Examples & writing guide
Kitchen Assistant CV Example and Writing Guide
Updated 30 June 2026
A good kitchen assistant CV shows that you can keep a busy kitchen clean, organised and ready for service. This guide explains how to present that evidence, whether you already work in catering or need a kitchen assistant CV with no experience.
Examples by experience level
Junior Kitchen Assistant
TemplateNavy Atlas4 / 5
Why this works
This kitchen assistant CV example turns limited experience into credible evidence of preparation, cleanliness, teamwork and reliable work during busy services.
Continue writing your CVSenior Kitchen Assistant
TemplateBlue Horizon3 / 5
Why this works
This kitchen assistant CV sample shows progression, shift leadership and measurable evidence from busy food-service settings.
Continue writing your CVJunior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Lead with transferable evidence from education, volunteering, retail, cleaning or food service, then explain how it prepares you to support a kitchen team. | Lead with substantial kitchen experience, the scale of service supported and evidence of dependable preparation, hygiene and team coordination. |
| Experience evidence | Use a few specific examples, such as preparing ingredients, cleaning work areas or helping colleagues during busy periods. | Show repeated results across relevant roles, including larger workloads, peak-service pressure, stock organisation and reliable kitchen set-up. |
| Achievement measures | Use modest figures you can defend, such as shifts completed, items prepared, covers supported or cleaning checks recorded. | Use wider measures such as service volume, team size, changes in waste, preparation time or equipment disruption, but only where records or direct experience support them. |
| Skills emphasis | Prioritise basic food preparation, hygiene awareness, listening, reliability, teamwork and following instructions. | Add equipment care, stock control, fault reporting, task prioritisation and examples of supporting less experienced colleagues. |
| CV length and focus | Aim for one side of A4, giving education and transferable experience enough space to support the application. | Use up to two sides of A4 when the additional space contains relevant roles, distinct results and useful evidence rather than repeated duties. |
| Team contribution | Show clear communication, calm work under pressure and reliable completion of assigned preparation or cleaning tasks. | Show how you anticipated what cooks needed, organised preparation around service demand and helped colleagues keep work areas ready. |
How to write a kitchen assistant CV
Use a simple reverse-chronological layout, placing your latest work and education first. One side of A4 is a sensible target for a junior application; an experienced candidate can use two sides when the extra space contains relevant evidence. Avoid elaborate design, columns and decorative graphics that make information harder to read or process.
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Contact details | Name, UK location, mobile number, email and optional professional profile |
| Personal statement | A short account of your relevant strengths, experience and intended contribution |
| Experience | Recent relevant roles with concise, evidence-led bullets |
| Skills | Abilities that match the vacancy, supported elsewhere in the CV |
| Education and training | Awarded qualifications and completed or ongoing relevant training |
| Additional information | Useful languages, volunteering or availability, where relevant |
Open with a focused kitchen assistant personal statement. Experienced applicants can mention the type of kitchen, workload and improvements they have contributed to. New applicants should draw on transferable evidence from study, volunteering, retail, cleaning or customer service rather than apologising for limited catering experience.
Keep the experience section relevant and easy to scan. Include no more than five or six suitable roles, using bullets beneath each one. Give evidence of food preparation, cleanliness, safe spill handling, equipment cleaning, teamwork, communication and calm work under pressure where these genuinely reflect your experience. For kitchen assistant interview preparation, use examples from your CV that show how you work safely, support cooks and stay organised during service.
Create a dedicated skills section using terms found in the job description. Choose only skills you can demonstrate, such as ingredient preparation, teamwork or inventory systems. List education and training in reverse-chronological order, stating the exact award, provider and completion date. Put optional extras last so they do not crowd out stronger evidence.
Personal statement examples
Reliable kitchen assistant with two years' experience supporting lunch and evening services in a high-volume catering kitchen. Confident preparing vegetables, keeping workstations clean and supplying cooks before service, with a record of completing close-down tasks on time while working calmly with the wider team.
Hard-working person looking for a kitchen job. I am friendly, learn quickly and can do anything asked of me. I would like an opportunity to gain experience and develop my career.
Writing your experience
Treat each experience bullet as a small piece of proof. Start with what you did, add the scale or circumstances, then state the result. A useful pattern is: action + task or scope + measurable outcome. For example: "Prepared vegetables for 140 lunch covers, completing the daily prep list 20 minutes before service." The number gives the reader context, while the final phrase explains why the work mattered.
