Food and hospitality
Cook, Restaurant in New York
58 postings read · sampled 2026-09-01 · source ats
What employers actually ask for
Credentials named in the 58 postings we read, ranked by how many mentioned each one.
None. Across 58 postings, no certification or licence was named often enough to call it a requirement. For this role in this market, employers are hiring on demonstrated work rather than credentials — which means money spent on a certificate here is unlikely to be what gets you the interview.
What the official taxonomy says
O*NET surveys people already doing this job. That describes who got hired over a long window, not what employers are asking for now — where it disagrees with the counts above, the counts are the more current answer.
- High school diploma or equivalent47%
- Less than high school diploma34%
- Associate’s degree or other 2-year degree12%
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
O*NET 35-2014.00 · pulled 2026-09-01 · percentages are of surveyed workers, each rounded separately, so they need not total 100
What it pays
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. A different survey from the postings above, so the two do not share a sample.
Who was hiring
Employers with at least one matching posting in this sample.
DIG Chefs-In-Training · City of New York · Convene · DIG Restaurant Teams
The same role elsewhere
Next
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