Veterinary Resume Examples

Veterinary Resume Sample

Maria Chávez

Address:               1828 Washington Ave, St. Louis, MO 63103
Phone:                   (314) 241-6000
Email:                    [email protected]
Current job:        Veterinarian at Webster Groves Animal Hospital

Objective

To devote my knowledge, experience, skills, and energy to the treatment and well-being of animals and to work for an institution reputed for its excellence in fostering animal care.

Skills

1. Extensive experience in treating and diagnosing a diverse array of diseases and injuries in animals
2. Excellent public relations skills, communication skills, and interpersonal skills
3. Experience directing and supervising personnel in spay and neuter clinics
4. Excellent diagnostic skills and ability to implement effective treatment plans for quick and economic recoveries
5. Ability to work quickly and effectively under pressure
6. Detail oriented
7. Ability to organize and prioritize workload effectively.
8. Flexible and adaptable to change
9. Strong quantitative and analytical skills
10. Ability to work independently or in a team environment
11. Experience in organizing and fostering community involvement and activities

Experience

Veterinarian 2017 – Present

Webster Groves Animal Hospital, St. Louis, MO

Duties and Responsibilities

• Examine and treat all species of animals
• Conduct diagnostic tests and immunizations
• Primary surgeon, operated on over 100 animals
• Oversee the training of interns and new veterinarians
• Maintain a strong relationships with patients by conducting personal follow up reviews
• Perform spay and neuter surgeries
• Supervise staff in spay and neuter area of care
• Organize and conduct community awareness about rabies, immunization, and pet adoption
• Focus on fostering community involvement and social activities

Private Practice Veterinarian, 2016-2017

Watson Road Veterinary Clinic, St. Louis, MO

Duties and Responsibilities

• Diagnosed, treated, and medicated animals suffering from disease, injury and infection
• Focused on developing community awareness about rabies, sanitation, feeding, immunization, adoption, and general pet care, both in the context of individual patients as well as community-oriented programs
• Monitored care and progress of patients
• Created treatment and recovery plans for patients

Veterinarian, 2014-2016

St. Louis Veterinary Clinic, St. Louis, MO 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provided follow-up care and support for patients
• Prepared treatment plans and prescribed medication
• Studied, diagnosed and treated animal diseases and injuries
• Advised owners about feeding, caring, breeding, and immunizing their pets
• Prepared and maintained reports and records on rabies, immunization, and disease
• Maintained records and support for administrative staff

Education

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
Doctors in Veterinary Medicine, 2010-2014 (3.7 GPA)
Master’s in Animal Science, 2007-2010 (3.8 GPA)

University of Illinois, Urbana, Champaign
Bachelor’s of Science in Animal Science
2004-2007, 3.75 GPA

Libertyville High School, Illinois
High School Diploma,
2000-2004 3.9 GPA

Courses

1. Animal Breeding
2. Advanced animal biotechnology
3. Small animal internal medicine
4. Small animal surgery
5. Restraint and anesthesia of special species
6. Food animal education
7. cardiology
8. Food Animal Veterinary Medical Scholars
9. Licensed by the National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners
10. Volunteered extensively with the Humane Society over many years

Personal information

• Civil Status: Married, with two children
• Date of Birth: 08/20/1970
• Interests: traveling, painting, playing soccer, judging dog shows, taking my children to nature parks

How To Write A Good Veterinary Doctor Resume

As a Veterinary Doctor, you can find work at an animal clinic. Likewise, if you have enough experience, you can open your own Veterinary practice. You can also work in a diagnostic laboratory where Veterinary Doctors are developing treatments for a variety of animal diseases and illnesses.

Similarly, there are good career opportunities for Veterinary Doctors in the field of research and Public Health. Farms hire Veterinarians to oversee the health of their livestock. Consequently, a Veterinary Doctor is an indispensable asset for a horse stable.

Thus, in order to write a good Veterinary Doctor resume, you should have a keen idea about the job you are applying for. From there, customize it to fit the needs or the requirements of the clinic/company.

1. Review the Job Requirements

Do you have the skills and other requirements for the job? Think of the job post as of the pre-qualifying process. The Human Resources group wants to screen applicants by indicating the specific skills and abilities required of the Veterinary Doctor.