Kitchen assistant experience can cover more than cooking. Relevant evidence includes getting ingredients and utensils ready for cooks, preparing food, cleaning workstations when they become dirty, maintaining equipment and reporting faults. Some roles may also involve preparing simple snacks, soups, desserts or drinks under a cook's supervision. Select duties that match the vacancy and describe what happened because you performed them well.
| Weak bullet | Stronger version |
|---|---|
| Helped with food preparation | Washed, peeled and cut vegetables for up to 110 covers per shift, finishing the assigned prep list before service on 18 of 20 recorded shifts |
| Cleaned the kitchen | Cleaned six preparation stations during service and completed a 14-point close-down checklist before handover |
| Worked with the team | Coordinated ingredient requests with four cooks during weekend service, reducing repeat trips to the storeroom from eight to three per shift |
The stronger versions give the action, scale and outcome without pretending the candidate controlled the whole kitchen. Other useful measures may include covers supported, prep quantities, checklist completion, delivery volume, wastage, time saved or the number of stations maintained. Use records you can verify, and do not estimate merely to add a percentage.
Vary your verbs according to the work: prepared, portioned, washed, cleaned, sanitised, organised, stocked, checked, reported, supported, coordinated and completed. Choose "supported" when a cook retained responsibility, and make supervision clear when describing simple food or drink preparation.
If you have no kitchen experience, translate genuine evidence rather than copying catering claims. A supermarket role might show stock rotation and fast-paced teamwork; volunteering might show preparation for a known number of guests; cleaning work might demonstrate timed checklists and safe spill management. Keep the setting clear so the evidence remains honest. Wherever possible, connect teamwork and communication to a specific service problem, such as passing on an ingredient shortage quickly or reorganising tasks when demand changed. If your duties focused on cleaning and wash-up, compare them with a kitchen porter CV.
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
Present education and training after experience unless you are entering the field and a recent course is your strongest evidence. List each item in reverse-chronological order with the exact title, training provider and completion date. Mark unfinished study as ongoing and give an expected completion date only when you know it. Do not shorten an award into a more impressive title or imply that attendance equals completion.
UK kitchen assistants who handle food should receive supervision, instruction and/or food-hygiene training suited to the work they perform. This is conditional on the type of food-handling activity, so describe completed training precisely rather than turning it into a blanket entry requirement.
For kitchen assistants handling or preparing high-risk open foods, the Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering is the preferred training level in the supplied guidance. Put the exact award name in a training or certifications subsection if you have earned it. No issuer is specified here, so use the provider shown on your own certificate rather than adding one from memory.
Several optional apprenticeship routes may lead into kitchen assistant work: the Catering and Hospitality Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship, Commis Chef Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship and Food and Beverage Team Member Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship. These are possible routes, not universal conditions for employment. Include one only when it is part of your actual record, with dates and completion status.
If you have no named role-specific qualification, keep this section factual. Include your awarded education, any relevant workplace induction or training, and practical learning that you can document. Explain transferable modules or placements briefly, but leave detailed evidence for the experience section.
Common mistakes to avoid
AvoidOpening with a personal statement that could describe almost any hospitality job.
InsteadWrite a short kitchen assistant personal statement that names relevant preparation, cleaning or teamwork experience and includes one specific example of your contribution.
AvoidListing vague duties such as "helped in the kitchen" without showing the scope or result.
InsteadTurn each duty into evidence by stating the action, workload and outcome. Add figures only when they are accurate and you can explain them at interview.
AvoidBurying food hygiene, safe spill handling and equipment cleaning in a long list of routine tasks.
InsteadGive these areas separate experience bullets so the reader can quickly see how you supported clean workstations, equipment and shared kitchen areas.
AvoidSending the same skills list with every application.
InsteadCompare your skills with each job description, retain the relevant matches and remove anything you cannot support with a real example.
AvoidUsing graphics, rating bars or a complicated multi-column design that makes the CV difficult to scan.
InsteadChoose a plain kitchen assistant CV template with clear headings, consistent dates and ordinary text that remains easy for people and ATS software to read.
AvoidPutting older or unrelated work first and turning the experience section into a complete career history.
InsteadUse reverse-chronological order and concentrate on the five or six roles most relevant to kitchen work, food service, cleaning, stock handling or teamwork.
Frequently asked questions
A junior kitchen assistant CV should generally aim for one side of A4. An experienced candidate can use two sides when the extra material is relevant and adds evidence rather than repeating routine duties.
Draw on genuine transferable examples from education, volunteering, cleaning, retail or food service. Focus on following instructions, teamwork, coping with busy periods and any direct experience of preparing items or keeping work areas clean.
State your experience level, the kitchen tasks you can support and one or two brief pieces of evidence. Tailor it to the vacancy and leave out broad claims that the rest of your CV cannot prove.
No. British CV conventions do not call for a photo or date of birth, so use the space for relevant skills and evidence.
Choose skills that appear in the job description and that you can demonstrate, such as food preparation, workstation cleaning, kitchen hygiene, teamwork, stock organisation or equipment care. A shorter, well-supported list is more useful than vague ratings or unsupported claims.
Start with a targeted personal statement and dedicated skills section. Follow them with experience and education in reverse-chronological order, presenting relevant evidence about pace, cleanliness, stock handling, communication and reliable team support.
From example to application
Turn this kitchen assistant example into a CV that sounds like you.
Keep the structure that works. Tailor the details around your experience, strengths, and the role you want.