Veterinarian Resume | Examples, Tips & Templates

This article would provide a step-by-step process for writing a professional veterinarian resume, including:

• Picking the right resume format, layout, and template.
• Tons of examples for writing each section of the resume.
• General guidelines – to DOs and DON’Ts.
• Pro Tips to stand out from the rest of the applications.

If you still have no time for writing resumes and would rather spend that time with your pets, we have hundreds of awesome resume templates you can download. Tailor them to your next job and get your job winning veterinarian resume in just 10 minutes.

New Graduate Veterinarian Resume Example

These resumes for other medical professionals may also serve as a source of inspiration for writing your veterinarian resume:

• Dentist resume
• Dr resume
• Physician assistant resume
• Dental assistant resume
• Medical assistant resume

Veterinarian's Salary & Employment Rates

The average veterinarian salary is $88,000/ year 💰 (Payscale.com).

Over 67% of households in the United States own a pet, making veterinary, one of the largest and fastest-growing industries reaching $32 billion in 2021 (televet.com).

How to Make a Veterinarian Resume?

Writing a professional veterinarian resume from scratch would seem like a lot of work if not planned well. Many veterinarians outsource their resume writing to third parties for this reason, but in reality, you’re the best person to write your resume of course with proper guidance.

First of all, you should choose the right layout, format, and template for your resume.

Structure of a veterinarian Resume

The layout is your plan to write the resume – it defines the sections and the order in which each section is put in the resume.

Your writing process becomes so much easier with this.

We recommend the following layout for a veterinarian resume:

• Header: name and contact information.
• Professional summary.
• Experience.
• Education.
• Skills.
• Additional sections (certificates, interests, and awards).

Resume Template for veterinarians

The template defines the overall look and feel of the resume. You should select a template that matches your personality and is relevant to the industry you apply for.

You can also create your resume without a template. In this case, you’ll have to do all the preparations on MS Word such as headings, fonts, colors, and margins.

Picking the right resume template saves you precious time and a modern template will make your resume stand out among the applications.

We have created modern resume templates that you can use to create your veterinarian resume within 10 minutes

The following is a general guide to create your own template if you wish to:

• Define the fonts, colors, and font sizes for all the headings and subheadings.
• Pick a color that matches your personality and the job.
• Keep consistent margins from all sides of the document.

Veterinarian Resume Format

Now we have decided on the overall look of our resume and the sections we’re going to write. In writing your resume sections – especially the experience section – you need to define the order in which you put the information – which we call the format.

There are three standard formats:

• The functional/ skill-based format: The experience section is written based on the relevant skills
• Reverse chronological format: Recent experience is listed first
• Hybrid (combination) format: A mix of the above two formats

For experienced veterinarians, we suggest using the reverse chronological format to list your experience section – which is the widely used format by many candidates.

If you have career gaps or are in a career transition, you may consider the functional resume or a hybrid version to write your experience section. Read more about different resume formats to have a better idea of different options.

Let's discuss how to write each section with examples and tips.

Start Your Veterinarian Resume with a Header

The header is the first section of your resume. Though we call it a section, it only includes your name and contact information.

Different resume templates provide you space for different information. However, you should decide on which information to put.

Here's what to include and what to leave out of your header 👇

A good & a bad header

CORRECT

Jessy Gardener

Veterinarian

jessygardener@gmail.com

+1 244 54 77 22

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessyg

INCORRECT

Jessy Gardener jessy@pinkvet.com

+1 244 54 77 22

12, main street, apt 21,

Washington DC

USA

Consider the following points when writing your header:

• Start your resume with your name – use your first name and the last name
• Include your current job title (optional)
• Use your personal email instead of the office email
• Your mailing address is not required in the header
• Put the link to your LinkedIn account – makes sure the account is updated

Prove Your Experience in Veterinary

If you’re an experienced veterinarian, congratulations! You got everything needed to land a well-paid veterinarian job.

Recruiters use the experience section to make the shortlisting decision almost all the time.

If you are an entry-level candidate, we still got you covered, as we are going to show you how to write a professional experience section with the little experience you have.

Here’s a general guide to writing your experience section:

• Use the keywords your potential employer has mentioned in their job advertisement.
• Write each sentence to the point – no fluff.
• Write a combination of your achievements and accomplishments.
• Use numbers to add credibility to your experience
• Start each sentence with a power word. Eg: Developed, Created, Managed.
• Do not list the duties you carried out as your experience.

Veterinarian jobs are challenging at all levels. You should show the hiring manager that you are keen to face those challenges with a positive attitude.

