Oakland Cook Jobs Overview
Whether people are on vacation, celebrating a special occasion, or just don't want to deal with dishes for the night, hungry diners will always look for delicious places to eat outside the home. Those restaurants and eateries rely on competent individuals to fill cook jobs and deliver consistently tasty meals to customers.
As a cook, your day-to-day duties go far beyond preparing and cooking food. You'll mix ingredients, weigh and measure portions, operate cooking equipment, store foods, and ensure that food is served fresh. Additionally, you'll promote high sanitation standards by cleaning work areas, utensils, dishes, and equipment.
Most cooks work directly for restaurants, diners, cafeterias, and other eateries. Some work for private households, cruise ships, and short order businesses. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), cooking jobs are expected to increase by 10% over the next decade. As a cook, you'll have plenty of room for advancement. In fact, many cooks eventually work their way up to head cook, kitchen supervisor, chef, or restaurant owner positions.
You can expand your search for food service jobs by checking out these similar positions:
About Working in Oakland, California
If you're considering applying for Oakland jobs, three things you might hear about when you move here are sea monsters, gnomes, and secret staircases. The Oak-ness Monster in Lake Merritt, the only natural saltwater lake located in a city, has remained elusive since its first spotting in the 1940s. Oakland's gnomes are a little easier to find. An anonymous resident has painted and hidden thousands of gnomes all over the city since 2012. While you're looking for a gnome, you might stumble across a secret staircase. Hundreds of shortcut staircases were built a century ago to help streetcar and bus passengers commute from their Oakland jobs to their neighborhoods without having to walk along the city's winding roads.
If you're not in the mood for a scavenger hunt, you can spend a day exploring the banks of Lake Merritt, which includes miles of walking paths, greenspace, and a wildlife refuge. Or you could spend one of Oakland's 260 sunny days a year hiking in Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park just outside downtown Oakland. Ready to explore the Oakland area? You can also try expanding your job search to the suburbs of San Leandro, Alameda, and Berkeley.
Update Your Oakland Cook Resume
Want to be selected as a top candidate for a cook job? Make sure you serve up a high-quality resume that highlights the skills you'll bring to the table. Need help writing your resume? Monster's resume writing tips can help you stand out from other qualified applicants. For a better idea of how your resume should look, refer to our line cook resume sample.
How Much Do Cook Jobs Pay in Oakland, California?
Got money on your mind? You should! Make sure you’re getting paid what you’re worth. Our Salary Tools can help you understand what you can expect to make in cook jobs in Oakland, California, as well as the skills that can boost your value and what the next steps in your career might be. Right now, the median cook pay in Oakland is $17.56 per hour, which is 26% higher than the national average.
Find Your Next Oakland Cook Job. Monster Can Help Get You Started
Are you prepared for a career in cook? If so, set up your profile on Monster for free and begin clicking on those cook jobs. When you sign up with us, you’ll receive custom job alerts and expert advice on how to negotiate your salary in Oakland, how to nail your job interview, and more.