Veterinarian Resume Example
Pursuing a career as a veterinarian provides opportunities for career progression and responsibilities involving updating patient records and diagnosing animal illnesses. A strong resume for veterinarian applications showcases your skills, experience and achievements and helps you stand out from other candidates. In this article, we'll highlight tips and examples for creating a veterinary resume that makes a winning impression on recruiters and hiring managers.
The aim of this article is to equip you with all the knowledge required to create a resume that positions you to succeed in your veterinarian applications. 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. Read on to learn the tips Jobseeker careers experts recommend as the best for your veterinarian resume.
Main elements of a veterinarian resume
A successful veterinarian resume will typically include each of the sections listed below, with some optional sections.
You will have some choice over your resume layout and structure, but be sure to include these sections as the core of your document:
Resume Header with Contact Details
A veterinarian resume header contains your name and contact information. Add your first and last name, your phone number and your email address. Include your address or location, but avoid adding any other personal information. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can add the URL to your header so the hiring manager can get a better understanding of your work history and experience. 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.
Use an email address that's professional and appropriate for professional communication. Typically this would be an email address based on your first and last name, or your initials. If necessary, you could include your profession or another unique identifier. Avoid using old email addresses that could be considered unprofessional or inappropriate. Additionally, always check your contact details before sending your resume to ensure they're up-to-date.
Frank Hernandez
frank.hernandez@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC
linkedin․com/in/frank–hernandez123
Resume Summary
Following your resume header, write a resume summary to introduce yourself and showcase some of your key skills and achievements. Alternative names for this section are 'resume objective' and 'personal profile'. While a resume summary focuses on your career experience, a resume objective covers your ambitions and career plans. In addition, your objective should highlight why you're an ideal candidate for veterinarian roles by showing key skills and qualities that reflect the job description.
Alternatively, use this summary to introduce your personal career ambitions and explain why veterinarian roles are a good fit for you at this stage of your career.
A strong resume summary focuses on two or three key skills and achievements that showcase your suitability for veterinarian roles in a clear, quantifiable way. It also gives an insight into your personal qualities, to help the reader understand why you're a suitable candidate. See below for some great examples of how to approach your veterinarian resume.
Experienced Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) with a strong background in veterinary surgery. Proven expertise in diagnosing and treating a variety of animal health issues, performing complex surgical procedures, and providing comprehensive post-operative care. Adept at working in fast-paced environments, managing emergency cases, and collaborating with veterinary teams to ensure optimal patient outcomes. Committed to advancing animal health and welfare through dedicated clinical practice and continuous professional development
Veterinarian with some experience in animal care and surgery. Worked in roles where I looked at animal health issues and did surgeries. Have worked in busy places and handled urgent cases. Worked with others to help animals get better. Focused on improving animal health and learning more about veterinary practices
On the other hand, an unsuccessful resume summary is one that mentions irrelevant skills, qualities and achievements and fails to differentiate you from other candidates. See above for some examples of things to avoid when writing your veterinarian resume summary.
Work Experience
Under your work experience section, add any jobs you've had in the past that are relevant to the position of a veterinarian. 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.
In addition, include a few bullet points under each job, highlighting your key achievements so the hiring manager can see how they led to successful outcomes. Back up each point with evidence to show how you meet 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 a veterinary 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.
Veterinary Surgeon, January 2022 - Present
Pawsitive Pet Care Clinic, Newark
- Successfully performed over 500 complex surgical procedures with a 98% recovery rate
- Implemented a new pain management protocol, reducing post-operative discomfort by 30%
- Led a team in developing an award-winning animal wellness program, increasing client satisfaction by 40%
Veterinary Surgeon, January 2022 - Present
Pawsitive Pet Care Clinic, Newark
- Provided excellent veterinary care to numerous animals, ensuring high levels of client satisfaction and animal well-being
- Played a key role in enhancing clinic procedures and protocols, contributing to overall operational efficiency
- Worked collaboratively with a team to develop and implement innovative animal care strategies and programs
In the graphic above you can see a great example of what to avoid when writing your resume work experience section. Poor examples of resume work experience sections tend to be vague and fail to quantify your achievements and the impact you've made in your career to date. They may also focus on responsibilities above relevant skills and how you've used them.
Education and Qualifications
In your education section, include details of your most relevant veterinarian qualifications and educational achievements.
If you're applying for veterinarian positions you'll typically need to have a degree. A Bachelor of Science in Animal Science will usually help your chances of success. You could also list any qualifications that demonstrate your anesthesia administration techniques or diagnostic imaging interpretation.
