Preparing for the Job Search
You’ve just graduated from a Culinary School, now you’re ready to put all that education to use in the real world. That’s great! Before beginning your job search, make sure you have a clear and error-free resume and excellent references.
Resumes
More and more, job opportunities found online request a cover letter and resume via email. Since this is your first impression—possibly among several hundred other applicants’ first impressions—make sure you create an outstanding cover letter and comprehensive resume that frames you in the best possible light.
Think of your resume as a document that serves as your professional agent. It must highlight your Culinary School education and work-related experience in a way that will impress potential employers. Don’t rush through writing your resume; take the time to do it right. Here are a few important guidelines for creating your resume:
- Gather Information
Jot down all of your schooling, practical experience, special awards, honors, and memberships. This will help you clarify how to organize your resume. - Make it Pretty
Your resume should be easy to read. You may use different-sized fonts, capital letters, italics and the bold function to design the document. Use formatting options with titled categories that define your content results in a professional looking document. For example: - Education
associate’s degree of Culinary Arts: Culinary Institute of America, 2009
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree: Boston University, 2006 - Keep it Short, Just the Facts
Unless you have worked in twenty different three-star Michelin-rated restaurants, you shouldn’t need more than one page to complete your resume. And keep descriptions of your education and experience free from embellishments.
Good: I worked as a Sous Chef at Joe’s Grill for three years.
Bad: I enjoyed my prestigious Sous Chef job at the Zagat-rated Joe’s Grill for three years.
- Be Creative
Perhaps you don’t have a great deal of practical experience or education. Or you may think the experience you have doesn’t count. But that experience does count, you just need to know how to present it. For instance, you worked as a bus boy for a restaurant for three years and eventually were hired at the same restaurant as a food server. Your description of that experience might read like this:
Bus Boy: I worked as part of service team helping co-workers and assisting customers. After three years, I was promoted to the position of server.
- Get Feedback
If you’re applying for a job as a chef, recruit one of the chefs with whom you have worked to review your resume. Since chefs are often in the position of hiring other chefs, they will be able to give you constructive criticism and suggestions about how to edit or rewrite your resume.
Last Updated: 08/08/2012