There are three types of resumes:
- Chronological
- Functional (aka Skills-Based)
- Combination (aka Hybrid)
Along with the above, there is also the Curricula Vitae, also known as a CV. Most people in the US think of the term CV as another name for a resume and use the term interchangeably – but they’re not the same thing.
What’s the difference? In a nutshell, a true CV is a detailed statement of your skills, qualifications, work history, etc. A resume is really just a summary of this information.
For most hospitality or restaurant management positions, we would recommend a Chronological resume.
With hundreds of managment resumes crossing their desk each week, most recruiters will spend less than 60 seconds reading a resume before deciding whether to set it aside for further review or to file it and move on to the next resume. In those few seconds your resume needs to grab the recruiter’s attention and provide them with a quick mental snapshot of who you are, where you’ve been and for how long, what you’ve accomplished in your professional career, and what skills, knowledge and talent you can bring to their company.
A chronological resume is ideal in that allows you to highlight your experience and accomplishments in a succinct, easy to read format.
Though there are different variations of the Chronological resume ( ex. Employment dates-Company Name-Job Title; Job Title-Company Name-Employment dates; etc) any of them will work just fine.
What should a Chef use?
There is no easy general answer to this question and it tends to be a personal choice based upon experience. Many chefs will create both a resume and a CV, using one or the other as appropriate.
Factors in deciding which to use will include the chef’s educational background, training, range of skills, years of experience, the target audience, which option presents the strongest case for their candidacy, etc.
Additional guidance can be gained from networking with fellow chefs or by talking to your recruiter if you are working with a search firm.