Food Trucks have been springing up around the country exponentially over the last 5 years. With their growing numbers, there is a much greater need for culinary professionals to fill many a food truck job that owners are looking to fill. There are typically a few steps in getting getting a food truck job. Writing a culinary resume is the first step in getting your foot in the door to be interviewed. Today we will cover the dos and don’ts of writing a resume for a culinary professional.

The Dos and Don’ts of Resume Writing For A Food Truck Job

Dos of Resume Writing For A Food Truck Job

Be Specific

If you worked the grill station or the sauté station, don’t just put. “Jane Doe Restaurant or Food Truck, July 8, 2009-August 12, 2010 Line cook, I worked the grill station.” What else did you do there? Any ordering? Did you check in orders? Did you help with inventory? Did you work any other parts of the line, even for brief stints? How many average covers did you do? What type of restaurant or food truck was it? The more information you put the more chance that the person or persons reading your resume will see you have more things you have actually done then just “working the grill”

Use Quality Stationary

This will make your resume stand out from the crowd.

Spell Check

Run spell-check and then run it again and THEN run it by a competent friend, spell-check does not catch everything. Future employers won’t be impresed with a resumah with mispeled wurds.

List Computer Skills

If you have computer knowledge, list it and the programs you know as well. While you might be interviewing for a line cook or sous position, which while you may not be using a computer at first, think long term. If you get promoted you may be asked to program or change information in the POS system or use Excel to manage inventories or scheduling.

List Certifications and Memberships

If you have certifications or other relevant experience that is not directly job, but is industry related, list it. As a potential employer I want to know if you have your Serv Safe certification and T.I.P.S. training for example. List any memberships you have if they are industry related.

Use Bullet Points

Customize

Customize your resume for each employer. A resume for a food truck should not be the same as a small fine dining restaurant. Research your targets and the job you are applying for and customize to suit. This can also include rearranging the order in which you list your categories.

List All Job Experience

More than 20 years back is a bit much but you may want to list places you worked and job titles. The food truck industry has much more to it then someone that works in marketing. Potential employers want to know that 15 years ago you worked at an Asian restaurant rolling sushi.

K.I.S.S.

Keep your resume to 2 pages or less. A third page can be used as a promo page if you use it for “extra” information, i.e. any culinary awards you have won, if you were written up in news or other media. Be careful of being too “self” promotional though.

Give Specifics

i.e. Improved the food cost by 12% by re-sourcing our vendors over a 6 month time period. Give specifics, numbers are important; otherwise it’s just empty hype.

Use Relevant References

If you are just starting out and don’t have food truck job references yet, ask teachers and other adults that are business owners if you can use them for references. Listing your best buddies and your parents is not a great idea. If you are just graduating from a culinary institute, many instructors are happy to write letters of reference as well if you are an exceptional student.

Be Persistent

You mailed or emailed your resume to a business for a food truck job. If you feel you are qualified for the position you are applying for, give it about a week and follow up preferably with a polite phone call.

Don’ts of Resume Writing For A Food Truck Job

Use Unprofessional Email Address

Don’t put your “cute” email address as a contact source. While they may be amusing to you and your friends, they are not to a potential employer. Get a gmail or yahoo account and sign up with a more straightforward address. Hotcrossbuns@ sexychefette@ sexkitchenkitten@ livingthe420dream@ won’t help your cause at all.

Don’t List Generalities

“A good problem solver, great under pressure, hands on”. Much like saying improved food cost; these have no relevant basis unless you can back them up with relevant examples.

Apply to Jobs You are Qualified For

Don’t apply for jobs that you are not qualified for and then be upset when you don’t get callbacks. Most employers will keep good resumes on file for future needs. While they may not need a line cook right now, they need a truck manager; they will probably keep your resume for the future.

Know the Meaning

Don’t use words you don’t know what they mean. “I worked the Garde Manger station” (but have no idea what Garde Manger actually means.)

Don’t Lie

Those “little white lies” will definitely come back to haunt you in this business. Saying you made daily a 30 yolk hollandaise by hand and then not being able incorporate an egg yolk when asked doesn’t look good. (this tips also applies for interviews)

Career Objective

If you write a career objective for a food truck job, consider who is going to be reading your resume. “I would like to gain as much experience in the mobile food industry as I can by working all the stations and positions available to me and would like to eventually own my own food truck.” Is a decent if unimaginative career goal. ”To advance myself through the ranks of the “ ” food truck and in 2 years replace the executive chef who is there now. Is not a great example of a good career objective, especially in this particular case if the person reading the resume is the executive chef.

We hope you find these tips helpful when composing a resume for your next your food truck job. If you have any additional tips you think we missed, feel free to share them in the comment section below or on social media. Facebook | Twitter