INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Prep Cook positions are at a 26% growth rate, which is much faster than average. With that said, there are currently 2,281,400 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 594,600 to 2,876,000 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Prep Cook jobs was $27,250 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $9.13 per hour, and the highest 10% more than $18.71 per hour.
Our conclusion? The Prep Cook job market is wide open for candidates.
Top prep cook sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
Writing a strong prep cook experience section
Prep cook resume experience section: ultimate checklist
- Use no more than 4-6 bullet points per position;
- List relevant positions and situations that add value to your application;
- Describe situations, tasks, actions, and results (the S-T-A-R method);
- Remember to include numbers in whatever form you like (e.g. the number of projects you’ve finished);
- Begin each bullet point with an action verb.
Check out the examples below when building your experience section. They will help you stand out!
- Developed excellent customer service skills
- Managed inventory and product levels by stocking, refilling, rotating, and preparing fresh salads and baked goods
- Became familiar with the operations of a store
- Prepared and produced international and fusion cuisine
- Created all desserts from scratch
- Oversaw the receiving and storing of food, maintained sanitation, and cleaned daily
- Managed weekly inventory duties
- My general responsibilities included:
- Chopping/cutting vegetables/meat
- Simple cooking duties such as parboiling, reducing or stir-frying
- Preparing sandwiches and salads directly for serving
- My more detailed duties were:
- Stocking and measuring the goods and the ingredients at the start/end of the day/week
- Washing and peeling ingredients in order for them to be used in different meals
- Preparing different types of of food according to the chef's instructions
- Accepting or rejecting ingredients from food suppliers, based on their appearance and quality
- Swiping the remaining food from plates and putting them in the dishwasher/washes them
- Vacuuming dining area and washes the kitchen floor before closing.
- Preparation for corporate event catering
- Use of varied beans in a fast paced environment
- Consistent maintenance of a clean and hygienic work station
- Cash Register and POS transactions
- Preparation for corporate event catering
- Use of blended and single origin roasts
- Volumetric dosing
- Consistent maintenance of a clean and hygienic work station
- Cash Register and POS transactions
- Developed excellent customer service skills
- Managed inventory and product levels by stocking, refilling, rotating, and preparing fresh salads and baked goods
- Became familiar with the operations of a store
- Setting up and stocking stations with all necessary supplies
- Preparing food for service of more than 100 reservations per night
- Cooking menu items in cooperation with the rest of the kitchen staff
- Qualified that food comes out simultaneously, in high quality and in a timely fashion
- Responsible for Garde Manger and Pastry
- Hot line experience
- Knowledge of some molecular food techniques
- Responsible for the preparation of dishes served at Cafe, organize inventory, prepare and stock the day’s ingredients for each food station
- Provide food and drink for social events in a professional capacity
- Order supplies and ingredients as needed
- Prepared food in a high volume kitchen ($50,000 weekly)
- Portion control
- Following strict compliance with menu set by Chef
- Maintained a clean and orderly kitchen by washing dishes, sanitizing surfaces, taking out trash etc.
- Relied heavily on team work in order to achieve goals.
- Ensured proteins including fish, beef, chicken and lamb, were cooked to Health and Safety Standards
- Executed high-quality service for large catered events in a timely manner
- Well versed in kitchen procedures including equipment operation, maintenance, and inventory
- Recognized and awarded for dedication to the values of perseverance, quality, imagination, collaboration and happiness
- Prepared the kitchen for the morning and evening shifts, seasoned, weighted, and molded ground beef into burger patties, and sliced lettuce, tomatoes, and onions as additional items for the burgers.
- Stocked and organized the entire inventory.
- Washed dishes and kept the kitchen and dining room areas clean and sanitary.
- Supplied and trained numerous employees while employed.
- Achieved high numbers of sales daily, all while cooking, serving, and cleaning.
- Given role as acting supervisor for daily closing duties.
- Efficiently measure ingredients and seasoning to be used in cooking
- undertaking the basic cooking duties such as reducing sauces, parboiling foods etc.
- following the prep list assigned by chefs to properly plan duties.
- Full time opening and closing shift member
- Started training with food preparation
- Cleaning and dish washing
- Learned to properly greet customers and serve customers
- Cash register / Payments
- Acquired skill to fry and prep cook
- Preparing all cold food and taking care of the salad bar, deli line, and yogurt/desert bar;
- Following the prep list created by chefs to plan duties;
- Labeling and stocking all ingredients on shelves so they can be organized and easily accessible;
- Measuring ingredients and seasonings to be used in cooking.
- Preparing employee meals
- Preparing daily products for the line
- Working on the line with salads and desserts
- Prepared cooking ingredients by washing, chopping vegetables, and cutting meat
- Understood basic cooking duties
- Ran buffet and prepared all food
- Obtained food handler license and ServSafe certification
- Built a strong work ethic
- Followed safety regulations
- Worked in a team of motivated cooks with passion for food
PRO TIP
Include quantitative data throughout your Prep Cook resume to impress the hiring manager. Real facts and figures that show off your competency as an audit manager go a long way. Did you reduce the costs of audits? Manage a large team? Boosted efficiency? Show off the real numbers!
