Butcher CV: Example and Template
This is how you showcase your craft as a butcher in a Swiss CV, from cutting to charcuterie, with verifiable figures.
Currently 6 open Butcher positions in Switzerland, 3 of them from the last 7 days. Coop advertises the most.
CV example — two-page template
This template is editable straight away — or upload your existing CV and it is carried into this layout automatically.
Check your CV against real Swiss job adverts
The check compares your CV with what Swiss adverts actually ask for — structure, language level, missing evidence.
Check my CVWhich qualification belongs on a butcher's CV?
List your Federal Certificate of Proficiency as a Meat Specialist first, including your specialization, followed by further training such as the Federal Professional Certificate.
For the butcher profession, the EFZ Meat Specialist is the core qualification in Switzerland. Always state the specialization, since slaughtering, processing (cutting and sausage-making), and refinement (charcuterie, convenience products) require quite different skills. Anyone with the two-year basic training as a Meat Processing Assistant EBA should state this just as clearly and add years of practical experience showing they can also handle more demanding tasks such as fine cutting or raw sausage production.
List further training afterwards: Butcher with Federal Professional Certificate (Berufsprüfung), Master Butcher / Federal Diploma, Food Technology HF, or courses in retail management. These titles often determine salary level and management responsibility - in practice, EFZ salaries are often between CHF 62'000 and 72'000, while with a Federal Professional Certificate and production responsibility, CHF 85'000 and more is realistic. State the title exactly as it appears on your certificate, without free translations.
Be sure to include job-specific proof of competence: certificate of competence for stunning and slaughtering under the Animal Welfare Ordinance, HACCP and hygiene training, vocational trainer course, label training for Suisse Garantie, IP-Suisse, or Bio Suisse. If you hold a foreign butcher qualification, mention the recognition status with the SBFI as well as your residence permit - this avoids follow-up questions and speeds up the initial screening.
How do I describe work experience as a butcher with figures?
Describe volume, assortment, yield, and hygiene results instead of generic task lists.
Start each position with the business context: artisan butchery with in-house slaughtering, branch operation, large retailer's service counter, or meat processor with industrial production. State the processing volume per week, the number of employees, and the assortment. A sentence like 'weekly processing of 2.5 tonnes of beef, pork, and veal, 18 assortment items' tells an HR manager more than three lines of task description.
Then follow with three to four results with figures: yield in percent, trim loss rate, weight loss for dried meat, complaints per year, number of customer contacts per day, basket size, inspections without complaints. Note which equipment you operate independently - cutter, grinder, clipping machine, smoking and climate maturation chamber, tray sealing machine - since businesses specifically look for people who can operate a particular line without training.
Also show your responsibility for self-inspection and traceability: anyone who maintains HACCP documentation, logs cold chains, and prepares declarations with allergens and additives visibly relieves management. If you supervise apprentices, state the number and completion rate. Explain gaps in your career history, for example due to family time or seasonal work, factually in one line - this comes across as more composed than an unclear timeline.
How long should the CV be, and is a photo needed?
Two pages, a friendly professional photo, and a complete dossier with copies of certificates are standard in Switzerland.
Keep the CV to a maximum of two pages: contact details with place of residence and citizenship or permit, profile, brief overview, work experience, education, certificates, languages. Avoid graphic bars for skills; in the meat industry, clearly stated practical experience counts. Save the file as a PDF with a descriptive name, for example 'CV_Aebischer_Butcher.pdf'.
A photo is not mandatory but is common in Switzerland and appreciated in sales at the fresh meat counter, since customer contact is part of the job. Choose a current, friendly portrait in work or business attire. Details such as date of birth, marital status, or religion are optional; however, useful information includes a category B or C1 driving license for delivery services, willingness to work early shifts from 4:00 a.m. and Saturday shifts, and your earliest possible start date.
Include work references, the EFZ, the proof of competence, and hygiene courses with your dossier - many businesses require these documents for operational control purposes. Adapt the profile and the order of achievements to the position: for a retail service counter, put sales, advice, and bilingualism first; for a production business, put cutting performance, yield, and HACCP responsibility first. A concise cover letter referencing the assortment and region rounds off the application.
Which languages the postings require
Of 1 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| French | 1 (0) |
Who hires Butcher in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Coop | 6 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 6 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Céline Aebischer
Butcher / Meat Specialist EFZ, Processing specialization - Butcher with Federal Professional Certificate
Butcher with 11 years of experience in cutting, cooked and raw sausage production, and dried meat maturation, including 4 years as deputy production manager for charcuterie. I am responsible for the self-inspection concept under HACCP, lead a team of 7 employees, and have increased yield in pork processing by 3.2 percent. Bilingual German/French, accustomed to serving at the fresh meat counter with over 120 customer contacts per day and to label programs such as Suisse Garantie and IP-Suisse.
