Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

cooktohead chef

A cook already meets 30% of what the head chef role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.

From cook
30%
Overlap1
To head chef
15 Skills carried over
22 Required, not held
76 Difficulty2
Career overlap Distant match

30%

Learning distance A rebuild

76/ 100

1 Share of the head chef role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the cook profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A head chef role treats 10 of its required skills as things a cook already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • comply with food safety and hygiene
  • control of expenses
  • handover the food preparation area
  • maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment
  • plan menus
  • train employees

What stands in the way is 22 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A head chef role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a cook background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held prepare flambeed dishes assisting and caring
  • already held use culinary finishing techniques assisting and caring
  • already held handover the food preparation area handling and moving
  • already held use reheating techniques assisting and caring
  • already held plan menus communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment assisting and caring

All 15 carried skills, including the 10 the head chef role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 37 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 management skills 7 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held develop food waste reduction strategies required
  • required, not held manage budgets required
  • required, not held manage hospitality revenue required
  • required, not held manage staff required
  • required, not held manage stock rotation required
  • required, not held plan shifts of employees required
  • required, not held recruit employees required
  • optional, not held identify suppliers optional
  • optional, not held manage medium term objectives optional
  • optional, not held plan medium to long term objectives optional
02 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 5 supplementary
  • required, not held compile cooking recipes required
  • required, not held train staff to reduce food waste required
  • required, not held handle customer complaints required
  • required, not held perform procurement processes required
  • optional, not held advise guests on menus for special events optional
  • optional, not held think creatively about food and beverages optional
  • optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
  • optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
  • optional, not held upsell products optional
03 assisting and caring 4 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held assist customers required
  • required, not held monitor the use of kitchen equipment required
  • required, not held supervise food quality required
  • required, not held use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality required
  • optional, not held cook pastry products optional
04 information skills 3 required, 4 supplementary
  • required, not held keep up with eating out trends required
  • required, not held set prices of menu items required
  • required, not held estimate costs of required supplies required
  • optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
  • optional, not held design indicators for food waste reduction optional
  • optional, not held forecast future levels of business optional
  • optional, not held manage inspections of equipment optional
05 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held food storage required
  • optional, not held molecular gastronomy optional
06 handling and moving 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment required
  • optional, not held attend to detail regarding food and beverages optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a head chef role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 15 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
  • already held control of expenses skill
  • already held handover the food preparation area skill
  • already held maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment skill
  • already held plan menus skill
  • already held train employees skill
  • already held use cooking techniques skill
  • already held use culinary finishing techniques skill
  • already held use food preparation techniques skill
  • already held use reheating techniques skill
  • already held check deliveries on receipt skill
  • already held create decorative food displays skill
  • already held execute chilling processes to food products skill
  • already held handle chemical cleaning agents skill
  • already held prepare flambeed dishes skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required
  • required, not held food waste monitoring systems required
08 services 1 required
  • required, not held types of whisks required
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held advise guests on menus for special events optional
  • optional, not held attend to detail regarding food and beverages optional
  • optional, not held cook pastry products optional
  • optional, not held molecular gastronomy optional
  • optional, not held think creatively about food and beverages optional
  • optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
  • optional, not held design indicators for food waste reduction optional
  • optional, not held forecast future levels of business optional
  • optional, not held identify suppliers optional
  • optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
  • optional, not held manage inspections of equipment optional
  • optional, not held manage medium term objectives optional
  • optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
  • optional, not held plan medium to long term objectives optional
  • optional, not held upsell products optional
35 held skills the head chef role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role advise customers on seafood choices skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on preparation of diet food skill
  • not needed by the target role comply with standard portion sizes skill
  • not needed by the target role composition of diets knowledge
  • not needed by the target role cook dairy products skill
  • not needed by the target role cook meat dishes skill
  • not needed by the target role cook sauce products skill
  • not needed by the target role cook seafood skill
  • not needed by the target role cook vegetable products skill
  • not needed by the target role create a diet plan skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure cleanliness of food preparation area skill
  • not needed by the target role fish anatomy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role identify nutritional properties of food skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain kitchen equipment at correct temperature skill
  • not needed by the target role manage waste skill
  • not needed by the target role nutrition knowledge
  • not needed by the target role order supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare bakery products skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare dairy products for use in a dish skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare desserts skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare egg products for use in a dish skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare meat products for use in a dish skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare ready-made dishes skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare salad dressings skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare sandwiches skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare saucier products for use in a dish skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare vegetable products for use in a dish skill
  • not needed by the target role prepared meals knowledge
  • not needed by the target role receive kitchen supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role seafood processing knowledge
  • not needed by the target role slice fish skill
  • not needed by the target role store kitchen supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role store raw food materials skill
  • not needed by the target role use food cutting tools skill
  • not needed by the target role work in a hospitality team skill
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier
  • required, not held food storage required
  • required, not held food waste monitoring systems required
  • required, not held types of whisks required
  • optional, not held molecular gastronomy optional
Index

Other moves recorded from cook

Full index of moves from cook

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.