Action verbs for your prep cook resume
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Writing a strong skills section for your prep cook resume
Checklist for your Prep Cook skills section:
- Include all relevant skills from the job description to pass ATS;
- Focus on skills that show your expertise;
- List your technical skills in a clear and concise manner;
- Leave room for transferable skills related to teamwork, communication, negotiation, and conflict management.
Top skills for your prep cook resume
Food Handlers License
ServSafe Certification
OSHA 10 Certification
Construction Flagger Certified
Culinary Arts
Menu Development
Patience
Multitasking
Listening
Attention to details
Communication
Memorization
PRO TIP
When describing your experience, don’t go too far from its terminology. Recruiters use ATS systems to filter resumes based on them having certain keywords, so make sure you use at least a few keywords mentioned in the job description.
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Prep cook resume header: Tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your prep cook resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
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PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have policies about identifying information like photos on your Prep Cook resume. Be sure to check all the relevant rules before submitting yours. If you’re in doubt, you can always try contacting the company’s HR department to ask for their policy.
The ideal summary for your prep cook resume
Mastering the summary section: Checklist
- Mention the total years of experience you have in the field;
- Focus on 2 to 3 of your top achievements;
- Highlight the things that make you the best fit for the position;
- Go for short, easy-to-read sentences to keep the recruiter’s attention.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary should act as an elevator speech, briefly promoting how you will benefit the employer if hired. Pitch your strengths in the summary and expand on them in your Prep Cook experience section. Give examples like how your work benefited each employer.
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Things to Include in Your Prep Cook Resume Education Section
Prep cook resume education section checklist:
- Mention your highest education degree;
- Add the duration of your course and the institution you attended;
- List the awards you’ve received during your studies;
- Feature your certifications if they are relevant to the position;
- Entry-level positions: Share more about projects and classes.
Top certifications for your prep cook resume
Cook Healthy Foods | Learn To Meal Prep For A Healthy Family
Learn To Meal Plan & Cook A Well Balanced Diet For Your Family. Gain Confidence To Meal Prep With Tasty, Healthy, Foods
PMP Exam Prep Seminar - Complete Exam Coverage with 35 PDUs
PMP Exam Prep Seminar - Earn 35 PDUs by completing the entire PMP course
Meal Planning For Parents With Busy Families
Meal Plan & Simplify Meal Prep. Save Time & Reduce Food Costs. Cook Healthy Meals At Home With Confidence & Less Stress
PMP Certification Exam Prep Course 35 PDU Contact Hours/PDU
Get your PMP Certification with this course. Fully updated for the 2021 PMP Exam
Cook Real Food: How to Make Simple Plant-Based Meals
Learn how to cook whole plant foods to make quick, easy, and healthy vegan meals for practical everyday eating.
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PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Formatting your prep cook resume
What’s worse than a .docx resume? A resume with a poorly chosen format.
In general, there are three basic resume formats we advise you to stick with:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Choosing between them is easy when you’re aware of your applicant profile – it depends on your years of experience, the position you’re applying for, and whether you’re looking for an industry change or not.
The reverse-chronological resume format is just that – all your relevant jobs in reverse-chronological order. It’s great for applicants with lots of experience, no career gaps, and little desire for creativity.
When working with less experienced applicants, we suggest the functional skills-based resume format. It’s great for recent graduates or people with large career gaps. Functional skills-based resumes focus on your personality, the skills you have, your interests, and your education. Ultimately, the idea is to show you’re the perfect fit without putting too much emphasis on your work experience (or lack thereof).
If you’re in the middle or are generally looking to make your resume feel more modern and personal, go for the combination or hybrid resume format. It offers the best of both worlds by combining sections focused on experience and work-related skills and at the same time keeping space for projects, awards, certifications, or even creative sections like ‘my typical day’ and ‘my words to live by’.
Prep Cook Resume Formatting Checklist
- Choose the resume format based on your level of experience and the company you’re applying for
- Go for a traditional 10-12p font
- Stick to 1-inch page margins to ensure high readability
- Match the length of your resume to your experience, but don’t go for more than two pages!
To take it a step further, check out how your resume can stand out without leaning too much on the creative side.
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PRO TIP
Test your draft Prep Cook resume by sending it out to peers and mentors in your circles. Ask them to review it as if they are hiring you for a project and implement the feedback afterwards.
Additional sections for your prep cook resume
In some cases, especially when it comes to entry-level positions, adding more sections beyond the usual ‘experience’, ‘skills’, and ‘education’ works well in your favor. Such additional sections will help you paint a fuller picture of who you are in the recruiter’s head.
Here’s a list of fun yet informative additional sections for your resume:
Making your prep cook resume creative
We know too well that recruiters go through tons of resumes every day. The worse part is, they often need to hire people for different positions and teams. So how do you make yourself stand out in such cases?
By adding a dash of creativity to your Prep Cook resume. It can be in the form of a colorful layout, a section describing your typical day, or even a picture of your favorite book – you decide!
Just make sure that the levels of creativity match the industry, company, and position you’re applying for.
What makes a great prep cook resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
