Animal Shelter Resume Example
Pursuing a career as an animal shelter employee provides opportunities for career progression and responsibilities involving updating records accurately and caring for animals. For a successful animal shelter employee application, you'll want to submit a professional resume that showcases your relevant skills. In this article, we'll discuss how to create an animal shelter resume that catches the eye of employers, with tips and examples to help you write your own.
This comprehensive guide will give you all the tools you need to craft an animal shelter resume that positions you strongly against other candidates. Just like finding the perfect forever home for a pet, crafting the right resume takes care and attention to detail. The guide will show you practical examples of how to structure your resume to show off your best and most relevant skills and career achievements. It will also show you how to tailor your resume according to the job description and your unique skill set. Continue reading to find expert tips and advice from Jobseeker that will help you with your animal shelter resume.
Key sections for an animal shelter resume
Although the content of an animal shelter resume may differ according to your experience and seniority, the main sections will remain the same. A resume for candidates with little or no work experience may focus less on the work experience section, and bring sections to the fore that emphasize their skills, such as hobbies and interests, volunteer work, education, projects and skills lists.
How you choose to present your resume is up to you. There are plenty of options for a professional resume layout and format, but every application should include the following:
Resume Header
Your animal shelter resume header should contain your name and contact details. These include your email address and phone number. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can also add that, to give employers the chance to learn more about your skills and experience. It's not necessary to include a photo or any other personal information. Make sure your resume header is as brief as possible and doesn't take up too much valuable space. Choose a clear, professional design that sets the tone for your application.
Make sure your email address appears as professional as possible, and doesn't include anything like nicknames, inappropriate language or personal information. If it does, set up a new email account with an address based on your name or initials, and use that for your job applications. Always double-check your contact details are up-to-date before sending your resume.
Elijah Perez
elijah.perez@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
852 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, IL
linkedin․com/in/elijah–perez123
Resume Summary
In your resume summary, write a short paragraph that highlights two or three of your key achievements and skills for animal shelter employee roles. You could also call this section 'resume objective' or 'personal profile'. A resume summary covers your career experience to date, while a resume objective focuses more on your ambitions for the future. Additionally, make sure your resume summary reflects the job description and focuses on qualities that are relevant to working as an animal shelter employee.
Alternatively, write a paragraph that concentrates on your career objectives and how this role fits with your wider ambitions and progression.
A good resume summary is short and snappy, and focused on the skills and experience listed in the job description, with evidence to back it up. It will also help the reader to form their first impressions of you by providing an insight into your personality and unique qualities. Take a look at some strong examples of how to approach a animal shelter resume summary in the graphic below.
Dedicated and compassionate Animal Care Technician with extensive experience in providing high-quality care to animals in a shelter environment. Proficient in feeding, grooming, administering medication, and conducting health and behavior assessments. Skilled in maintaining clean and sanitary conditions, managing intake and adoption processes, and offering exceptional customer service to potential adopters. Strong ability to work under pressure, handle emergency situations, and collaborate effectively with veterinary staff and volunteers. Passionate about animal welfare and committed to improving the lives of shelter animals
Animal care worker with some experience in looking after animals in a shelter. Worked on tasks like feeding and cleaning, and sometimes helped with health checks. Have been involved in keeping the place tidy and helping people who want to adopt. Can handle busy times and work with others. Interested in helping animals and making their lives better
Conversely, an ineffective resume summary would include generic, unspecific information on your skills and experience, while failing to provide any useful information on what makes you a unique and interesting candidate. The graphic above shows some of the pitfalls to avoid when creating your resume summary.
Hard and Soft Skills
In your skills section, list any skills you've acquired or developed that are relevant to animal shelter employee positions. Consider adding behavioral assessment skills, communication with stakeholders or any other necessary skills for the job. Additionally, read the job description to make sure your skills match those required for animal shelter employee positions. You could also include some unique skills that help you stand out as a candidate.
