about the role and to show your knowledge. Prepare three to five questions and expect to think of new ones during the interview.
Here are a few examples of questions to get you started:
- Why did you choose to work here?
- What is the career path for a commis chef at this company?
- What could you tell me about the supervision style?
- What could you tell me about the kitchen dynamics?
. Round up your references.
Gather your references before the interview process starts. Ask previous managers and mentors to be your reference. These individuals will have to vouch for your skills and work experience. Let them know when you are in the process and when they could expect a phone call or email. Remember to also request two letters of recommendation.
If this is your first job, you can request a reference from a mentor, former professor, community leader, volunteer coordinator or classmate that can vouch for your skills.
Resume examples for the next step in your culinary career
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- Line Cook Resume
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- Deli Clerk Resume
- Chef Resume
- Restaurant Chain Manager Resume
- Cook Resume
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Commis Chef CV Example
Nilda Melissa is a Certified Professional Resume Writer who has written for The Washington Post and Latina Style Magazine. She has a master's in Journalism from Columbia University and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
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