Kitchen Porter CV—Sample, Guide and Writing Tips

Kitchen porters are the unsung heroes of every kitchen—every top chef can tell you that. In fact, 9 out of 10 restaurant managers started in an entry level position like this one. 

So, how do you get a job with generous pay, free meals, time off and staff you want to be around? You need to write the perfect kitchen porter CV. Who knows, with time and effort you might just start a career that takes you all the way to the role of manager?

This kitchen porter CV guide will help you get there with:

• A kitchen porter CV sample that will give you an unfair advantage.
• A walkthrough on how to nail your restaurant kitchen porter job description.
• Adjustments to make when writing a kitchen porter CV with no experience.
• Expert hints to increase the chances of your kitchen porter job application.

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Need a different restaurant CV, or you’re considering a range of positions? See our CV guides:

• Restaurant CV Examples
• Line Cook CV Examples
• Barista CV Examples
• Retail CV Examples
• Housekeeping CV Examples
• Hospitality CV Examples
• Waiter & Waitress CV Examples

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our professional CV examples.

Kitchen Porter CV Sample You Can Copy and Use

Here is how to make sure your kitchen porter CV steps up to the plate: 

1. Start Strong With the Right Kitchen Porter CV Format

Make your kitchen porter CV format clean and readable—Restaurant managers don’t have the time to analyse your CV like it was a five-star restaurant menu. Cut to the chase.

Here’s how to do just that:

Kitchen Porter CV Format

• Go for the reverse-chronological CV format to display your best stuff up front.
• Choose easy-to-read CV fonts like Calibri or Tahoma in 10–12pt.
• Set 1-inch CV margins and space the sections out neatly.

• Limit yourself to a one-page CV. This is not just dishwasher-specific advice. 

• Order your CV sections like this: Header, Objective, Experience, Education, and “Additional.”

• Save your CV as a PDF, unless specified otherwise. 

Now let’s get polish the smudges out of your dishwasher.

2. Compose a Shining Kitchen Porter CV Objective or Summary

The world assumes washing dishes is easy. But the world doesn’t understand the challenges of polishing 60 dollar wine glasses while breathing in tear gas created by hosing down a habanero-covered plate with 160 degree water.

Plus, according to the National Restaurant Association, dishwashing is also a stepping stone for many a great restauranteur. 9 out of 10 managers start here, or in a similar entry level position.

Want to be part of that crowd? Certain characteristics will make you suitable for the more prestigious, high-traffic joints. Highlight your strongest skills, and above all, a willingness to learn.

Arguably, anyone can wash dishes. Not arguably, few contribute to the proper operation of a restaurant and pick up the slack when needed.

The best way to show that you’re that person is with a CV objective. 

A dynamic and efficient kitchen porter with 1+ year of experience, and an ambition to learn the restaurant business from the bottom up. At The Ivy, I help a kitchen serving 400 covers a night run smoothly and safely. An active athlete, with success in track and field at high school level. With a penchant for teamwork, and a hunger for learning new things whenever possible, I aim to be a valuable and flexible addition to your team at Fine Dining Inc., and fill in the gaps to help the kitchen run smoothly.

Having just graduated high school, I am seeking a dish washer position to pay my bills and Playstation network subscription. I am young, fit, and athletic, and I can handle washing dishes all day long.

Get your kitchen porter CV objective right:

• Use strong, active power adjectives like energetic, efficient. 
• Refer to yourself by your job title, even if you don’t have it yet. 
• List your years of experience, if you have them. 
• Explain how you will contribute to your new employer—what you bring to the table (even though that’s the server’s job).
• Back up whatever you can with achievements and numbers.

Another way to write your kitchen porter CV profile, is to use a CV summary. This is more effective when you have more experience. 

3. Polish Up Your Job Description For Kitchen Porter CV

Don’t state the obvious.

When describing your work experience as a kitchen porter, don’t say that you wash dishes. It does not need to be said. It can literally be mimed. Think about the impact you make on the running of the kitchen and try and put it into numbers.

If you only washed dishes, you wouldn’t need a name. A model serial number would do.

As long as you can deliver the equipment back to the right people and stations, as long as you can help a chef slice or dice something—you stand a chance of being more useful than an Electrolux Professional.

This kitchen porter job description nails it:

Kitchen Porter Job Description for a CV

Kitchen Porter

The Ivy 

2018–2019

• Helped to ensure smooth operation of a kitchen serving 400 covers a night by performing dishwashing, janitorial and stocking duties.
• Managed multiple food stocking areas, as well as multiple equipment storage areas for different kitchen sections—ensuring everyone has the tools and ingredients they need.
• Full knowledge of every kitchen tool and equipment through disassembly for cleaning.
• Experience of ordering food and supplies needed.
• Always eager to help with new tasks and learn new skills—assisting with food prep almost every day.

