Resume Tips
Resume Tips for Veterinarians: How to Land Your Dream Role
Crafting a resume as a veterinarian can feel overwhelming. Unlike other professions, veterinary roles require a unique combination of clinical experience, technical skills, certifications, and people skills that need to be presented clearly and professionally. Your resume isn’t meant to tell your entire life story, it’s your foot in the door and your chance to secure an interview.
The purpose of a strong veterinary resume is to give hiring managers a clear, easy-to-navigate overview of your qualifications while highlighting your value as a veterinary professional. Whether you’re a new graduate veterinarian, an experienced DVM, medical director, or a board-certified veterinary specialist, a well-structured resume can make a significant difference in today’s competitive veterinary job market.
Below is a comprehensive guide to creating a veterinary resume that gets you noticed.
1. Keep It Simple and Professional
Veterinary resumes should be clean, concise, and easy to read. A common mistake among new veterinarians, is trying to stand out with colourful graphics, icons, paw prints, photos, or overly stylised templates. While these may look fun and add personality, most veterinary employers strongly prefer a formal, professional layout that highlights your experience, not your design skills.
Recommended resume length:
New-graduate veterinarians: One page is typically sufficient.
Experienced veterinarians: One to two pages is appropriate, especially if you have several clinical roles, advanced training, certifications, or research experience.
Board-certified veterinary specialists: Two pages is generally acceptable due to the level of clinical detail, residency experience, publications, and specialty caseloads involved.
Extra tip - Avoid going beyond two pages, busy practice owners and hospital managers rarely have time to read lengthy resumes.
Formatting tips:
Use clear, easy-to-read fonts. (Arial, Calibri, Verdana)
Keep margins standard. (1 inch on all sides)
Use consistent headings and spacing.
Bullet points should be short and scannable.
Avoid dense, lengthy paragraphs.
The number one goal is clarity. A veterinary practice / hiring manager should be able to skim your experience in under 30 seconds and immediately understand your skill set.
2. Structure Your Resume Thoughtfully
A well-organized resume allows hiring managers, whether they are hospital owners, lead veterinarians, or recruiters, to quickly find the information they care about most.
Here’s a proven structure that works well for veterinarians:
Experience (Newest to Oldest)
Lead with your clinical experience. This is often the most important section on a veterinary resume.
Include:
Job title and hospital name.
Location. (city and state)
Dates of employment. (always include months)
Bullet points outlining key responsibilities and achievements.
Including months (not just years) shows transparency and avoids gaps in employment.
Example:
Associate Veterinarian | Small Animal & Exotic Hospital | Dallas, TX | Jan 2023 - Present
Managed daily patient caseload of 20+ appointments.
Performed 10–12 soft-tissue surgeries per week, including spays/neuters, mass removals, and C-sections.
Implemented new pain-management protocols, reducing post-op complications by 15%.
Collaborated with specialists for complex cases, improving referral efficiency.
3. Education (Newest to Oldest)
List your academic background directly after your experience. Include:
Veterinary school and degree. (e.g., DVM, BVSc, VMD)
Graduation year.
Relevant honours, distinctions, scholarships, or leadership roles.
If you're a new grad, you can add more detail here (externships, senior rotations, research, etc.) since you may not yet have extensive clinical experience.
4. Additional Experience
This section is often undervalued but extremely important in the veterinary field. Include any experience relevant to clinical practice or animal care, such as:
Clinical research or published studies.
Specialty internships or residencies.
Shelter medicine, wildlife rehabilitation, or emergency volunteer work.
Leadership roles in veterinary organisations. (SAVMA, AVMA, state associations)
Industry/company experience. (pharmaceutical, nutrition, consulting)
Telemedicine experience.
Continuing education courses or workshops.
Unpaid roles are absolutely worth including, they demonstrate commitment to the profession and a passion for animal health and welfare.
5. Highlight Your Achievements, Not Just Responsibilities
Listing duties shows what you were supposed to do.
Listing achievements shows what you actually accomplished.
Veterinary employers are increasingly looking for data-driven, results-oriented resumes. Whenever possible, include quantifiable outcomes.
Examples of quantifiable veterinary achievements:
Caseload. (Examined 15–25 patients per day)
Surgical contribution. (Performed 200+ soft tissue surgeries annually)
Client satisfaction scores.
