Indian chef CV example

How to write a CV for an Indian chef

Now you’ve chosen the correct format, it’s time to tackle the details. The following sections break down how to write a CV for an Indian chef step by step so you feel more confident approaching businesses. We’ll explain what details to include, how to present them in the best possible light, and answers to some of the most common CV writing questions.

What’s on the menu?

• What contact details should I include in my Indian chef CV?
• How to write a personal statement for your Indian chef CV
• How to present your work history on a Indian chef CV
• Skills worth having on your Indian chef CV
• Outlining education on a Indian chef CV

What contact details should I include in my Indian chef CV?

It might sound unbelievable, but many applicants forget to add their current contact details and location at the top of their CV. Unfortunately, this only irks hiring managers and prevents them from contacting you about the next steps. Don’t make the same mistake – note your information somewhere near the header, preferable in a slightly larger or bolder font for maximum readability. Remember to include:

• Full name – first name and surname
• Location – including county and postcode
• Phone number – mobiles tend to be best
• Email address – keep it work appropriate

Example of contact section for an Indian chef CV

How to write a personal statement for your Indian chef CV

Want to make a superb first impression? Create a persuasive personal statement summarising your most valuable achievements, skills, and qualifications. Hiring managers simply can’t resist candidates who open with a bang. However, you don’t have infinite space to play with. Instead, you must convey your strengths in three to four short sentences. Confused? Use our handy formula below.

Sentence one introduces who you are, including years of experience and career focus, e.g. Michelin-starred restaurants or hotel chains. Sentence two explains what you can achieve, backed up by concrete evidence. Finally, sentences three and four underline your unique skills and areas of expertise. For instance, you might specialise in Indian desserts or tandoor cooking.

Concrete evidence proves you can walk your talk. Without these real-world results, the employer might doubt your capabilities. What counts? You might have managed a large team, won several awards, or received a five-star TripAdvisor score. Whatever the accomplishment, provide as much detail as possible to wow the reader!

Here are a few other tasty titbits to keep in mind:

• Write in the third person to sound more professional
• Stick to the word count – between 50 and 100 words is perfect
• Keep the tone friendly, formal, and polite
• Use keywords and phrases to reassure the employer you have the right knowledge for the job – you can find these skills in the job ad
• Don’t talk about career ambitions – save these for the cover letter, and discuss what you can bring to the table

Example of personal statement for an Indian CV

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How to present your work history on a Indian chef CV

Employment background is usually the most important part of any CV. Generally, hiring managers spend the most time here, assessing whether you meet the basic criteria for the job. They’ll untangle your core strengths, achievements, and work ethic – not to mention your weaknesses via the information you leave out. Top tip: be prepared to explain any gaps in your knowledge if you reach the interview stage.

How should you format this section so it’s eye-catching and cohesive? Start from your current or most recent role and note up to six responsibilities for each. We advise adding more detail for positions that reflect the job advertisement.

Run through:

• Job title
• Employment start and end dates
• Company name
• Company location
• List of key tasks
• Achievements, awards, and promotions

The personal statement isn’t the only section that needs solid statistics. Keep sprinkling in facts and figures to show the reader just how amazing you are. Let’s say you “supported the restaurant’s marketing efforts” – can you expand on this? You could mention how, e.g. “by running social media competitions”. Going one step further, provide tangible results, e.g. “by running social media competitions that increased footfall by 29%”. Remember, specificity is the key to success!

On top of this, avoid repetition and obvious tasks that don’t add anything special to your application. For example, if you’ve discussed “food preparation” underneath one role, talk about “ordering stock” in another. Obvious tasks might include “answering telephone calls” – hiring managers expect this as a given, so you’ll look a little silly trying to package it as a unique selling point.

Lastly, don’t be shy and use plenty of positive adjectives and action verbs to engage the reader. You might be “hardworking”, “reliable”, and “creative”. Action verbs are powerful alternatives to “responsible for”. Some of our favourites for Indian chefs include “motivated”, “recommended”, and “supervised”.

Example of work experience for an Indian chef CV

Skills worth having on your Indian chef CV

When employers have little time, they might skim-read your application. It’s not ideal, but you can give yourself a fighting chance of being noticed by including a comprehensive CV skills section. These keywords and phrases jump off the page and reassure the reader you have the right practical and transferable knowledge for the position. We suggest noting around 12 in total, split equally between hard skills and soft skills.

So, what’s the difference? Hard skills are specialised and often learnt on the job or through education – think “operating the tandoor oven”, “ordering fresh ingredients”, and “forecasting profits”. On the other hand, soft skills are personality-based – people are born with a tendency towards them, so you can’t really pick them up as easily. Examples include “reliable”, “adaptable”, and “organised”.

Ultimately, you need both to succeed. Experience means nothing without a positive, can-do attitude and passion for customer service. Likewise, friendliness doesn’t compensate for a lack of culinary flair. Balancing both will convince the reader you’re a well-rounded professional who can manage a kitchen and a team of different personalities.

Stuck for ideas? Check out the following lists for inspiration:

Outlining education on a Indian chef CV

Education is the cement that holds everything else together, proving you have the fundamental knowledge to meet expectations. You can discuss school, college, and university courses, professional training, and memberships to governing bodies. Basically, anything that might give you an upper hand over competing candidates.

There are a few things to remember when filling out this section. You don’t need to mention bad grades or incomplete courses – they won’t impress the hiring manager. Plus, avoid using too much detail on older qualifications like GCSEs if you’ve completed higher education. You only have limited space, so choose your words carefully (that goes for every CV section).

You don’t necessarily need qualifications to become an Indian chef – some of the best are self-trained. However, it can boost your prospects if you’ve studied a relevant subject at college, such as a “Level 3 Diploma in Professional Cookery”, “T Level in Catering”, or “Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts”.

When outlining your education, use the below format:

• Name of school, college, university, or other awarding body
• Study start and end dates
• Subject title
• Qualification level – e.g. Level 3 Diploma or NVQ
• Qualification result

Example of education for an Indian chef CV