Food Service Specialist

Food Service Specialist Resume Keywords and Skills (Hard Skills)

Here are the keywords and skills that appear most frequently on recent Food Service Specialist job postings. In other words, these are the most sought after skills by recruiters and hiring managers. Go to Sample Templates ↓ below to see how to include them on your resume.

Remember that every job is different. Instead of including all keywords on your resume, identify those that are most relevant to the job you're applying to. Use the free Targeted Resume tool to help with this.

Choose a category
  • Food & Beverage
  • Catering
  • Food Safety
  • Cooking
  • Food Preparation
  • Food Service
  • Food Service Operations
  • Inventory Management
  • Menu Development
  • Customer Service
  • Restaurant Management
  • Cashiering
  • Food Service Sanitation
  • Social Media
  • Military
  • Retail
  • Event Planning
  •   Show full list

Resume Skills: Kitchen

  • Food Preparation
  • Menu Development
  • Safety & Sanitation
  • Baking & Pastry Techniques
  • Meat Preparation
  • Seafood Preparation

Resume Skills: Management & Administrative

  • Inventory Management
  • Staff Scheduling
  • Training & Development
  • Cost Control
  • Vendor Relations
  • Customer Service

Resume Skills: Systems/Software

  • POS Systems
  • MS Office (Word, Excel)
  • ERP Systems
  • Recipe & Menu Costing Software
  • Teamwork
  • Adobe PDF

Resume Skills: Culinary

  • Food presentation
  • Menu development
  • Sous vide cooking
  • Baking
  • BBQ and Grill
  • Sushi preparation

Resume Skills: Management

  • Inventory control
  • Staff scheduling
  • Recruitment
  • Training
  • Cost optimization
  • Budget management

Resume Skills: Software Proficiency

  • ChefTec
  • OpenTable
  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • QuickBooks
  Does your resume contain all the right skills? Paste in your resume in the AI Resume Scan ↓ section below and get an instant score.

Sample Food Service Specialist Resume: How To Include These Skills

Add keywords directly into your resume's work experiences, education or Skills section, like we've shown in the examples below. Use the examples below as inspiration.

Choose a template
Your Name
Food Service Specialist
City, Country  •  (123) 456-789  •  [email protected]  •  linkedin.com/in/your-profile
EXPERIENCE
Resume Worded April 2019 - Present
Food Service Specialist
Directed the food preparation of 500+ meals daily, adhering to strict military food safety and handling procedures to ensure quality.
Engineered a new inventory management system that reduced food wastage by 20% and saved the organization $15,000 annually.
Introduced a weekly menu rotation including dietary specific options, improving customer satisfaction by 35% and diversifying food offerings.
Supervised a team of 15 staff in daily foodservice operations, achieving a 98% performance rating as a team.
Developed and conducted regular food safety and hygiene training for all staff members, resulting in a 15% improvement in knowledge scores.
Coached.com July 2015 - March 2019
Head Chef
Managed the food service team in the preparation and presentation of 4-star meals to over 200 daily guests, earning the restaurant a 4.5-star rating on Yelp.
Planned and executed catering services for 100+ corporate and private events, consistently receiving positive feedback.
Optimized the ordering process, leading to 10% cost reduction in raw material procurement while improving food quality.
Spearheaded the restaurant's first social media campaign, resulting in an increase in reservations by 20%.
Olive Garden November 2012 - June 2015
Kitchen Manager
Oversaw daily operations in a high-volume retail foodservice setting, ensuring compliance with health and sanitation regulations.
Implemented a cooking system that improved staff productivity by 25%, increasing daily meal turnover.
Managed cash handling procedures, decreasing register discrepancies by 18%.
EDUCATION
Resume Worded University July 2015
Master of Science - Culinary Arts
Specialization in modern cooking techniques
Resume Worded Institute June 2012
Certified Food Service Manager
Certified by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF)
Part-time Certification while working at Olive Garden
SKILLS
Kitchen Skills: Food Preparation, Menu Development, Safety & Sanitation, Baking & Pastry Techniques, Meat Preparation, Seafood Preparation
Management & Administrative: Inventory Management, Staff Scheduling, Training & Development, Cost Control, Vendor Relations, Customer Service
Systems/Software: POS Systems, MS Office (Word, Excel), ERP Systems, Recipe & Menu Costing Software, Teamwork, Adobe PDF
OTHER
Certifications: ServSafe Certification (2020) – National Restaurant Association, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Certified
Professional Affiliations: Member of American Culinary Federation
Leadership & Volunteering: Volunteer Cook – Healthy Eating Initiative, City Community Center (2019-Present)
Awards: ‘Chef of the Year’ – Coached.com, 2018
Your Name
Kitchen Staff Supervisor
City, Country  •  (123) 456-789  •  [email protected]  •  linkedin.com/in/your-profile
EXPERIENCE
Resume Worded June 2018 - Present
Kitchen Staff Supervisor
Mentored 30+ foodservice staff in effective kitchen operations, resulting in a decrease in food preparation time by 15%.
Pioneered a waste reduction system that saved the company $10,000 annually.
Implemented strategic workflow changes to optimize the use of cooking equipment, improving productivity by 18%
Streamlined the inventory audit process for more accurate inventory management, reducing overstock issues by 23%.
Designed engaging social media content to announce new menu items, attracting over 1,000 new followers and boosting customer base by 10%.
Coached.com January 2014 - May 2018
Sous Chef
Spearheaded the creation of signature dishes which increased restaurant footfall by 15%.
Played a key role in the planning and execution of 70+ special events, bolstering company reputation and customer satisfaction.
Managed staff schedule and task allocation, reducing overtime costs by 30%.
Chili's Grill & Bar August 2010 - December 2013
Line Cook
Prepared consistent, high quality dishes during high-volume shifts, enhancing overall guest dining experience.
Collaborated effectively with a team of 10 in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
EDUCATION
Resume Worded Institute May 2018
Culinary Arts Management Certification
Advanced training in culinary management, food safety, budgeting, and staff supervision.
Resume Worded University December 2009
Bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts
Specialization in contemporary cuisine
Award: Best Creative Menu Design (2008)
SKILLS
Culinary Skills: Food presentation, Menu development, Sous vide cooking, Baking, BBQ and Grill, Sushi preparation
Management Skills: Inventory control, Staff scheduling, Recruitment, Training, Cost optimization, Budget management
Software Proficiency: ChefTec (Advanced), OpenTable (Advanced), Microsoft Office Suite (Intermediate), QuickBooks (Basic)
OTHER
Certifications: ServSafe Food Manager Certification (2019)
Awards & Achievements: ‘Leader of The Year’ Award by Resume Worded (2021), Runner-up in Coached.com ‘Innovative Chef’ Competition (2016)
Affiliations: Active member of the American Culinary Federation
Leadership & Volunteering: Organizer of Annual Charity ‘Cook-Off’ Event, raising funds for local food banks (2015- present)