Example Work Experience Section for a Senior Veterinarian Resume

INCORRECT

Aug 2015 to Present

Veterinarian

Mount Cliff Veterinary Clinic

• Carried out surgical procedures
• Hired veterinarians for the department
• Performed laboratory tests
• Held a leadership role in the clinic
• Advised on preventative care
• Educated team members

CORRECT

Aug 2015 to Present

Veterinarian

Mount Cliff Veterinary Clinic

• Carried out veterinary surgeries for 300+ pets in the last year with a 92% success rate
• Hired over 30 medical and non-medical staff over the last two years for the hospital
• Took measures to increase customer satisfaction throughout the department that lead to 14% financial growth year-on-year
• Developed trustworthy professional relationships with third party medical reps and suppliers leading to getting 3% better discounts than the industry average
• Introduced measures to ensure animal safety and owner safety in the premises – named as the safest veterinary clinic in the area by Pet First magazine
• Advised the pet owners on preventive care measures and carried out a monthly newsletter on the same with 10,000+ readers

When writing the experience section of a senior veterinarian, you should focus on your achievements and accomplishments in technical skills as well as leadership skills.

Most senior vets have to take up managerial work in the clinics such as hiring, marketing, and financial decision making.

Example Work Experience for an Entry-Level Veterinarian

INCORRECT

Jan 2020 to Present

Pet Work Vet Clinic

Assistant veterinarian - apprenticeship

• Assisted visiting surgeon
• Carried out laboratory tests
• Welcoming the guests
• Diagnostic testing
• Treatment to skin diseases
• Updated medical records
• Educating pet owners

CORRECT

Jan 2020 to present

Pet Work Vet Clinic

Assistant veterinarian - apprenticeship

• Provided assistance to the visiting surgeon to carry out critical injury surgeries.
• Ensured proper documentation and followed veterinary medical protocols for 20+ patients daily
• Welcomed the pets and the owners to the facility and directed them to the right veterinarian for treatments – achieved an overall customer satisfaction of 96%
• Carried out diagnostic tests and vaccination for over 50 pets in the OPD
• Advised animal owners with general animal health information and updated them with the latest tools and technologies for preventive care
• Involved in 20+ dental procedures per week and treated numerous conditions as an assistant to the veterinarian

Entry-level veterinarians should demonstrate their key technical knowledge of medical procedures. You could use the medical knowledge you gained at school together with the experience to draft the experience section.

The results or outcomes of your actions should be quantified as much as possible.

Do not just list the duties and responsibilities in your job – use specific information from your clinic and turn them into achievements and accomplishments.

Even if you’re applying for your first job as a veterinarian, you shouldn’t leave your experience section empty – explain how many practice sessions you carried out, the number of dummy surgeries you performed, and the number of vaccinations you did.

Reinforce Your Resume with Your Education

The employer expects a veterinary medicine degree from the candidates as the basic qualification. Some candidates may have a bachelor’s degree in biology and a trade certificate to practice veterinary medicine which would also be fine based on the requirement of the employer.

Use a consistent format to list each of your education qualifications – include the degree name, institution, completion date, and the key learnings (optional).

Education

Veterinarian Skills and Abilities for the Resume

Veterinarians should demonstrate a specific set of skills that are learned ad experienced. The skills you put on your resume depend on the position you apply for.

Refer to your job advertisement to find the relevant skills. Many hospitals and recruitment companies use applicant tracking systems to shortlist candidates. These systems check the relevant keywords on your resume – the skills section typically helps you to get through this.

You should write a mix of soft skills and hard skills in your veterinarian resume.

Soft skills:

• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Teamwork
• Problem-solving
• Leadership
• Willingness to learn
• Decision making
• Time management

Hard skills:

• Surgical procedures
• Emergency care
• Diagnostic testing
• Dental cleanings
• Anesthesia
• Medical record reading and preparation
• Laboratory testing
• Disease identification

Professional Summary

A professional summary is the sales pitch on your resume – the hook that keeps the reader interested until the end.

Written it correct, the recruiter will probably spend more than average time on your resume.

Most candidates find it hard to write a good professional summary. In fact, most summaries are boring descriptions of candidates which makes the recruiter yawn.

Follow this guide to wiritng yours:

• Start your summary with your experience and key skills.
• Explain how that would benefit the potential employer.
• Use the second sentence to describe how your expertise helped the previous employer succeed.
• Use numbers wherever possible and relevant.

Applicants with relevant experience should include a professional summary that highlights their key accomplishments from their previous veterinarian jobs.

If you are in a career transition or applying for an entry-level position, you may include an objective summary highlighting your passion and interest in the company and the job role.