How to list hard skills on your animal shelter resume
In your hard skills list, include any specific abilities related to the role you're applying for. These could be technical skills or industry knowledge that showcases your expertise in your chosen profession. Furthermore, your list of hard skills provides a strong indication to the reader of your expertise in animal shelter employee roles, and how well you'll fit into the position. Add up to five key hard skills that show you're an ideal candidate for the role. It can also be beneficial to add context to each skill, showing how you've used it to positive effect in your career to date.
You'll make more impact with your resume hard skills list if you focus on technical skills that reflect your unique expertise and specialism, and that match the key requirements in the job description. See the graphic below for some tips on hard skills for an animal shelter resume.
- Veterinary care knowledge
- Animal handling expertise
- Behavioral assessment skills
Fur-midable soft skills on your animal shelter resume
Soft skills are your transferable skills and personal qualities that make you a good match for an animal shelter employee position and the organization. Soft skills tend to be more universal than hard skills, and can often apply to multiple jobs and industries. Indeed, as the nature of work changes, soft skills are growing in importance, so make sure you include them in your resume. It's best to aim for four or five soft skills that match the job description and reflect your strongest personal qualities.
The strongest resume soft skills sections include a mix of skills that match your best personal strengths, and that reflect the skills listed in the job description. See below for some examples of effective soft skills for an animal shelter worker resume.
- Communication with stakeholders
- Problem-solving abilities
- Empathy and compassion
Educational Achievements
The education section provides space to list your highest and most recent academic achievements that are relevant to working as an animal shelter employee.
Working as an animal shelter employee doesn't usually require a degree. Even though a degree-level education isn't a necessity, it's still important to highlight your key educational achievements, including a Certified Animal Care or other courses or training that showcases your veterinary care knowledge or animal handling expertise.
For each entry in this section, add the name and level of your qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study. Include bullet points to show any specialist modules you studied, awards or exceptional grades and achievements that can set you apart from other candidates. These will all contribute to creating a positive impression on employers.
If you took part in any volunteering or you were a leader or member of any university societies, you could also mention these in your education section.
Bachelor of Science in Animal Science, 2017 - 2020
University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV
Certifications
Your certifications section is the place to mention any relevant professional animal shelter employee certifications, licenses or qualifications. These could be official licenses required for the job or certifications that improve your employability. Therefore, add any professional licenses or certifications, along with valid dates that show they're still valid.
See below for some suggestions of relevant certifications for an animal shelter resume:
- Certified Animal Care, 2022
- Pet First Aid, 2022
- Animal Behavior Certification, 2022
Work History
Under your work experience section, add any jobs you've had in the past that are relevant to the position of an animal shelter employee. Include any relevant jobs you've held in reverse-chronological order. Start with your current or most recent roles and work back through previous roles. For each job, list your title, the name of the company, its location and the dates you worked there.
Add some bullet points under each job entry, explaining your achievements in the role, so the reader can see how you contributed towards success for the company. Provide evidence of your impact and make sure each point addresses a requirement listed in the job description.
A successful resume work experience section will always showcase skills and experience relevant to the job description, and how you put each to good use in your previous roles. Offering quantifiable evidence in an animal shelter worker resume proves you're a strong candidate for the job, such as client feedback, project outcomes, KPIs or financial results. Review some strong examples of resume work experience sections in the graphic below.
Animal Care Technician, January 2022 - Present
Pawsitive Haven Animal Rescue, Milwaukee
- Successfully managed the health and well-being of over 50 animals, ensuring a 95% recovery rate from illnesses and injuries
- Implemented a new enrichment program that increased animal engagement and reduced stress behaviors by 40% within six months
- Trained and supervised a team of 10 volunteers, improving animal care procedures and increasing volunteer retention by 30%
Animal Care Technician, January 2022 - Present
Pawsitive Haven Animal Rescue, Milwaukee
- Managed animal care and well-being
- Developed programs to enhance animal engagement
- Led and guided a team of volunteers
In the graphic above, you'll see some examples of less effective resume work experience sections. Ineffective work experience sections tend to focus too much on everyday responsibilities over skills and achievements. If you use vague descriptions of activities and fail to back up your achievements with evidence, you're likely to fail to make an impact on the reader.
