Kitchen Helper Resume Example (Canada, 2026)
Free kitchen helper resume example for Canada (NOC 65201): prep, dishwashing, sanitation and food safety on one ATS-safe page, with newcomer tips.
About this role in Canada
Kitchen helpers and food counter attendants (NOC 2021 65201) keep kitchens running: washing dishes, prepping ingredients, receiving deliveries, cleaning and supporting cooks during service. Chefs hire for speed, cleanliness and dependability — and a food safety certificate helps. This sample is for a kitchen helper at a busy Montréal restaurant who wants to move into a cook role.
For the full occupational breakdown — duties, requirements, wages, and outlook — see the Kitchen Helper NOC 65201 guide.
Sample kitchen helper resume
Copy this into Word or Google Docs as plain text, then swap in your details. It's intentionally ASCII-only so it parses cleanly in any Canadian ATS.
Illustrative sample: the person, employers, and numbers below are fictional and exist only to show format and level of detail.
CARLOS MENDOZA Montreal, QC | (514) 555-0129 | carlos.mendoza.cuisine@email.com Available: evenings, weekends and holidays PROFILE Kitchen helper with 2 years in a 120-seat restaurant and a catering kitchen. Fast, clean and organised in the dish pit and on prep; supports cooks during rush service. Working toward a line cook role. French (intermediate), Spanish and English. EXPERIENCE Kitchen Helper / Prep Bistro Saint-Laurent (fictional) - Montreal, QC Apr 2024 - Present - Run the dish station on 150-250 cover nights; keep clean plates and pans flowing so the line never waits on ware. - Prep vegetables, sauces and garnishes to the chef's prep list; label and date everything for FIFO rotation. - Receive and put away deliveries, checking temperatures and quantities. - Close the kitchen: deep-clean stations, sanitise surfaces and record fridge/freezer temperatures in the log. Kitchen Assistant Traiteur Mont-Royal (fictional catering) - Montreal, QC Jun 2023 - Mar 2024 - Packed and labelled catering orders for events of 50-300 guests. Cook's Assistant (pre-arrival experience) Restaurant in Guadalajara, Mexico 2020 - 2023 - Prep and grill support in a family restaurant. CERTIFICATIONS - Food handler hygiene and safety training (Quebec, MAPAQ-recognised) - WHMIS 2015 SKILLS Dishwashing & sanitation | Commercial dish machine | Knife skills & prep | FIFO, labelling & dating | Receiving & storage | Temperature logs | Cleaning chemicals (WHMIS) | Teamwork under pressure | French, Spanish, English
Why this resume works
- Covers per night shows the pace the candidate is used to.
- Food-safety practices (FIFO, labelling, temperature logs) are specific and credible.
- States a growth goal (line cook), which chefs like to see in helpers.
- Languages include French, important for kitchens in Quebec.
- Short and direct — fits a one-page kitchen resume.
Skills and ATS keywords for kitchen helper resumes
Mirror the ones that genuinely match your experience and appear in the posting — don't paste the whole list.
- Dishwashing and sanitation
- Commercial dish machine operation
- Food prep and knife skills
- FIFO stock rotation
- Labelling and dating
- Receiving and storing deliveries
- Temperature logging
- Cleaning and closing duties
- Safe chemical use (WHMIS)
- Working under pressure
- Teamwork
- Following prep lists
Certifications and licences that matter in Canada
- Provincial food safety / food handler certificate. Requirements vary: Quebec has mandatory food hygiene training for certain food handlers, Ontario requires a certified food handler on site, BC uses FOODSAFE.
- WHMIS. Useful because kitchens use commercial cleaning chemicals.
- First Aid. Occasionally requested; not usually required.
Tips for newcomers and international applicants
- Kitchen helper roles rarely require Canadian experience, making them a common first job. A food safety certificate makes you hireable faster.
- If you cooked professionally abroad, say so — chefs often promote helpers who can already prep and cook.
- In Quebec, basic French helps a lot in the kitchen; list your level honestly.
- Ask about shift meals, schedules and tip-sharing policies during the interview so there are no surprises.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Underselling the job — speed and sanitation are real skills, so describe them.
- Leaving off availability.
- Missing food safety training.
- Long resumes; one page is plenty.
How to adapt this for your application
- Write your availability under your contact line.
- Mention restaurant size or covers per service.
- Add the food safety certificate recognised in your province.
- List knife skills or stations you can cover if you want to move to prep or line.
- Keep foreign experience brief and relevant.
- Run the final file through the free ATS Resume Checker.
Related guides
This sample is illustrative. Names, employers, and metrics are fictional. Always represent your own experience accurately.