Compare Your Resume To These Food Service Specialist Skills (ATS Scan)

Paste your resume below and our AI will identify which keywords are missing from your resume from the list above (and what you need to include). Including the right keywords will help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems (i.e. resume screeners) which may scan your resume for keywords to see if you're a match for the job.

How do I add skills to a Food Service Specialist resume?

1
Review the job posting closely.

Go through the Food Service Specialist posting you're applying to, and identify hard skills the company is looking for. For example, skills like Cooking, Catering and Food Preparation are possible skills. These are skills you should try to include on your resume.

2
Add industry skills like Food Service Operations and Food & Beverage.

Add other common skills from your industry - such as Food Service, Food Safety and Inventory Management - into your resume if they're relevant.

3
Add skills into your work experience.

Incorporate skills - like Social Media, Customer Service and Retail - into your work experience too. This shows hiring managers that you have practical experience with these tools, techniques and skills.

4
Emphasize your communication skills.

Communication is often an important component of the role of a Food Service Specialist, so when writing your resume, include examples of how you communicated with stakeholders, team members or customers, or produced content.

5
Show how you have strong attention to detail.

A good Food Service Specialist has strong attention to detail, so try to include examples of where you handled complex projects or processes.

6
Use the exact job title.

Try to add the exact job title, Food Service Specialist, somewhere into your resume to get past resume screeners. See the infographic for how to do this.

Word Cloud for Food Service Specialist Skills & Keywords

The following word cloud highlights the most popular keywords that appear on Food Service Specialist job descriptions. The bigger the word, the more frequently it shows up on employer's job postings. If you have experience with these keywords, include them on your resume.

Top Food Service Specialist Skills and Keywords to Include On Your Resume

Food Service Specialist Soft Skills

Here are common soft skills that appear on Food Service Specialist job postings. Unlike hard skills, which refer to tools, software or techniques, soft skills focus on character traits and interpersonal skills. Instead of listing these phrases on your resume, try to show them through your bullet points like in the examples below.

  • Culinary Skills

Tip: Do not list these words or phrases on your resume, and instead focus on the hard skills we described above.

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Food Service Specialist Resume Templates

Here are examples of proven resumes in related jobs and industries, approved by experienced hiring managers. Use them as inspiration when you're writing your own resume. You can even download and edit the resume template in Google Docs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What skills should you add to a Food Service Specialist resume?

Some popular Food Service Specialist hard skills are Food & Beverage, Catering, Food Safety, Cooking, Food Preparation, Food Service, Food Service Operations and Inventory Management.

Depending on the job you apply to, skills like Event Planning, Social Media, Customer Service, Retail and Restaurant Management can also be good to include on your resume.

Target your Resume to a Job Description

While the keywords above are a good indication of what skills you need on your resume, you should try to find additional keywords that are specific to the job. To do this, use the free Targeted Resume tool. It analyzes the job you are applying to and finds the most important keywords you need on your resume.

It is personalized to your resume, and is the best way to ensure your resume will pass the automated resume filters.

Start targeting your resume

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