Expert Tip:
Emphasize hands-on experience and relevant skills, such as customer service, teamwork, or problem-solving, to showcase your readiness for the role. (1) Use bullet points to organize your resume and keep it easy to read, especially for hiring managers scanning for key qualifications. (2)
Optional Information
If you need to provide further evidence of your suitability for the job, optional sections can be useful for an animal shelter worker resume. Choose any optional sections that showcase essential or desirable skills or experience for animal shelter employee jobs.
Hobbies
Hobbies and interests can be a useful way of showing your skills and experience beyond your work and education. Consider listing hobbies and interests to help your resume stand out, or to provide the employer with some insight into your personality and wider interests. They're perfect for candidates who might lack genuine work experience as an animal shelter employee. If you're thinking about adding hobbies and interests, just make sure they add something unique to your application, and showcase your personality and interests in unique and interesting ways.
Voluntary Work
Voluntary work can help you develop useful skills, so it's a valuable addition to your animal shelter resume. Write your volunteer section in a similar format to your work experience, including your role, the organization name, relevant dates and the details of your contribution.
References
References aren't a standard animal shelter resume section, but employers do sometimes ask for them. Check the job advert and only include them if requested. Before adding any referees to your resume, ask them for their assistance and prepare them for contact by the employer.
Please contact me for a list of references.
Best action words for your animal shelter resume
Using strong action words to make your resume resonate with the employer. The suggested action verbs below will help the reader to understand your key qualities and the impact you made on the organization.
- Care
- Feed
- Clean
- Train
- Exercise
- Monitor
- Rescue
- Administer
- Socialize
- Transport
Jobseeker's resume templates were created by careers experts to help you produce a professional resume in minutes. You can also find cover letter templates to complete an eye-catching job application that gets you noticed.
Sample resume for animal shelter employee positions
Now that you know everything that needs to go into your animal shelter resume, let's review an example resume that you can use as a guide when creating your own:
852 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield, IL
•
elijah.perez@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/elijah–perez123
Dedicated and compassionate Animal Shelter Employee with previous experience as an Animal Care Technician. Proven ability to provide high-quality care for a diverse range of animals, including feeding, grooming, and administering medications. Skilled in maintaining clean and safe environments, monitoring animal health, and facilitating adoptions. Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a commitment to animal welfare and a positive, team-oriented attitude.
Animal Care Technician
2020
-2022
Pawsitive Care Solutions (Sacramento)
- Implemented a comprehensive wellness program, reducing animal illness rates by 30% over two years
- Trained and supervised a team of 10 volunteers, enhancing animal care quality and operational efficiency
- Developed a meticulous record-keeping system, ensuring 100% compliance with regulatory standards and improving data accuracy
Veterinary care knowledge
Animal handling expertise
Behavioral assessment skills
Communication with stakeholders
Problem-solving abilities
Empathy and compassion
Certified Animal Care
Pet First Aid
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Key tips for an animal shelter resume
- Tailor your resume to the job you're applying for by consulting the job description and using keywords throughout your document.
- Use a well-structured resume layout that optimizes headings, structure, margins, fonts and line spacing to make your document as accessible as possible to the reader.
- Include any relevant work experience in reverse-chronological order, starting with your current or most recent role, for maximum readability.
- Write a compelling resume summary or objective to introduce yourself and your key animal shelter employee skills.
- Mention key skills that show you're suited to the job throughout your resume, as well as in the dedicated skills section.
- Don't write any unnecessary personal details on your resume. Details such as age, gender or nationality can lead to unintentional recruitment bias.
- Don't lie or exaggerate about your animal shelter employee experience or achievements as it can harm your chances in the long term.
- Don't use an email address that contains unprofessional content, and if necessary create a new, more professional email address.
- Don't use out-of-date contact information. Always make sure your email address and phone number are correct before sending your resume.
- Don't include irrelevant work experience in your resume because it takes up valuable space and is unlikely to improve your chances of success.
