Cook job description for a resume

The short answer

A cook writing a resume should describe what they actually did — work like turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking — rather than copying a generic bullet list. The U.S. Department of Labor classifies the role as Cooks, Restaurant (SOC 35-2014.00). All 14 of its published duties are listed below. Speaking is the capability O*NET rates highest for the work.

What follows is the published duty list, not a set of bullets to copy. The difference matters: a line describing work you did not do is one interview question away from falling apart.

What a cook does

Prepare, season, and cook dishes such as soups, meats, vegetables, or desserts in restaurants. May order supplies, keep records and accounts, price items on menu, or plan menu.

O*NET occupation: Cooks, Restaurant (SOC 35-2014.00).

Cook duties you can put on a resume

These are all 14 duties O*NET classifies as core to this occupation. Which ranking is a fact from the source; which of them you personally did is not something any dataset knows. Use the list as a memory aid, never as a list to paste.

1. Turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking.
2. Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock.
3. Portion, arrange, and garnish food, and serve food to waiters or patrons.
4. Season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.
5. Substitute for or assist other cooks during emergencies or rush periods.
6. Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting, smelling, or piercing them with utensils.
7. Ensure food is stored and cooked at correct temperature by regulating temperature of ovens, broilers, grills, and roasters.
8. Wash, peel, cut, and seed fruits and vegetables to prepare them for consumption.
9. Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes or personal judgment, using various kitchen utensils and equipment.
10. Bake, roast, broil, and steam meats, fish, vegetables, and other foods.
11. Inspect and clean food preparation areas, such as equipment, work surfaces, and serving areas, to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
12. Carve and trim meats such as beef, veal, ham, pork, and lamb for hot or cold service, or for sandwiches.
13. Coordinate and supervise work of kitchen staff.
14. Bake breads, rolls, cakes, and pastries.

Skills a cook can list

O*NET rates these at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation.

Speaking

importance 3.00

Critical Thinking

importance 3.00

Monitoring

importance 3.00

Time Management

importance 3.00

What not to claim

• A duty from the list above that you did not personally perform. It describes Cooks, Restaurant as an occupation, not your particular job — and interviewers for cook roles ask about the specifics.
• Work from an adjacent role you have not held. Cook and the roles beside it overlap, and the overlap is where overstatement creeps in.
• A percentage, a headcount or a volume you did not measure. "Improved satisfaction by 35%" is the single most copied line on resume-example sites, and almost nobody who pastes it can source it.
• Speaking at a level you have not worked at. O*NET rates it highest for this occupation, which makes it the most likely thing to be probed.
• A tool, system or certification you have not used or hold. This is the fastest claim to disprove.

Source and method

O*NET data are provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence.The duties and skills above are reproduced as published. The resume guidance, the prompts and any generated lines are RoleSprint's, and O*NET did not write them.

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Same occupational family in the SOC classification, so the duties often overlap with work you have done.

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