Subsequently, take account of your own skills and abilities. If you have the qualifications, make sure these are clearly stated and indicated in the most strategic locations in your resume:

• Professional License – Contact Information and Resume Objective
• Master’s Degree and/or Doctorate Degree – Resume Objective and Education
• Years of Experience – Resume Objective or Skills
• Accomplishments – Work Experience, Education
• Special Skills – Skills or Resume Objective

2. Learn More About the Employer

Here’s a valuable tip that most job applicants overlook: Mention the company or cite one or a few of its accomplishment/development projects in your resume. By doing this, you will be able to personalize your resume for the company.

Recruiters don’t like resumes that read as if they came out of an assembly line. They appreciate some “special treatment” from job applicants. That comes in the form of customizing or personalizing the resume for them.

• Visit the company’s website. Learn what you can about the company, the people behind it, and the prevailing culture.
• Check out the company’s social media pages. Oftentimes, the employees and the clients will interact on the page. You can get a feel of the kind of environment that is cultivated by the company.
• Do a quick Google search. You might be able to get current news about the company’s upcoming projects. Perhaps the clinic is promoting a “Pet Awareness Week”.

If actors do “Method Acting”, you can call this “Method Resume Writing”.

You are internalizing the prospective employer – learn everything you can about the company – so you can write a resume that will resonate with its HR department.

3. Make Sure Your Information is Updated

As a Veterinary Doctor, you are detail-oriented when it comes to your patients. You want to run as many tests, analyze samples, and go through the results as often as needed in order to arrive at the best diagnosis.

Likewise, you need the same approach for your Veterinary Doctor resume. Make sure your information is updated. Certainly, you have to be 100% sure that your license has been renewed and is valid. Otherwise, no matter how qualified you are, you may not get the job.

Lastly, keep your resume short. Ideally, if you have fewer than 10 years of work experience, your resume should only be 1 page long. Leave out information that is not relevant to the job itself.

For example, if you used to work as a telemarketer, there is no need to include this information in the Work Experience section.

Veterinary Doctor Resume Objectives

In the previous section, you may have noticed “Resume Objective” was mentioned several times as the ideal location to indicate important information.

For the reason that the Veterinary Doctor resume objective is your sales pitch, it is the most strategic location to sell your value proposition to the employer.

Some may recommend a Summary of Qualifications instead of a resume objective. The Summary of Qualifications is a shortlist of your skills and abilities.

In contrast, the resume objective allows you the opportunity to speak directly to the recruiter by presenting your strong points in a less formal but conversational manner.

Which one would be more enticing to the recruiter?

Summary of Qualifications:

• 2-years of experience
• Licensed
• Master’s Degree in Veterinary Science
• Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Science

Good Veterinary Doctor Resume Objective

Licensed Veterinary Doctor in the state of Nebraska, I have been a practicing Veterinarian for more than 2 years. After getting my college degree in Veterinary Science from the University of Nebraska, I took 2 years to complete my Master’s Degree in the same discipline. In my 2 years in Omaha Farms, I was able to develop treatments of diseases for various livestock. I hope to be given the opportunity to share my knowledge with Manning and Sons Farmland which I understand has rightfully invested in developing new livestock treatment protocols.

The objective statement functions like your voice in the resume. It is as if you are introducing yourself to the recruiter.

Here are some salient points that you can take from the above example on how to make an eye-catching Veterinary Doctor resume objective:

1. Lead Off With the Primary Requirement

In our sample resume objective for Veterinary Doctor, we started off with experience and segued to education.

Whenever you come across a job post, the list of required skills is usually presented in order of importance. In our case, “minimum work experience” was listed first followed by “Master’s Degree in Veterinary Science”.

To make the recruiter’s job easier, lead off your resume objective with the primary requirement. Keep in mind, these details also function as keywords.

If the company uses an ATS or Applicant Tracking System, you need these keywords in your resume so it can be indexed and pre-qualified by the software program.

2. Share Your Story

Write your resume objective in a conversational manner. It makes your objective statement easier to read and “humanizes” your resume. You become more relatable to the recruiter who begins to associate your resume with a real person.

One of the most effective ways in humanizing the resume is through story-telling. You will notice how we composed the middle section of the objective statement:

“After getting my college degree in Veterinary Science from the University of Nebraska, I took 2 years to complete my Master’s Degree in the same discipline. In my 2 years in Omaha Farms, I was able to develop treatments of diseases for various livestock.”

This is story-telling done from the perspective and voice of the job applicant. It puts the recruiter “behind the lens” and gives him a “feel” of who you are as a person.