How to make an ATS-friendly resume
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help recruiters and employers to streamline their hiring process. They can store and process data, including applications and applicant data, quickly and efficiently. One of the jobs ATS applications are increasingly responsible for is initial candidate screening. The systems can quickly scan and rank resumes based on how closely they match the job description. When drafting your animal shelter resume, there are a few guidelines to follow to give you the best chance of passing the ATS screening stage and progressing with your application.
Create an ATS-optimized resume by following these quick tips:
- Choose a resume structure that matches the traditional, reverse-chronological layout or alternatively, the functional resume structure. This should make your resume more readable for ATS applications.
- Add keywords that match the job description throughout your resume, as ATS applications scan for these and well-placed, considered use can help your resume rank more highly.
- Include clear headings in each section that match the traditional resume structure and format. This will make it easier for the ATS software to scan your resume.
- Adopt a resume design that uses clear, professional design principles and leaves white space for your content to breathe. Use the most readable fonts and incorporate subtle design elements to enhance the readability of your document.
- Make sure your resume is as concise as possible, so ATS applications can easily scan and identify the required details.
For advice and guidance on creating the perfect resume, read our expert career blog and check out our detailed resume examples.
An animal shelter resume FAQs
Now that you know how to write a professional animal shelter resume, you might also want to learn how to write an accompanying cover letter that makes a similar impact.
Before you write your cover letter, think about whether you need a formal, professional letter or if a brief, less formal email might be more suitable.
A traditional cover letter should follow formal letter-writing conventions and structure, including a header, the recipient's address and professional greetings and sign-offs. For the main body of the letter, open with a short paragraph introducing yourself and explaining your reasons for applying for the animal shelter employee role. Follow that with an explanation of your skills and experience and how they're relevant to the position. Close by expressing your gratitude and enthusiasm, and leaving a call to action that encourages the employer to open a dialogue with you.
Jobseeker's tried and tested cover letter templates were created by experts to help you make a strong impression with your applications. Follow the simple steps to create a winning cover letter today.
As an experienced animal shelter employee, you'll want your resume to showcase all of your relevant experience and achievements. You may wish to include a longer-than-average work experience section in your animal shelter resume, to emphasize your career experience to date and showcase relevant achievements in work. Add any optional sections that reinforce your image as a knowledgeable, respected professional in your field. This might include awards and other recognition, successful projects or a dedicated achievements section.
A resume headline can catch the attention of the reader and give them a strong first impression about your suitability for animal shelter employee jobs. Resume headlines are also a powerful way of increasing your resume's chances of passing the ATS stage. They reference the job title and some of the keywords that match the job description. Take the time to draft a concise, eye-catching headline which includes the job title, one or two key skills and reference to either your experience level or track record.
See below for an example of a well-constructed resume headline:
- Dedicated Animal Care Assistant
- Dedicated Animal Care Specialist Advocate
- Veteran Animal Shelter Operations Specialist
The most suitable resume format for you depends on two crucial factors. Firstly, whether you have a body of relevant work experience. Secondly, the type of job and its seniority level. If you're applying for a junior position or changing careers, you might want to consider a functional resume. This highlights your skills and education over your work experience. Once you have some relevant work experience, and for senior positions, a reverse chronological resume format is typically best. This emphasizes your work experience, which will probably be the key thing employers want to know about.
Key points for your animal shelter resume
The key to a strong resume is to showcase your relevant skills and achievements through your work experience and other activities. Select a resume format that suits your experience levels and the job you're applying for, and make sure you tailor your resume for each application.
Use Jobseeker's resume templates, other tools and resources to create an application that impresses employers. Sign up today to access a wealth of valuable resume and cover letter resources. Whether you're a junior or senior candidate, a professional cover letter can help to grab the attention of the employer. Jobseeker's cover letter examples were created by careers experts to provide useful tips and ideas for your cover letter.
Sources:
(1) Writing a Resume, California Department of Human Resources: https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/resume-tips.aspx
(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/
