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

head cheftochef

A head chef already meets 65% of what the chef role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.

From head chef
65%
Overlap1
To chef
29 Skills carried over
6 Required, not held
44.4 Difficulty2
Career overlap Strong match

65%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

44.4/ 100

1 Share of the chef role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the head chef 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 chef role treats 15 of its required skills as things a head chef already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • comply with food safety and hygiene
  • control of expenses
  • design indicators for food waste reduction
  • develop food waste reduction strategies
  • food waste monitoring systems
  • handover the food preparation area

What stands in the way is 6 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 29 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A chef role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a head chef background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held prepare flambeed dishes assisting and caring
  • already held compile cooking recipes communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held set prices of menu items information skills
  • already held think creatively about food and beverages communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held cook pastry products assisting and caring
  • already held types of whisks services

All 29 carried skills, including the 15 the chef role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 20 missing skills fall into 4 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 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held instruct kitchen personnel required
  • required, not held work in a hospitality team required
  • required, not held maintain customer service required
  • optional, not held order supplies optional
02 handling and moving 3 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held maintain kitchen equipment at correct temperature required
  • required, not held use food cutting tools required
  • required, not held store raw food materials required
  • optional, not held manage waste optional
03 assisting and caring 11 supplementary
  • optional, not held cook dairy products optional
  • optional, not held cook fish optional
  • optional, not held cook meat dishes optional
  • optional, not held cook sauce products optional
  • optional, not held cook seafood optional
  • optional, not held cook vegetable products optional
  • optional, not held prepare canapés optional
  • optional, not held prepare desserts optional
  • optional, not held prepare salad dressings optional
  • optional, not held prepare sandwiches optional
  • optional, not held identify nutritional properties of food optional
04 information skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held ensure cleanliness of food preparation area optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a 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 29 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
  • already held control of expenses skill
  • already held design indicators for food waste reduction skill
  • already held develop food waste reduction strategies skill
  • already held food waste monitoring systems knowledge
  • already held handover the food preparation area skill
  • already held manage staff skill
  • already held plan menus skill
  • already held think creatively about food and beverages skill
  • already held types of whisks knowledge
  • 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 use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality skill
  • already held assist customers skill
  • already held check deliveries on receipt skill
  • already held compile cooking recipes skill
  • already held conduct research on food waste prevention skill
  • already held cook pastry products 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 molecular gastronomy knowledge
  • already held perform procurement processes skill
  • already held plan shifts of employees skill
  • already held prepare flambeed dishes skill
  • already held set prices of menu items skill
  • already held train employees skill
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held cook dairy products optional
  • optional, not held cook fish optional
  • optional, not held cook meat dishes optional
  • optional, not held cook sauce products optional
  • optional, not held cook seafood optional
  • optional, not held cook vegetable products optional
  • optional, not held ensure cleanliness of food preparation area optional
  • optional, not held prepare canapés optional
  • optional, not held prepare desserts optional
  • optional, not held prepare salad dressings optional
  • optional, not held prepare sandwiches optional
  • optional, not held identify nutritional properties of food optional
  • optional, not held manage waste optional
  • optional, not held order supplies optional
23 held skills the chef role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role advise guests on menus for special events skill
  • not needed by the target role attend to detail regarding food and beverages skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role estimate costs of required supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role food storage knowledge
  • not needed by the target role forecast future levels of business skill
  • not needed by the target role handle customer complaints skill
  • not needed by the target role identify suppliers skill
  • not needed by the target role keep up with eating out trends skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain a safe, hygienic and secure working environment skill
  • not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
  • not needed by the target role manage contract disputes skill
  • not needed by the target role manage hospitality revenue skill
  • not needed by the target role manage inspections of equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role manage medium term objectives skill
  • not needed by the target role manage stock rotation skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor the use of kitchen equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role negotiate supplier arrangements skill
  • not needed by the target role plan medium to long term objectives skill
  • not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
  • not needed by the target role supervise food quality skill
  • not needed by the target role train staff to reduce food waste skill
  • not needed by the target role upsell products skill
Index
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.