Resume Mistakes for Culinary School Graduates

 

Don't Make These Resume Mistakes When Applying to Work In The Culinary Industry

Once you’ve completed your culinary education, you’re ready to start exploring all the opportunities that await. Unfortunately, those opportunities are the same ones that all the other new graduates are hoping to take advantage of, and few culinary professionals can just waltz in and demand the job of their dreams.

Your resume will be your ticket to landing an interview and getting your foot in the door.  That’s why it’s a good idea to avoid these common culinary resume pitfalls.

Being too wordy. Restaurant workers— especially the managers in charge of hiring—are busy people. While you do want to make your resume professional and comprehensive, this is one field in which easy reading and bullet points of relevant information go a long way.

Being scared of name dropping- Okay, so it’s not a good idea to mention every celebrity chef you’ve seen on the street or every high-profile restaurant where you’ve dined. However, it is a good idea to name your trainers, chef-instructors, and relevant internship/externship restaurant experience.

This is especially true if you’re looking for a local job—most chefs within a city know each other and might consider you more eligible because of that training.

Not asking your professional and culinary references for permission- If you intend to list teachers and past employers as culinary references (and this is a good idea), be sure and check with them first. Not only will they appreciate the heads-up, but you can also avoid sending your potential employers to someone who might be hesitant to give you a glowing review.

Lying- This one should go without saying, but in an effort to put themselves forward, some aspiring chefs will embellish their resumes with past jobs, tasks, or outcomes that simply aren’t true. You will almost always get found out, either when the interviewer goes to check your references or when you get the job and can’t complete key tasks.

Another good culinary resume tip is to be sure and hold some information back for the interview. Yes, you want to put your best foot forward so that you land the interview, but don’t spend page after page detailing your successes.

Give your potential employer just a hint of what you’re capable of and then prepare to blow them away at the interview.

 

Read, Read and Read Some More

One of the best suggestions I have for anyone thinking of going to culinary school or just getting into the restaurant industry is to read everything you can get your hands on. Learn from professional chefs who have worked in the industry and those who have taught in culinary schools.

There are many great books available to get you started in your culinary education and I suggest you read as much as possible before making that big decision to make sure this is the right move for you. Below is just a sample of books you might be interested in checking out.

For a much more comprehensive list of books for aspiring culinary, baking and restaurant management students, I suggest checking out my post on books for future culinary students and chefs.