3. Read About the Company You Are Applying To

As we discussed in the section “How To Write A Good Veterinary Doctor Resume”, personalizing your resume is a great idea.

Look at how we ended the resume objective:

“I hope to be given the opportunity to share my knowledge with Manning and Sons Farmland which I understand has rightfully invested in developing new livestock treatment protocols.”

Firstly, we mentioned the name of the employer – Manning and Sons Farmland. Secondly, we stated one of the company’s projects – developing new livestock treatment protocols.

Certainly, the HR group will appreciate the time and effort you took to learn more about their company.

Veterinary Doctor Resume Skills

Becoming a good Veterinary Doctor takes years of study and training. Similarly, the road you take to become a doctor for animals is as long and winding as the road a doctor for humans might take!

You need to develop the right skills to be good at what you do. Companies will be looking for specific abilities when evaluating job applicants. How should you present your Veterinary Doctor resume skills?

1. Highlight Your Academic Experience

It takes years of study to become a Veterinary Doctor. In addition to a college degree, most jobs demand the candidate possess a Master’s Degree in Veterinary Science.

Clinics and companies want to know how deeply-rooted you are in the fundamentals and updated in the latest developments in the industry.

Even if you are entry-level, having a good academic background can offset a lack of experience. This is because, for the employer, the company will not have to invest more in training.

2. Keen Level of Observation

Animals act on instinct. For this reason, they can be quite unpredictable. Thus, it is important for a Veterinary Doctor to have a keen level of observation.

You must be able to detect changes in behavior from a distance and at close range. The best Veterinary Doctors can pinpoint health issues by observing changes in the sounds and smells of the animal.

Likewise, you must be observant of variances in test results and other reports that track the progress of the animal. Good observation skills are also crucial for those who prefer a career in research.

In your Work Experience section, you should include instances where you are able to use your keen sense of observation to alleviate the health condition of the animal.

3. Interpersonal Skills

To most people, an animal is more than just a pet. They are part of the family. As such, they are treated like one.

For livestock businesses, the animal is their cash cow. Animals either help them till the land or provide the main source of income. It is highly important for them that the animals are in perfect health.

In this regard, as the Veterinary Doctor, you will often meet very passionate owners. Sometimes the exchange can get testy. You have to remain professional and carry on intellectual discourse.

Part of having great interpersonal skills is having great communication skills. For the client to understand, you have to be able to explain the situation clearly to him.

Thus, a bit of empathy is in order. Certainly, your passion for animals will help you get the message across clearly and without issue.

Veterinary Doctor Duties And Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities that you list in your Veterinary Doctor work experience section could be the difference-maker in your job search.

Out of the 6 seconds which recruiters supposedly spend on a resume, trust us when we say 3 to 4 seconds will be focused on your work experience section.

“How can they read my entire work experience section in only 3 to 4 seconds?”

Human Resources officers do not read your resume. They scan it. They look for keywords and experiences that align with what the company needs or expects from the new Veterinary Doctor.

Is it possible to come up with an effective Veterinary Doctor work experience section in the resume which can be scanned within 3 to 4 seconds?

The answer is “Yes!” Simply follow our tips listed below:

1. Use the Chronological Format

HR people love the Chronological format for 2 reasons.

First, it presents a resume in an organized manner. Second, it makes it easy for the recruiter to assess the applicant’s current level of skill and abilities.

With the Chronological, you start off with your most recent experience then work your way back to your earliest but relevant employment. This way, the recruiter can see where you are now in terms of experience and expertise.

In order to use the Chronological, you must have good tenure. If you have an employment gap that exceeds 4 months or if you are entry-level, the Chronological format may work against you.

Here is the standard template for the Chronological format:

• Contact Information
• Objective Statement
• Skills
• Work Experience
• Education
• Certifications/Licenses

The first 3 sections – Contact Information, Objective Statement, and Skills – must contain information that will set up your Veterinary Doctor work experience section.

2. Organize With Bullet Points

Similar to what we did in the preceding section, the use of bullet points will organize your content. Therefore, it will make it easier for the recruiter to pinpoint your qualifications.

As we mentioned, HR would want to see where you are now in terms of experience and expertise. For this reason, it is important to focus your energies in building the duties and responsibilities in your latest or current employment.

Pick out at most 8 to 10 experiences for your current employment. Make sure these experiences are relevant to the demands of the job.

