What experience requirements should I specify in a Baker job ad?

Specify experience requirements in your Baker job ad by focusing on the type of baking experience rather than simply the number of years. A baker with one year of artisan sourdough experience has fundamentally different skills from someone with three years in a production bakery following standardised recipes. Be clear about whether you need bread-specific experience — confident shaping, understanding of fermentation, competent oven management — or pastry skills like lamination and precision work. State explicitly which skills they must bring from day one and which you are willing to teach, because this distinction is the single most important factor in whether a baker decides to apply. If you need someone who can manage sourdough cultures independently and shape competently from their first shift, say so. If you will train lamination but need strong bread foundations, be equally specific about that balance.

Common misunderstanding: Requiring a specific number of years of experience is the best way to ensure you get a skilled baker.

Years of experience are a poor proxy for actual skill in baking. A baker with eighteen months in a serious artisan bakery under a skilled head baker may be significantly more capable than someone with five years in a production environment where they never shaped a loaf by hand. Focus your requirements on demonstrated skills — competent shaping, fermentation understanding, oven management — rather than arbitrary time thresholds that exclude talented bakers with less conventional paths.

Common misunderstanding: Listing many requirements signals that you are a serious bakery and attracts higher-quality candidates.

An extensive list of requirements often has the opposite effect, discouraging strong candidates who meet most but not all criteria from applying. Bakers who are honest about their abilities — which are often the ones you want — may self-select out if they cannot tick every box. A focused list of genuine essentials, clearly separated from desirable extras, gives confident bakers the information they need to apply without feeling they must meet an impossibly long checklist.

How should I present essential qualifications in a Baker job ad?

Present essential qualifications in a clear, honest hierarchy that distinguishes between non-negotiable requirements and skills you can develop. The most fundamental qualification for any baking role is the genuine ability to commit to early morning starts — this is not just a preference but a lifestyle requirement that shapes everything else. Beyond the hours, state the technical baking skills that are essential from day one: if they need to shape sourdough competently, manage fermentation timing, and operate deck ovens confidently, say so in practical terms rather than abstract language. Address food safety certification requirements directly — whether you require an existing Level 2 Food Safety qualification or will support them in obtaining one. If formal baking qualifications such as NVQ or City and Guilds are relevant, state whether they are essential or desirable, because many excellent bakers learned their craft through practical experience rather than formal education.

Common misunderstanding: Formal baking qualifications are the best indicator of a capable baker.

Many of the most skilled bakers in the industry developed their craft through hands-on experience under skilled mentors rather than formal education programmes. A baker who trained for three years under an accomplished head baker, learning fermentation science and shaping technique through daily practice, may be more capable than one with a qualification but limited real-world experience. Requiring formal qualifications as essential can exclude excellent candidates with non-traditional training paths.

Common misunderstanding: Food safety certification is a given for experienced bakers and does not need to be mentioned.

Not every baker holds a current food safety certificate, particularly those who have worked in bakeries where the head baker held the certification for the team. Being explicit about whether you require candidates to hold Level 2 Food Safety before starting, or whether you will arrange training, removes ambiguity. It also signals professionalism and shows candidates that you take compliance seriously.

What skills should I list as must-haves in a Baker job ad?

List only skills that are genuinely essential for the role as must-haves, keeping this list focused and honest. For most baker positions, the genuine must-haves are: competent bread shaping at the speed and quality your production requires, understanding of fermentation processes including proving times and dough readiness, confident oven management including loading, rotation, and temperature control, and the physical ability and lifestyle commitment to sustain early morning starts. Everything else — lamination skills, specific sourdough expertise, pastry techniques, recipe development ability — should be clearly labelled as desirable rather than essential if you have the capacity to teach them. This honest separation encourages strong bakers who meet the core requirements to apply, even if they lack specific techniques you can develop in-house.

Common misunderstanding: Listing sourdough experience as a must-have is essential for any artisan bakery role.

If you have a skilled head baker who can teach sourdough management, a baker with strong bread foundations who has not yet worked with sourdough may be an excellent hire. Sourdough skills can be developed relatively quickly in someone who already understands fermentation and has good hands. Making it a must-have when you could teach it narrows your candidate pool unnecessarily and may cause you to miss bakers with outstanding potential.

Common misunderstanding: The ability to work early mornings is assumed and does not need to be stated as a must-have skill.

The commitment to early morning hours is arguably the most important must-have for any baker role, yet many job ads bury it or mention it only in passing. State it as a clear, non-negotiable requirement: "You must be genuinely able to commit to 4am starts — not just willing, but actually able to restructure your life around this schedule." This directness respects candidates' time by helping those who cannot sustain the hours to self-select out before either party invests further.