Reduced wait times or improved clinic workflow.
Increased compliance in dental care or preventive care programs.
Built long-term client relationships.
Expanded exotic animal services within the clinic.
Using numbers provides concrete evidence of your capabilities and sets you apart from other applicants.
6. Include a Detailed Skills Section
A strong skills section is especially important because many veterinary hospitals use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). These systems scan your resume for keywords, meaning the right terms can help you appear in more searches.
Clinical and Technical Skills to Consider
Soft tissue surgery.
Orthopedic surgery.
Dentistry and dental radiography.
Abdominal ultrasound.
Diagnostic imaging interpretation.
Emergency and critical care.
Internal medicine case management.
Anesthesia and pain management.
Dermatology.
Feline-friendly handling.
Exotic pet medicine.
Soft Skills Matter Too
Veterinary employers value:
Client communication.
Team leadership.
Mentorship.
Problem-solving.
Time management.
Collaborative care.
Certifications to Include
Fear Free Certification.
USDA Accreditation.
DEA License.
State Veterinary License(s).
RECOVER CPR Certification.
AVMA Professional Liability Insurance.
Specialty certifications. (surgery, dentistry, behaviour, internal medicine)
Be specific and avoid vague terms. For example, instead of saying “experience with surgery,” list:
“Performed 8–12 elective surgeries weekly including spays/neuters, lumpectomies, and pyometras.”
7. Consider Adding a Personal Statement
While not essential, a brief personal summary at the top of your resume can help hiring managers quickly understand your strengths and interests. Keep it short, 2–3 sentences max.
Example Personal Statement
“Compassionate small-animal veterinarian with five years of experience in surgery and preventive care. Skilled in client communication, case management, and building long-term relationships. Seeking a collaborative clinic that values patient-focused medicine and continued professional growth.”
Avoid clichés or overly vague statements like “hard-working veterinarian looking for a challenging role.”
8. Proofread Carefully
Even one typo can raise red flags for practice owners. Veterinary employers expect attention to detail, misspelled drug names, incorrect dates, or inconsistent formatting can make an otherwise strong DVM look careless.
Proofreading Tips
Read your resume out loud.
Print it and review it on paper.
Ask a trusted colleague or mentor to proofread it.
Use spellcheck, but don’t rely entirely on it.
Your resume is a professional document, accuracy matters.
9. Emphasize Continuing Education and Volunteer Work
Veterinary medicine is constantly evolving. Clinics value veterinarians who invest in ongoing learning and community involvement.
Include:
CE conferences. (AVMA, VMX, WVC, state conferences)
Workshops or online training. (VIN, VetFolio, etc.)
Leadership or mentorship programs.
Shelter volunteer work.
Disaster response or wildlife rescue participation.
These demonstrate growth, initiative, and dedication beyond day-to-day clinical duties.
10. Tailor Your Resume for Each Veterinary Job
One of the biggest mistakes veterinarians make is sending the same generic resume to every clinic. Tailoring your resume shows you’ve done your research and understand what the hospital needs.
How to tailor effectively:
Mirror keywords from the job description.
Prioritize experience that aligns with the hospitals focus.
Adjust your personal statement to match the position.
Highlight relevant CE, skills, or caseload types.
Example:
If applying to a surgery-heavy practice, place surgical skills at the top of your skills list and expand on surgical achievements in your experience section. This makes your resume more relevant and increases your chances of getting interviewed.
11. Remember: The Resume Is Just the Beginning
Your resume is the starting point, not the entire story. It’s purpose is simple, to get you in the door for an interview.
Once you're speaking with a practice owner or recruiter, they will be looking for:
Your communication style.
Clinical reasoning.
Ability to work within a team.
Cultural fit.
Passion for veterinary medicine.
A polished, keyword-rich, professional resume opens doors. It’s your first impression, and in a competitive veterinary job market, it can make all the difference in landing your dream role.
If you’re feeling unsure about how to present your experience or simple want a fresh set of eyes on your resume, we’re always here to help. Crafting a strong veterinary resume can be the key to unlocking new opportunities, and you don’t have to navigate that process alone. Whether you need guidance, feedback, or full resume support, we’re happy to assist. Feel free to get in touch anytime, we’re committed to helping veterinary professionals showcase their strengths and land the roles they deserve.