What sets me apart
Complete craft, not just one step: I master the entire chain from primary cutting of the pig half through Swiss cutting technique (rump, shoulder, loin, escalopes) to fine cutting and portioning to a 180 g target weight with under 2 percent trim loss.
Charcuterie and raw sausage maturation: Reliable recipe control for cooked sausage (cervelat, bratwurst, Fleischkäse), raw sausage (salami, Landjäger), and dried meat: nitrite curing salt dosage, aw-value and pH control, climate-controlled maturation over 6 to 10 weeks.
Food law under control: Self-inspection concept according to HACCP and Good Hygiene Practice, traceability via TVD slaughter data, declaration of additives and allergens, and cold chain monitoring at 2 to 5 degrees Celsius - four cantonal inspections without complaints.
Sales with expert advice: Bilingual service at the fresh meat counter, cooking and sous-vide advice, grill season promotions, and party catering service: increased average basket size from CHF 24 to CHF 31.
Key achievements
Yield improved by 3.2 percent. Introduced a new cutting technique and utilization plan for trimmings in sausage production - annual raw material savings of around CHF 46'000 with the same purchase volume.
Complaints reduced by 40 percent. Standardized core temperature and cutter temperature protocols (batter temperature max. 12 degrees Celsius); reduced complaints about sausage binding and shelf life from 15 to 9 cases per year.
New product line generating CHF 120'000 in revenue. Developed, costed, and launched six dried meat and snack products from regional IP-Suisse beef; generated CHF 120'000 in additional revenue in the first year at a 38 percent gross margin.
Experience
Deputy Production Manager Charcuterie — Metzgerei Alpsteinhof AG, Herisau, 03/2021 - present
Artisan business with in-house slaughtering, 3 branches, and 24 employees; weekly processing of around 2.5 tonnes of beef, pork, and veal.
- Led a team of 7 employees in cutting and sausage production, daily planning for 18 assortment items and 4 label programs
- Revised the HACCP self-inspection concept: 4 inspections by the cantonal food inspectorate without deficiencies, refined hygiene control points from 12 to 19
- Increased yield in pork processing by 3.2 percent, equivalent to around CHF 46'000 per year
- Introduced 6 new charcuterie products, generating CHF 120'000 in additional revenue in the first year
Meat Specialist EFZ, Processing and Fresh Meat Counter — Landmetzg Seetal GmbH, Hochdorf, 08/2017 - 02/2021
Village butchery with party catering service and mobile sales van, 11 employees, full assortment including seasonal game.
- Daily cutting of up to 40 pig halves and 3 beef quarters, including vacuum packing and labelling
- Production of 1'200 kg of dried meat per year with weight loss consistently at 45 to 48 percent
- Served an average of 120 customers per day, increased basket size from CHF 24 to CHF 31
- Built up a 9-item game season assortment, increasing seasonal revenue by 22 percent
Butcher / Meat Specialist (Production and Sales) — Boucherie du Chasseral Sàrl, Saint-Imier, 08/2014 - 07/2017
Bilingual family business with 6 employees, focus on grill specialties and Saucisse sèche; completed apprenticeship in 2016 at the company, then employed as a specialist.
- Weekly production of 400 kg of cooked sausage (cervelat, Schüblig, bratwurst) on cutter, grinder, and clipping machine
- Completed apprenticeship with an experience grade of 5.3 and passed the qualification procedure on the first attempt
- Introduced an inventory and ordering list for 60 raw materials, reducing product losses by 18 percent
- Built up a grill assortment with 12 skewer and marinade varieties, increasing Saturday revenue by CHF 1'400 per day
Education
Butcher with Federal Professional Certificate (Berufsprüfung), Focus on production management and quality management — Ausbildungszentrum der Schweizer Fleischwirtschaft · 2022
Federal Certificate of Proficiency (EFZ) Meat Specialist, Processing specialization, experience grade 5.3 — Berufsfachschule Berner Jura, 3-year apprenticeship · 2016
Compulsory schooling, lower secondary level, Bilingual German/French program — Sekundarschule Biel/Bienne · 2013
Proof of competence in stunning and slaughtering under the Animal Welfare Ordinance (TSchV), 2019 · HACCP and Good Hygiene Practice under the Hygiene Ordinance, refresher 2024 · Vocational trainer course, 40 lessons (training of apprentices), 2021 · Label training on Suisse Garantie and IP-Suisse process requirements, 2023