Line Cook resume keywords
Most line cook applications are screened by software before a person reads them: the ATS ranks resumes by how many of the posting's words they contain. The lists below are the terms that show up most in line cook job ads. Use the ones that are true for you, with the same spelling the ad uses.
Hard skills and ATS keywords
- Grill & sauté
- Prep & mise en place
- Food safety
- Knife skills
- Ticket timing
- Inventory rotation
- Teamwork under pressure
- Recipe consistency
- Food preparation
- Grill
- Sauté
- Knife skills
- Food safety
- Mise en place
- Ticket times
- Recipe execution
- Station cleanliness
- ServSafe
Soft skills recruiters look for
- Speed
- Teamwork
- Composure
- Consistency
- Reliability
Soft skills only count when a bullet proves them. "Team player" is ignored; "Work grill and sauté for 200+ covers a night with ticket times under 12 minutes." shows it.
Action verbs to start your bullets
- Prepared
- Cooked
- Maintained
- Reduced
- Trained
- Executed
- Handled
- Supported
How to use these keywords
- Mirror the job ad: if it says "Food preparation", do not write a synonym.
- Put the top 6–8 in a skills section and repeat the key ones inside experience bullets with a number.
- Never list a skill you cannot talk about in an interview.
- Keep the file text-based (no skills inside images or tables), or the ATS cannot read it.
Which ones is your resume missing?
Every posting is different. Paste your resume and the job ad — free ATS Match Score Score your resume free (0-100)
No signup. It lists the keywords from the ad that your resume does not contain.
Need the resume itself? See the line cook resume example and generate one free from rough notes.