Moving from the line to sous chef is less about collecting titles and more about proving you can run a station, protect food quality, and keep the rest of the crew moving when the tickets stack up. This is the path most kitchens actually use.
Own one station completely
Before you ask for more responsibility, be the person the chef does not have to check. Timings, setup, labeling, and the way you leave the station for the next shift should already look like a sous wrote the spec. Consistency is what gets you trusted with the pass.
Learn the board, not just your mise
A sous chef sees the whole ticket rail. Start reading the board on your current station: what is dragging, which dishes fire together, and when expo needs you to hold or push. Offer to run food or plate a backup dish during a rush so you learn pacing without leaving service short.
Talk like a lead, not a critic
New sous chefs fail when they only point out mistakes. Practice short, useful direction: what to fix, when it is due, and how to prevent it on the next ticket. Chefs promote people who make the line calmer, not louder.
What to put on your resume
Lead with volume, stations you can close unsupervised, and any ordering, inventory, or training you already do. “Line cook” plus those details reads as sous-ready. Pair that with a focused search on CookJobs for sous chef roles in your city when you are ready to move.