Check out the examples below to see what makes a good professional summary for a vet👇

Professional summary for an experienced veterinarian

CORRECT

A passionate veterinarian with over 5 years of experience in veterinary medical care and surgery seeking to join the Pet School Veterinary clinic to further my career. In my previous work at McMillan Vet clinic, carried out 200+ surgeries and critical care operations for small animals

INCORRECT

A veterinarian with over 5 years of experience in veterinary science and medical procedures seek to join Pet School Veterinary as a senior vet

Professional objective for an entry-level veterinarian

CORRECT

Dedicated veterinarian just graduated from the veterinary school having specialized in animal medicine and dentistry seek to join Healed Pet Care as an assistant veterinarian. I have volunteered as an associate vet for a street dog rescue program in 2019-2020, treating over 300 stray dogs.

INCORRECT

Freshly graduated veterinarian with a passion for animal care is seeking to join Healed Pet Care as an assistant Veterinarian.

Additional Sections for a Veterinarian Resume

Additional sections are a great way to stand out your resume from the rest.

Recruiters receive hundreds of applications from veterinary medical professionals over a single job opportunity – all of them have the same educational qualifications.

If you put the right information in small sections under separate subheadings, you have a higher chance of getting noticed.

Following are some sections you could include in a veterinarian resume👇

Computing Skills

Most veterinary clinics use ERP systems or CRMs to collect, record, and analyze information. These systems also provide important medical reports, doctor channeling, surgery scheduling, and many more functions.

Having a basic understanding of computer systems would be an advantage. If you have completed any certification related to computer or information technology, you may list it here.

Trade Certifications

Also called the veterinary license. Trade certifications vary from country and region. Check what trade certification is required to work in the region you apply for and get that.

Veterinary certification is a mandatory requirement for certain jobs, while some jobs put you at the top of the list.

Languages

You might speak the language of the animals you treat, but you should also know how to communicate with the owners.

Though fluency in English would be enough for you to work in many regions in the world, if you have fluency in a popular local language, that would come in handy.

We got some awesome resume templates where you can list the languages you speak with the level of fluency in each.

Hobbies and Interests

Some hobbies and interests could get you jobs that the education couldn’t.

Especially if you’re an entry-level veterinarian with minimum experience, your involvement in volunteering work, related hobbies and interests would be as valuable as your work experience.

However, do not include a list of non-relevant hobbies in this section.

Tips for Improving Your Veterinarian Resume

The following tips will help you improve your next veterinarian resume:

• Read the job description carefully – identify the skills the recruiter seeks – if you don’t possess them, try to acquire them.
• Pick a modern resume template – this accounts for the overall look and feel of your resume.
• Write a mistakes-free resume: use a tool such as Grammarly to proofread.
• Keep the reader interested throughout with your achievements and accomplishments.

Checklist:

• Start with the header – include your name and contact information.
• Write a professional or objective summary highlighting the key achievements and experience.
• Put more time into optimizing your experience section.
• Include the education relevant to your job – use a consistent format.
• Pick the keywords the recruiter is interested in and include them in the skills section – include both soft and hard skills.
• Add a pleasing surprise to the hiring manager by adding a couple of relevant small sections such as trade certifications, interests, and languages.

Complement Your resume with a Cover letter

Most veterinarian jobs require a cover letter to be submitted along with the resume.

A cover letter is a short essay tailored to the job you apply for. In that, you should express your interest in the profession and to the particular clinic – showcase your greatest strengths, skills, and how these would be valuable to the potential employer – state the key accomplishments in your career.

Keep your cover letter to about half a page – it should be short and to the point. Recruiters should be able to scan it in a blink of an eye.

Those candidates who are applying for entry-level positions often find the cover letter to be very important.

If you need further inspiration to write your veterinarian cover letter, check out our examples and templates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the highest-paid veterinary specialties?

Ophthalmologists, pathologists, and lab animal specialists earn the highest salaries in veterinary, earning in average $199,000, $157,000, and $169,000 consequently (televet.com). Each specialty however needs different levels of experience in general practice and has to face intensive examinations.

In addition, surgeons ($133,000), internal medicine ($127,000), radiologists ($121,000), are also under the high-salary veterinarian specialties.

How to become a veterinary after graduating from high school?

After graduating from high school it typically takes about 5-8 years to become a certified vet. First of all, you need to complete your bachelor’s which takes about 3-4 years. However, some schools allow you to enter vet school directly after high school if you have studied biology.

It takes about 4 to 5 years at vet school to become a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) plus practical experience to get the license.

After all, you need a solid resume and a cover letter to land your dream veterinary job in your favorite clinic.