Chef / Line Cook Boolean Search String
A first-pass boolean search for sourcing chef / line cook candidates, built from the role's most-screened-for skills — adapt it with your own must-haves, or generate one tailored to your exact JD below.
"Chef / Line Cook" AND "Food preparation" AND "Kitchen safety/sanitation" AND "Menu execution" NOT "recruiter" NOT "intern"site:linkedin.com/in/ "Chef / Line Cook" "Food preparation" "Kitchen safety/sanitation" "Menu execution"Run this search on Google →How this string is built
The role title in quotes, ANDed with the top must-have skills for a chef / line cook — Food preparation, Kitchen safety/sanitation, Menu execution — each in quotes so LinkedIn and Google match the exact phrase rather than any word in it separately. NOT "recruiter" NOT "intern" filters out the two most common sources of false positives.
Other must-have skills worth adding
If the search above returns too many results, AND in more of these to narrow further:
- Inventory/food cost control
- Team coordination
- ServSafe certification
- Culinary school training
- Volume/banquet cooking
Other titles to search for a chef / line cook
The same job is also called Line Cook, Cook, Commis Chef, Sous Chef. Searching only for “Chef / Line Cook” misses those people, so join the titles with OR inside brackets and AND the skills after them.
Five searches to run, from broad to narrow
- Broad: every title, one core skill
("Chef / Line Cook" OR "Line Cook" OR "Cook" OR "Commis Chef" OR "Sous Chef") AND "Food preparation" - Focused: three skills, with the noise removed
("Chef / Line Cook" OR "Line Cook" OR "Cook") AND "Food preparation" AND "Kitchen safety/sanitation" AND "Menu execution" NOT "executive chef" NOT "personal chef" NOT "intern" - Tools and credentials: the nice-to-haves as an OR group
("Chef / Line Cook" OR "Line Cook" OR "Cook") AND ("ServSafe certification" OR "Culinary school training" OR "Volume/banquet cooking") - Google X-ray on LinkedIn profiles
site:linkedin.com/in/ ("Chef / Line Cook" OR "Line Cook" OR "Cook") "Food preparation" "Kitchen safety/sanitation" - Feeder role: people from a neighbouring job
"Prep Cook" AND "Food preparation" AND "Kitchen safety/sanitation"
Start with the broad search to see how large the pool is. If it is too big, move to the focused one. If it is too small, drop a skill or use the feeder search.
Noise to exclude for this role
For a chef / line cook the usual false positives are executive chef, personal chef, intern. Each one added with NOT removes a group of profiles that look similar but are not the job.
Where else to look
Good chef / line cook candidates often come from Prep Cook, Kitchen Assistant, Dishwasher. Search for them with the same core skills, then check that they are ready to move.
What to check on the profile
Stations worked, covers served and the kitchens they came from.
Credentials to confirm
Food hygiene certification, and any allergen training the venue requires.
Frequently asked questions
Why AND the skills together instead of OR?
AND narrows to candidates who show evidence of every listed skill — good for a first-pass search on a specific role. If that returns too few results, dropping to OR between the least-critical skills (keeping the must-haves ANDed) widens the pool without losing precision on what actually matters.
Why exclude "recruiter" and "intern"?
Those two terms are the most common source of false positives in a chef / line cook search — recruiters and internship-seekers whose profiles happen to mention the same skill keywords. Adjust or remove the exclusion if it's cutting out candidates you actually want (e.g. if you're specifically hiring for an internship).
How is this different from the full Boolean Search Generator tool?
This is a static starting-point example built from chef / line cook's most common requirements. The tool builds a tailored version from your actual job description — different seniority, location, and specific must-haves than this generic example.
What other job titles should I search for a chef / line cook?
The same job is also called Line Cook, Cook, Commis Chef, Sous Chef. Put them in a bracketed OR group so one search covers them all, for example ("Chef / Line Cook" OR "Line Cook" OR "Cook").
What should I exclude when sourcing a chef / line cook?
The usual noise is executive chef, personal chef, intern. Add each with NOT so the results are people who do the job, not people near it.
Where else can I find chef / line cook candidates?
Look at people in related roles who already have the core skills: Prep Cook, Kitchen Assistant, Dishwasher. Search for them with the same skills and check whether they are ready to move across.
Hiring a chef / line cook? The rest of the toolkit
- How to write the job description →
Titles, must-haves, credentials and a starting posting.
- Interview questions to ask →
Role-specific questions and what a good answer contains.
- Run the whole hire in one place →
Jobs, CV review, interviews, offers and checks together.