Line Cook Resume Examples in 2023

Line Cook Resume Examples

Years of Experience

Tips for Writing a Better Line Cook Resume

Use the time-honored “cooking” method

You’ll be encouraged to hear that one of the most influential writing ideas of the past century is actually a cooking metaphor. It comes from English professor Peter Elbow’s seminal 1973 book “Writing Without Teachers.” Elbow argued that in order to write anything well, you have to “cook” your starting information and ideas, i.e., meld them into something cohesive and satisfying. More specifically, he defined this process of information “cooking” as one piece of material being transformed or reoriented by another.

This dynamic interaction is exactly what you should aim for in writing your resume. Here the first “piece of material” is your career background to date. The second is your current job search goal. If you follow the “cooking” method, you’ll transform your career information for the better by reorienting it in terms of your goal. The result: a highly focused, effective resume.

The “cooking” approach may sound tricky and abstract at first. But in practice, it makes writing your resume as logical and intuitive as throwing together your favorite chili. The key is to (a) brainstorm and jot down a good amount of highlights from your career, and (b) compare that information methodically against your goals.

You’ll find a clear overview of this procedure in our Resume vs. Curriculum Vitae (CV) article – see the subsection “How to write a successful resume.”

Streamline how you show multiple jobs at one employer

For any given job in your Experience section, it’s usually best to list the information in this order:

Job Title, Employer Name, City, ST | dates

But what if you’ve held multiple jobs at the same employer? Following the above format causes you to list the same employer and location info multiple times, as in:

Assistant Saucier Chef, Le Fleur de Lys, Pittsburgh, PA | March 2014 to October 2015
…
Line Cook, Le Fleur de Lys, Pittsburgh, PA | June 2011 to March 2014

The effect can become tedious and distracting to the hiring manager, especially in cases where you’ve held many roles at one employer. For a better way to show these details, list the employer and location info first, once. Then indent the multiple roles underneath:

Le Fleur de Lys, Pittsburgh, PA | June 2011 to October 2015

• Assistant Saucier Chef (March 2014 to October 2015)

…

• Line Cook (June 2011 to March 2014)

Strike the right tone to describe your career background

For nearly any piece of regular writing, it’s important to choose language that sets and maintains a clear tone or “voice.” That rule applies equally to your job search documents. Here’s a quick overview of the voice you should aim for on each one:

• Resume: formal, forthright
• Cover Letter: engaged, confident
• LinkedIn Profile: friendly, personable

To achieve a forthright voice on your resume, use simple sentences and straightforward accounts of your experience. Keep this advice in mind especially when writing your Profile section, since you may be tempted (or think you need) to use terms like “Exceptional” or “Outstanding at” when a more modest yet direct phrase like “Skilled at” is better.

Common Key Skills for Line Cook Resumes

One of the best ways to improve your resume is to add keywords.

That’s because most employers now use an applicant tracking system (ATS), which scans each submitted resume for keywords relevant to the job opening at hand. When the ATS finds a resume with many relevant keywords, it flags the document for the hiring manager.

To make your resume ATS-friendly, add a keyword-rich “Skills” or “Expertise” section. Here are some common keywords for line cook resumes:

Note: As the list below indicates, in this section you should only use noun phrases. Reserve personal attributes and adjectives (like “highly collaborative” or “strong work ethic”) for your Profile summary. Any time you’re unsure whether a term fits in this section, just plug it into the phrase “I’m skilled in [term].” If the term makes a correct sentence (“I’m skilled in team collaboration”), you can add it. But if it’s nonsense (“I’m skilled in highly collaborative”), leave it out.

Common Action Verbs for Line Cook Resumes

One of the most frequent resume mistakes is using too few verbs. You may fall into repeating the same generic verb (say, “Manage”) many times. This repetition can distract the hiring manager and fail to show the varied nature of your experience. The following list will help you mix up the verbs on your line cook resume:

How to Align Your Resume with a Job Posting

For each job in your Experience section, consider adding a description of the restaurant or facility. You can place this description in brackets right next to or below the facility name. It also helps to match formatting. For instance, if you’ve italicized the facility name, italicize the description too. (See resume example 3 above.)

Facility descriptions let you show any similarity between the places you’ve worked and the place you now want to work. For instance, maybe you’ve worked in the same type of cuisine, or for a similar size facility. If you’re applying for a job in a high-volume or highly rated restaurant, use facility descriptions to emphasize any background you have in these environments. By working these details into your descriptions, you can make your resume that much more relevant to the job opening at hand.

More Resume and Cover Letter Resources

The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that jobs for cooks will increase by about 16 percent between 2021 and 2031. For more on finding opportunities in this field and related fields, check out the links below:

Resume examples

• Chef Resume Examples
• Prep Cook Resume Examples
• Food Service Resume Examples

Cover letter examples

• Restaurant Manager Cover Letter Examples
• Bartender Cover Letter Examples
• Server Cover Letter Examples

Advice on your job search

• How to Show That You Are Detailed-Oriented on Your Resume
• How Far Back a Resume Should Go?
• How to Follow Up After an Interview