Butcher CV: Example and Template
This is how to structure your CV as a Meat Technologist EFZ so that butcheries, large retailers and meat processors immediately recognise your craft skills.
Currently 45 open Butcher positions in Switzerland, across 12 cantons, 14 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.
Which qualification belongs on a butcher's CV?
State the Federal Certificate of Proficiency as a Meat Technologist EFZ including the specialisation, since this is exactly what HR staff filter for.
Since the reform, the three-year basic training is called Meat Technologist EFZ (Fleischfachmann/Fleischfachfrau EFZ) and includes the specialisations Slaughtering, Processing and Refining. Always state the specialisation, because a slaughtering business looks for different skills than a neighbourhood butchery with a service counter. Anyone who has completed the two-year basic training correctly lists themselves as Meat Trade Assistant EBA (Fleischfachassistent/Fleischfachassistentin EBA) and adds any subsequent supplementary training.
Clearly assign further training to its level: the Master Butcher with a Federal Diploma (Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education) and the Meat Technologist with a Federal Certificate (Federal Professional Examination) are strong signals for management positions. Shorter courses from the Swiss Meat Trade Association SFF or from ABZ Spiez, for example in meat hygiene, sensory evaluation or raw sausage technology, belong in a separate Certificates section with the year stated.
If you obtained your qualification abroad, for example as a Fleischer in Germany or as a Boucher-charcutier in France, state the recognition status with SBFI. Also add your work permit and availability so that HR does not need to ask. Practical evidence such as the trainer-of-apprentices course or the forklift licence rounds off the picture.
How do I describe butchery work experience convincingly?
For each role, describe the type of business, volumes and measurable results rather than a general list of tasks.
State in a context line what type of business it is: a slaughtering operation, an industrial cutting plant, a craft butchery with shop sales, or a production site of a large retailer. Add scale figures such as slaughterings per week, tonnes processed per day, or the number of catering businesses supplied. This lets the employer immediately see whether your pace and routine match their own volume.
Then quantify three to four achievements per role. Meaningful figures include yield rates as a percentage, reduction of write-offs in francs, number of recipes developed, turnover of a new product, results of cantonal food inspections, or the number of apprentices trained. A sentence such as 'increased yield in pork cutting from 74 to 78 percent' has far more impact than the phrase 'carried out cutting work'.
Use technical vocabulary consistently that only occurs in your profession: rough and fine cutting, sausage mix (Brät), mincing (kuttern), curing with nitrite curing salt, raw sausage maturation, smoking programmes, CH-TAX classification, TVD recording, cold-chain records and CCP measurement points. Also mention your flexibility regarding working hours, since early shifts starting at four in the morning and Saturday sales are part of everyday life in many businesses.
How long should the CV be, and is a photo needed?
Two pages is standard, and a professional photo is still customary in Switzerland and expected.
Keep the CV to a maximum of two pages, even with long work experience. Describe roles from the last ten to twelve years in detail, and summarise older ones in a single line. Place the profile and the most important facts on the first page, so the key message is visible at first glance.
A professional portrait photo in work clothing or in a neat everyday look is still standard practice in Switzerland and builds trust, especially if you have customer contact at the shop counter. Also add your year of birth, place of residence, nationality or work permit, and your earliest possible start date. These details are customary here and save follow-up questions.
Pay attention to Swiss spelling and number formats, for example CHF 85'000 as a salary figure in the cover letter. List language skills with proficiency levels according to the CEFR, since French or Italian at the counter is a real advantage. Attach work references, the apprenticeship completion certificate and current course certificates to the application as a PDF, ideally combined into a single file with a clear file name.
Where Butcher are hired in Switzerland
How the 45 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Basel-Stadt | 3 |
| Bern | 3 |
| Schwyz | 2 |
| Aargau | 2 |
| Graubünden | 2 |
| Zürich | 2 |
| Obwalden | 1 |
| St. Gallen | 1 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 44 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| German | 44 (44) |
Who hires Butcher in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Coop | 41 |
| Pemsa Schweiz | 2 |
| Geiser AG | 1 |
| Bell Schweiz AG | 1 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 44 |
| Teilzeit / partiel | 1 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Reto Bühlmann
Meat Technologist EFZ, specialising in Slaughtering and Processing
Meat Technologist EFZ with 11 years of experience in cutting, sausage production and shop sales, including 4 years as deputy production manager. I am responsible daily for processing around 1.2 tonnes of beef, pork and veal at a yield rate of 78 percent, and I lead a team of 6 employees including two apprentices. My strengths lie in complete HACCP documentation, in recipe development for cooked and raw sausages, and in reducing processing losses.
