This guide shows how to write an entry-level sous chef CV that highlights relevant experience and skills so you stand out for kitchen roles in the United Kingdom. You will learn which sections to include, how to describe kitchen duties, and how to tailor your CV for openings that require basic supervisory skills and food safety knowledge.
Use UK conventions and emphasise right-to-work status where relevant.
Building a Sous Chef resume?
Skip the blank page. Start with a template built for this role, then tailor it for each job you apply to.
Tip: use the template as a starting point, then swap in your own numbers and project names.
What an entry-level sous chef CV should do
Your CV should demonstrate that you can handle a busy kitchen, follow recipes accurately, and support a head chef during service. Focus on skills you already practise, such as prep, timing, and basic stock control, and show how they map to the sous chef role so recruiters understand your fit.
Use a short professional profile to outline your cooking background and immediate goals, then list experience and qualifications that align with the job advert. Keep paragraphs concise and front-load the strongest points so a recruiter can scan your CV in seconds.
CV sections to include
Start with your name and contact details, followed by a concise professional profile of 2 to 3 lines that includes the phrase entry-level sous chef CV and one or two core strengths. Next add Work Experience, Skills and Qualifications, Education and Training, and a short Additional Experience or Volunteer section for catering or events.
Place the most relevant experience near the top of your Work Experience section even if it is not your most recent job. For each role, use 2 to 4 bullet points describing your responsibilities and achievements with clear verbs and context.
Writing the Work Experience section
When you describe kitchen roles, lead with what you did and then add how you did it, for example daily prep, station setup, or assisting with plating. Use active verbs such as prepared, co-ordinated, plated, monitored, and trained to show your role in the operation.
If you do not have sous chef experience, list line cook, prep cook, or catering shifts and highlight supervisory tasks you performed, such as running a station or training new hires. Include seasonal or event work and explain the scope so employers understand the environment you worked in.
Skills and qualifications to emphasise
List culinary techniques that match the job description, for example butchery, sauce making, garde manger, and pastry basics when relevant. Include qualifications such as Level 2/3 Food Hygiene, HACCP awareness, and allergen awareness, plus any safety or first aid training that applies to kitchen work.
Also highlight soft skills that matter for a sous chef, such as time management, clear communication, and teamwork. If applying to NHS or hospital catering roles, be aware you may encounter Agenda for Change pay bands or NHS pay scales; research the relevant framework and reflect any related experience or responsibilities in your CV.
Where applicable, mention leadership experiences like supervising a station or training junior staff, and coordinating shifts.
Additional Tips
- 1Keep layout simple and use standard headings so ATS and hiring managers can scan quickly
- 2Turn transferable experience from catering or volunteer kitchens into kitchen-specific bullet points
- 3Prepare short interview stories that match the CV bullets you include