Include any qualifications relevant to the role. For each, add the name and level of the award, the institution name, its location and your dates of study. If you have space, include some bullet points outlining any specialist areas of study, awards or high grades, so the employer can learn more about your unique skill set and knowledge.
Membership or leadership of any societies, clubs or causes while studying can also make a positive impression on hiring managers. Consider adding these to your education section for more insight into how you used your time as a student.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), 2017 - 2020
University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Skills
In your skills section, list any skills you've acquired or developed that are relevant to veterinarian positions. Consider adding anesthesia administration techniques, empathy and compassion or any other necessary skills for the job. Once more, review the job description and pick out any key veterinarian skills listed that match yours. Focus on these skills and any other key transferable skills that make you a strong candidate for the job.
Listing hard skills on your veterinarian 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, it's important to show these skills in a veterinarian resume as they provide a strong indication of your experience in the sector. 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.
Your resume hard skills list should reflect your unique and specific industry expertise and experience, while also fulfilling the requirements listed in the job description. See the examples below for an idea of what an effective veterinarian resume hard skills list looks like.
- Surgical procedure proficiency
- Diagnostic imaging interpretation
- Anesthesia administration techniques
How to list soft skills on your veterinarian resume
In your soft skills list, include any personal characteristics that make you a good fit for a veterinarian job. Soft skills tend to be more universal than hard skills, but they're no less important. In fact, as technology develops, soft skills are growing in importance for recruiters and employers, so be sure to add several of these to your resume. You should generally look to include up to five soft or transferable skills that match the job description.
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 a veterinary resume.
- Empathy and compassion
- Problem-solving skills
- Effective communication
Certifications and Training
Your certifications section is the place to mention any relevant professional veterinarian certifications, licenses or qualifications. You could list accreditations for certain professional roles or licenses for certain activities that help to make you a strong candidate. Therefore, make sure you list the dates of your certifications and licenses so employers can see they're up-to-date and valid.
Below you can find several examples of certifications for a veterinary resume:
- DVM License, 2022
- AVMA Membership, 2022
- Board Certification, 2022
Optional Sections
There are several additional sections you could add to a veterinary resume, to improve your chances of success. Take a look at the sections below and add any that help you show how and why you're right for the job.
Hobbies and Interests
Listing your hobbies and interests can reveal key qualities that some employers may value. They also help to show a different side of your personality, and can help your resume create a more memorable impression on hiring managers. If you're short on real world work experience, hobbies and interests can be a useful way of providing more information about your qualities. 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.
Volunteer Experience
Listing volunteer work is another useful way to prove your relevant experience for veterinarian roles. Add your volunteer job title or role, the name of the organization, its location and the dates you were involved.
References
References aren't a standard veterinarian resume section, but employers do sometimes ask for them. Check the job advert and only include them if requested. Be sure to prepare your referees in advance, so they've agreed to provide a reference and are ready to be contacted.
References can be provided upon request.
Best words to use in a veterinary resume
Start each bullet point in your work experience section with a strong verb to show actions you took. Choose verbs from the suggestions below that highlight your key skills or those mentioned in the job description.
- Diagnose
- Treat
- Examine
- Administer
- Perform
- Evaluate
- Consult
- Prescribe
- Educate
- Manage
If you want to create a resume that stands out from the crowd, use Jobseeker's expert-designed resume templates. You can also find cover letter templates that work to get you noticed by employers.
Example resume for veterinarian applications
The veterinarian resume example below incorporates all the information from above into a full-designed resume template, so you can see how a final resume will look:
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC
•
frank.hernandez@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/frank–hernandez123
Experienced and dedicated veterinarian with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and extensive background as a Veterinary Medical Officer. Proven expertise in animal health diagnostics, treatment, and preventive care, with a strong commitment to animal welfare and public health. Skilled in clinical procedures, surgical interventions, and regulatory compliance. Adept at collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to ensure optimal care and health outcomes for a diverse range of animals.
Veterinary Medical Officer
2020
-2022
Pawsitive Care Veterinary Services (Jersey City)
- Led a successful initiative to reduce disease outbreak by 40% in a large animal population through targeted vaccination programs
- Developed and implemented advanced diagnostic protocols, resulting in a 30% increase in accurate disease detection and treatment efficacy
- Conducted groundbreaking research on zoonotic diseases, published in peer-reviewed journals, influencing national veterinary practices and policies
Surgical procedure proficiency
Diagnostic imaging interpretation
Anesthesia administration techniques
Empathy and compassion
Problem-solving skills
Effective communication
DVM License
AVMA Membership
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Quick tips for a veterinary resume
- Adapt your resume depending on the job you're applying for. Take a look at the job description and make sure you reference all the required key skills and experience.