What sets me apart
Practical experience in both specialisations: I am proficient in slaughtering and cutting on the slaughter line as well as in fine cutting and refining. This allows me to optimise yield, cutting and sales planning across the entire chain rather than in just one area.
HACCP responsibility with zero complaints: I manage the company's in-house self-inspection concept under the Hygiene Ordinance, including CCP measurements, cold-chain records and cleaning schedules. Five cantonal food inspections resulted in zero complaints.
Recipe development with costing: I develop recipes for cooked, raw and boiled sausages, including fat analysis, curing salt calculation and contribution margin calculation. Six of my own creations are now permanent range items.
Trainer of apprentices with a 100 percent pass rate: I supervise apprentices throughout all three years of training and prepare them specifically for the final qualification procedure. All seven apprentices I have mentored have passed the EFZ exam on their first attempt.
Key achievements
Yield increased by 4 percentage points. Through adapted cutting techniques on the pork loin and consistent use of trimmings in sausage-mix (Brät) production, meat yield rose from 74 to 78 percent, generating around CHF 62'000 in additional revenue per year.
Food waste reduced by 31 percent. I introduced day-by-day production planning based on sales statistics and launched a promotional range made from off-cuts. Write-offs in the fresh meat area fell from CHF 3'400 to CHF 2'350 per month.
Silver medal at regional meat show. My raw sausage recipe with mountain herbs scored 19 out of 20 points and was subsequently introduced as a seasonal item, with 4'800 units sold in its first season.
Experience
Deputy Production Manager, Butchery — Fleischwaren Rüttimatt AG, Sursee, since 08.2020
Regional processing company with its own slaughtering operations, 34 employees and supplying 22 catering businesses.
- Lead a team of 6 employees and plan the daily processing of around 1.2 tonnes of meat.
- Increased yield in pork cutting from 74 to 78 percent, generating CHF 62'000 in additional revenue per year.
- Responsible for the HACCP self-inspection concept with 14 CCP measurement points; 5 cantonal inspections with no complaints.
- Reduced write-offs in fresh meat by 31 percent through demand-based production planning.
Meat Technologist EFZ, Processing and Sales — Metzgerei Zwyssig & Söhne, Zug, 03.2016 - 07.2020
Traditional neighbourhood butchery with shop sales, catering service and annual turnover of around CHF 2.4 million.
- Produced around 450 kg of cooked and raw sausage products weekly according to 28 in-house recipes.
- Developed 6 new sausage products that together generated CHF 118'000 in annual turnover.
- Managed the catering service for events with up to 180 guests, averaging 34 orders per year.
- Trained 3 apprentices, all of whom passed the final qualification procedure on their first attempt.
Meat Technologist EFZ, Slaughtering — Schlachtbetrieb Moosacher GmbH, Willisau, 08.2013 - 02.2016
Mid-sized slaughtering and cutting business with around 320 slaughterings per week.
- Carried out slaughtering, evisceration and rough cutting of an average of 65 pigs and 12 cattle per day.
- Recorded animal accompanying documents and ear tags in TVD without gaps, with an error rate below 0.5 percent.
- Supported official meat inspection and classification according to CH-TAX for around 16'000 animals per year.
- Reduced complaints from cutting by 22 percent through standardised knife cuts.
Education
Federal Certificate of Proficiency, Meat Technologist EFZ, specialisation in Slaughtering — Berufsfachschule Zug, ABZ · 2013
Additional qualification, Specialisation in Processing (supplementary training) — Swiss Meat Trade Association SFF · 2017
Trainer-of-apprentices course, Training of apprentices, 40 hours — Dienststelle Berufsbildung Luzern · 2019
HACCP basic course, SFF, 2021 · Forklift licence category R1, 2018 · Course in meat hygiene and self-inspection, ABZ Spiez, 2022 · Sensory and tasting course for sausage products, SFF, 2023