• Washed dishes, pots, pans, equipment and the rotisserie oven.
• Brought food from freezers
• Mopped and scrubbed floors
• Took trash outside

Night and day.

The good example shows the impact—something that is sometimes hard to measure, or even hard to imagine that we can have it. Show your versatility and potential.

But what if you are writing a kitchen porter CV with no experience? Write about accomplishments that you may have from other work experience, volunteering, or school related activities. 

It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Show that you can work hard, listen, and are eager to learn and you’ll be good to go.

Adding a CV skills section can help.But beware:

Don’t just write anything down. Your Photoshop or beat-making skills are cool, but you’d get your laptop wet. Think what’s relevant to a restaurant kitchen porter. What could they possibly ask you to do?

Kitchen Porter Skills for CV

• Attention to detail
• Basic Food Prep
• Basic Knife Handling (and Sharpening)
• Basic First Aid and CPR
• Enthusiasm
• Teamwork
• Friendliness
• Punctuality
• Organisation
• Time Management
• Interpersonal Skills
• Work ethic

Expert Hint: Check your state’s requirements for food handler cards. Your employer would rather hire someone that can legally help them out in other tasks, too. Check your local community colleges and institutions for cooking courses that will help you move up in the ranks.

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your CV in our CV builder now.

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Nail it all with a splash of colour, choose a clean font, highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You’re the perfect candidate and we’ll prove it. Use the ResumeLab builder now.

4. Make Your Education a Reason to Hire You

You’d be forgiven for saying washing dishes doesn’t require an education. Which doesn’t mean you can’t make it one additional reason to get hired.

List your school name, diploma type, GPA, and graduation date. This kitchen porter CV example shows how:

Kitchen Porter CV Sample—Education

Education 

Portland Grove High School

High School Diploma

GPA: 3.5

2014–2018

• Represented school in track and field events regionally.
• Helped with organising 3 events for parents, gaining teamwork and customer service skills.

Stand out by using bullet points to highlight your achievements.

If you haven’t been able to fill much space with work experience, you may extend your CV education section further! 

Think about things and events that taught you some of the kitchen porter skills we listed in the previous section—this is as good a place as any other to show you have them.

Expert Hint: Is this your first job out of school? You can find more guidance in our high school CV guide.

5. Rack Your Dishwasher CV With Added Sections

Let’s face it—

Most kitchen porter CVs will be thin and unimpressive. You’ve done so much already, it’s time to get the last polish in with a few bonus CV sections such as:

• Awards
• Additional Activities
• Foreign Languages
• Hobbies and Interests
• Volunteering
• Certifications
• Professional References
• Skills—if you haven’t included them as part of your other sections

These two kitchen porter CV examples show you clearly the difference it can make:

Kitchen Porter CV—Extra Sections

Certifications

• First Aid, CPR—American Red Cross
• Food Handler Card

Awards

• 3rd place in 100m at Autumn 2017 Portland Track Meet

Languages

• Conversational Spanish

Key Skills

• Basic Food Prep
• Basic Knife Handling (and Sharpening)
• Punctuality
• Organisation
• Time Management

Other 

• Cycling 2x week
• Have 2 dogs
• Interested in photography

Keep it relevant.

The good kitchen porter CV example proves your versatility and readiness for the job.

Expert Hint: Now, seriously, the last thing (get used to this if you want to work in a kitchen)—Depending where you’re applying to, you may need to write a cover letter. Are cover letters necessary for an unskilled position like this? Maybe. Either way, ResumeLab is full of advice and tips, even for writing the most entry-level cover letters.

Double your impact with a matching CV and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter builder and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There’s 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

To make sure your kitchen poreter CV gets your foot in the kitchen door:

• Remember the CV format guidelines—margins, fonts, 1 page, reverse chronological.
• Use our kitchen porter CV sample as a backbone for your own. It’s neat and contains everything the manager might want to know, without the unnecessary. 
• Rack your kitchen porter job description with descriptions of how you impact the running of the kitchen. 
• Show your versatility and readiness with the right kitchen porter skills and a strong education section. Make sure they know you are ready for whatever they throw into your sink.
• Consider writing a kitchen porter cover letter. It might boost your chances of getting hired.s

Got questions on how to write a great CV for restaurant kitchen porter jobs? Did we help you get your kitchen porter CV right? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply.

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