To be sure, review the job post. Many job posts have a heading titled, “Responsibilities of the Veterinary Doctor”. Use the information as a reference for your own duties and responsibilities.

3. Optimize the Use of Keywords

The use of keywords is the secret weapon in your resume. Keywords allow the HR officer to do his job within 6 seconds. You have to integrate these keywords into your work experience section.

Where can you find these keywords? Again, the job post will be a crucial reference point.

HR will incorporate keywords in the job post. Take note of these keywords. These are the words and phrases that are very specific or descriptive of the job and its requirements.

Examples:

• Veterinary Doctor
• Veterinarian
• Veterinarian Doctor experience
• Master’s Degree in Veterinary Science
• Passion for Animals
• Research
• Diagnostic Images
• Microscopic Analysis
• Anatomic Dissection
• Excellent Interpersonal Skills
• Problem Solving
• Analytical Skills

Entry Level Veterinary Doctor Resume

If you have an entry-level Veterinary Doctor resume, your lack of experience may work against you. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.

Here are a few helpful tips to get noticed even if you don’t have enough years under your belt:

1. Highlight the fact that you are a certified, professional Veterinary Doctor.
2. Showcase your academic achievements, if any.
3. Include additional training that you received from seminars and other Veterinary Science courses.
4. Include voluntary work as part of your experience.

Lastly, use the Functional format instead of the Chronological. With the Functional format, the focus is shifted away from work experience and toward your hard skills.

Here is the standard template for the Functional format:

• Contact Information
• Objective Statement
• Skills
• Education
• Certifications/Licenses
• Work Experience

Advice for a Veterinary Doctor Job Interview

Although it is helpful to look at Veterinary Doctor resume sample we’ve listed above, copy-pasting won’t be enough to land you your dream job. As you put in your personal information, experiences, and education, let the sample serve as a guide. Spice up your resume so that it’s unique and individual and be sure to go the extra mile as you prepare for your interview. Here are some steps to take so that you stand out from the crowd:

Polish Your Veterinary Doctor Resume

Shine up your rusty resume and make sure that it is a killer. Not only do you want to make sure that it is up to date, but you also want to be certain that it highlights all the qualities and experiences that distinguish you from the flock of other applicants. Reread the resume a couple times to make sure it is free from grammatical and spelling inconsistencies, and that it is formatted correctly throughout. Avoid making it too long or sloppy. After you have added the finishing touches, print it out and take a copy with you to the interview.

Read Up on the Facility

Doing some background research on the facility will serve to not only get you acquainted with the company’s profile, mission statement, and philosophy, but it’ll also help you as you imagine seeing yourself working there. This step is often overlooked by most applicants, but by taking this step it’ll be obvious to your employer that you did your research.  As you search through the website, keep a pen and paper handy so you can write down any questions that may come to mind.

Do Not Let Yourself Get Caught Off Guard

While it is impossible to prepare for everything, make sure that the interview goes as smoothly as possible by drafting up some of the questions you can imagine being asked, and practice answering them with friends or family. Your goal should not be to memorize anything, just be yourself! Make sure you feel comfortable answering the basics. You will look calm and collected, even if they throw in a surprise question or two. Here is a list of the questions they are most likely going to ask:

• Why did you go into veterinary medicine?
• What makes you an amazing veterinarian?
• Why do you prefer mixed animal practice?
• What are your personal top three priorities when at work with an animal?
• What is your strongest practice area and why?
• What do you consider to be your weaknesses? Your strengths?
• Why are you interested in practicing here instead of elsewhere?
• What do you feel you can bring to this hospital/clinic?

Raise Your Own Questions

After you are done answering their interview questions, your employer will give you the chance to ask them any questions that you may have. Keep them business-related: the questions should focus on the company and the position. Hold off asking about compensation and benefits until after you have secured the job. Here are some sample questions you can ask them at the end of the interview:

• What is the call schedule like?
• What is the number of animals I can expect to see daily?
• What are the policies and procedures for handling employee concerns?
• How often does the hospital conduct performance reviews?
• What is the system like that handles all patient information? Is it all computerized?

Look Your Best!

Before you head out to your interview, make sure you’ve picked out only the most professional clothes that are clean, new, and appropriate. As you rummage through your closet, think professional: nothing revealing, torn or old. Try to go for dress shirts, blouses, slacks and a tie.