How to hire chefs and head cooks
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met. • Check the quantity and quality of received products. • Estimate amounts and costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients. • Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards. • Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food. • Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations. • Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation. • Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong monitoring, speaking, critical thinking, active listening, reading comprehension and active learning skills • Working knowledge of food production, production and processing, customer and personal service and personnel and human resources • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $30.03 an hour ($62,470 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for chefs and head cooks
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to check the quantity and quality of received products. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to estimate amounts and costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What chefs and head cooks do
- Check the quality of raw or cooked food products to ensure that standards are met.
- Check the quantity and quality of received products.
- Estimate amounts and costs of required supplies, such as food and ingredients.
- Inspect supplies, equipment, or work areas to ensure conformance to established standards.
- Instruct cooks or other workers in the preparation, cooking, garnishing, or presentation of food.
- Monitor sanitation practices to ensure that employees follow standards and regulations.
- Order or requisition food or other supplies needed to ensure efficient operation.
- Supervise or coordinate activities of cooks or workers engaged in food preparation.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for chefs and head cooks
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 2 to 4 years (O*NET)
- Experience usually needed to start: 5 years or more (BLS)
- Job outlook: +6.6% over ten years, faster than average · about 25,200 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay chefs and head cooks
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $79,930 |
| Hawaii | $77,360 |
| District of Columbia | $76,420 |
| Washington | $76,010 |
| New Jersey | $74,280 |
| Iowa | $47,990 |
| Arkansas | $46,170 |
| Louisiana | $45,570 |
See chefs and head cooks pay in every state
Related hiring guides
- Bakers
- Cooks, Restaurant
- Cooks, Private Household
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria
- Food Service Managers
- Cooks, Short Order
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
- Food Batchmakers
- Waiters and Waitresses
- Dietetic Technicians
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.