- Include any relevant work experience in reverse-chronological order, starting with your current or most recent role, for maximum readability.
- Keep your veterinarian resume as brief as possible. Aim for one page for an entry-level role, and two pages for more senior jobs.
- 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.
- Action verbs can help show the actions you've taken and the impact you've made in veterinarian jobs (e.g. 'consult', 'prescribe', 'educate').
- Don't fill up your veterinarian resume with unnecessary information that contributes nothing to your chances of success.
- Don't add personal information such as your age, gender, a photo or marital status, as these can lead to bias in the hiring process.
- Don't lie or exaggerate any information on your veterinarian resume, as this can cause you problems further down the line.
- 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 use jargon or acronyms when you can use simple, straightforward language to say the same thing.
How to make your resume ATS compliant
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help recruiters and employers to manage their hiring process. They can handle some of the more time-consuming and resource-intensive jobs, such as initial screening of resumes. Employers often receive hundreds of applications per vacancy, and ATS software can quickly and accurately scan and rank resumes based on their likely suitability for any role. When you're writing your veterinarian resume, there are several things you can do to make sure your resume stands the best chance of passing the ATS stage.
Follow these guidelines to create the best ATS-friendly resume:
- 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.
- Use clear headings that break your resume up into readable, scannable sections that match the standard content employers expect from a resume.
- Utilize a clean, clear resume design that helps make your content more readable. Use simple fonts and subtle color accents and design elements that don't detract from the written content.
- Use concise language to keep the length of your resume to between one and two pages. This will make it easier to scan for ATS applications.
If you're looking for inspiration for your resume, discover our comprehensive resume examples and in-depth, expert career blog.
Frequently Asked Questions about a veterinary resume
After writing your veterinarian resume, you'll want to write an accompanying cover letter that helps your application stand out.
Check the job description to see whether a full, formal cover letter is necessary. In some situations, it might be more suitable to simply send a brief email to introduce yourself and accompany your resume.
A full, formal cover letter follows a traditional letter-writing structure and format. Add your header, the recipient's address an use professional greetings and sign-offs. In your first paragraph, introduce yourself and confirm the role you're applying for, along with your reasons for applying. Next, outline your key skills and achievements that are most relevant to the veterinarian job description. Finish by expressing your enthusiasm for the role and adding a call to action to encourage the hiring manager to contact you for further information.
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.
Even if you have little or no relevant work experience, it's still possible to write a veterinary resume that makes a strong impression on employers. Select a resume format that emphasizes your skills and education over your work experience, such as a functional format. Optional sections at the end of your resume can play a stronger role if you're lacking relevant work experience. Use certifications and training, hobbies and interests, volunteer roles and internships to show you've got the necessary skills for the job.
A resume headline can catch the attention of the reader and give them a strong first impression about your suitability for veterinarian jobs. A well-constructed resume headline can help your resume rank highly with ATS screening tools by referencing some of the key information from the job description. Write a short, snappy heading for your resume including the job title and a reference to your experience, your track record or one or two of your key skills.
You can use this example resume headline as a template for creating your own:
- Aspiring Veterinarian Seeking Growth Opportunities
- Experienced Veterinary Medical Professional
- Veterinary Medicine Senior Specialist
The top resume format for your applications will vary according to a couple of factors. First, how much professional experience you have. Second, what type of job you're applying for and its seniority level. For roles where you're lacking experience, such as graduate jobs or career changes, you could use a functional or skills-based resume format. This places your skills and education above your work experience. On the other hand, if you're experienced in your industry or applying for senior positions, a traditional, reverse chronological resume format is usually best. This places most emphasis on your work experience.
Takeaways for your veterinarian resume
The best resumes focus on your skills and the value you've added to previous roles, rather than focusing on your duties and responsibilities. Use a suitable resume format and tailor your resume for every application you submit.
Jobseeker has a wealth of resume tools, including resume templates and examples, to help you create a winning job application. Sign up today to get started. Jobseeker's expert-designed cover letter generator can help your applications make a strong first impression on hiring managers. Find detailed cover letter examples to complement your resume and get your application noticed.
Sources:
(1) Tips for Writing a Federal Resume, U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/general/jobs/tips-for-writing-a-federal-resume
(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/
