As the hospitality industry continues to evolve, the skills employers look for in candidates for each role change as well. Based on the jobs posted on CulinaryAgents.com in the first quarter of 2022 (January, February and March), here are the top 10 requested skills for some of the most common Back of House positions.

Pro-tip for Job Seekers: Before applying to jobs, cross-check your skills against these that are in high demand to see which role(s) you are most qualified for and/or if you are seeking to grow into a new role, identifiy which skills you need to work on to take you to the next level.

Dishwasher

1. Cleaning / Sanitation
2. Teamwork
3. Dishwashing
4. Food Safety Knowledge
5. Basic Knife Skills
6. Positive Attitude
7. Work In a Fast-Paced Environment
8. Communication
9. Washing Dishes
10. Cleanliness

Prep Cook

1. Basic Knife Skills
2. Food Safety Knowledge
3. Portioning
4. Cleaning / Sanitation
5. Teamwork
6. Prepping Ingredients
7. Vegetable Cookery
8. Communication
9. Positive Attitude
10. Food Prep

Line Cook

1. Basic Knife Skills
2. Food Safety Knowledge
3. Cleaning / Sanitation
4. Sauteing
5. Grilling
6. Meat Cookery
7. Vegetable Cookery
8. Frying
9. Fish Cookery
10. Prepping Ingredients

Lead Line Cook

1. Food Safety Knowledge
2. Basic Knife Skills
3. Meat Cookery
4. Advanced Knife Skills
5. Grilling
6. Cleaning / Sanitation
7. Sauteing
8. Fish Cookery
9. Frying
10. Communication

Expeditor

1. Expediting
2. Food Safety Knowledge
3. Communication
4. Customer Service
5. High Volume Service
6. Attention to Detail
7. Plating and Presentation
8. Organizational Skills
9. Cleaning / Sanitation
10. Conflict Resolution

Sous Chef

1. Food Safety Knowledge
2. Kitchen Management
3. Ordering / Purchasing
4. Expediting
5. Advanced Knife Skills
6. Cleaning / Sanitation
7. Safety Procedures Knowledge
8. Receiving
9. Fish Cookery
10. Meat Cookery

Executive Chef

1. Kitchen Management
2. Food Safety Knowledge
3. Ordering / Purchasing
4. Menu Development
5. Scheduling
6. Leadership
7. Team Management
8. Recipe Development
9. Communication
10. Cleaning / Sanitation

Baker

1. Bread Baking
2. Time Management
3. Dough Making
4. Pastry Making
5. Food Safety Knowledge
6. Baking Knowledge
7. Cleaning / Sanitation
8. Teamwork
9. Viennoiserie Making
10. Can Lift Up to 50 Lbs

Pastry Cook

1. Pastry Making
2. Plating and Presentation
3. Time Management
4. Ice Cream / Sorbet Making
5. Cake Making
6. Cake Decorating
7. Food Safety Knowledge
8. Chocolate Work
9. Bread Baking
10. Servesafe Certified

Executive Pastry Chef

1. Ordering / Purchasing
2. Costing
3. Pastry Making
4. Pastry Skills
5. Team Development and Training
6. Menu Development
7. Pastry Menu Development
8. Food Safety Knowledge
9. High Volume Baking
10. Servesafe Certified

Click here for the Top Requested Skills for FOH Jobs (Q1 2022).