Tourism, Food / Beverage

Chef

Overview

A chef is responsible for preparing meals and managing kitchen operations at restaurants, hotels, and other food service establishments. They may create menus, order supplies, manage staff, and ensure that food safety and sanitation standards are met.

To become a chef, one must typically complete formal culinary training, such as a degree or diploma program in culinary arts or a related field. Many chefs also gain experience through apprenticeships or by working their way up through the ranks of a kitchen. Chefs must be able to work in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment and have excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills. They must also be creative, adaptable, and able to develop new and innovative dishes to keep their menus fresh and exciting.

Common tasks 

    TaskRelated trait(s)
    Planning and developing menus taking into account customer preferences and dietary restrictions Conscientiousness Creativity Achievement striving Teamplayer Respect for rules
    Ensuring that food quality and presentation meet specific standards Conscientiousness
    Monitoring inventory levels and restocking supplies as needed Conscientiousness
    Budgeting Math and science interest
    Supervising and Training staff Cautiousness for Health and Safety Fairness and responsibility in leadership
    Ensure staff complies with rules and regulations, health and safety standards Teamplayer Respect for rules Assertiveness Amiability
    Ensure kitchen has all the required equipment Cautiousness for Health and Safety
    Ensure equipment operates on specific standards Cautiousness for Health and Safety
    Ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations Written comprehension Cautiousness for Health and Safety
    Collaborating with front-of-house staff Fairness and responsibility in leadership
    Managing staff schedules Assertiveness Fairness and responsibility in leadership
    Participating in staff hire Fairness and responsibility in leadership

    Soft skills measured by TraitForward

    TraitNo of QuestionsCronbach’s  alpha (α)
    Teamplayer Respect for rules90.74
    Do they follow rules?
    Written comprehension70.78
    Do they like reading?
    Conscientiousness110.82
    Do they have a desirable work ethic?
    Activity Level60.68
    Can they multitask? Can they handle demanding workloads?
    Dutifulness60.72
    Can they follow orders?
    Assertiveness90.87
    Can they take charge?
    Achievement striving80.74
    Do they want to make their work stand out?
    Amiability60.81
    Are they calm? Do they respect others?
    Fairness and responsibility in leadership70.68
    Are they fair to others?
    Creativity50.85
    Can they come up with solutions?
    Teamplayer Helping Others60.75
    Do they help others?
    Positive group practices110.78
    Do they like being included in a group?
    Cautiousness for Health and Safety60.70
    Are they cautious?
    Math and science interest90.74
    Are they interested in using algorithms to solve problems?
    *Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α) determines the extent to which the questions consistently measure each trait and it is expressed as a number ranging between 0 and 1 . Higher values indicate higher agreement between questions.  A value of α equal to greater than .7 indicates acceptable reliability or internal consistency.  For more information on the psychometric properties of the solution, please click here.

    Did you Know?

    Source: US Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics

    Median wage: 

    $50,160 / per year

    $24 / hour

    A relatively low annual wage is $30,910 (10th percentile)

    A relatively high salary of the annual wage is $84,570 (90th percentile)

    Expected employment growth:

    Number of professionals occupied in US in 2021: 153 K

    Projected number of professionals occupied in US in 2031: 176.3 K

    Employment percent change: 15,4%

    Find out the psychometric properties for the Chef Traitforward questionnaire