Fantastic veterinarian CV examples for you to use

Showcase your experience in veterinary medicine by following a fantastic veterinarian CV example and using a CV template from CVHelp.

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Table of Contents

  1. Veterinarian CV example
  2. What to highlight in a veterinarian CV?
  3. The structure of a veterinarian CV example
  4. Do’s and don’ts for a veterinarian CV
  5. FAQ: Veterinarian CV

Veterinarian CV example

Veterinarians are responsible for diagnosing health problems, administering vaccines, treating injuries, prescribing medication and so much more. Your veterinarian CV must show your expertise in veterinary medicine to make you stand out from other candidates. This includes highlighting the necessary technical skills, certifications and years of experience to land the best veterinary job. The perfect veterinary CV will demonstrate you can be trusted by pet owners for their pet care with a clear outlining of your credentials as a licensed veterinarian.

What to highlight in a veterinarian CV?

A veterinarian must be a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine to practice – a professional CV will make this clear. Yet, the best CV will highlight all the skills you have developed through your experience to help you stand out.
 
This may mean knowledge of surgical procedures, immunisations or expertise in critical care. Do you specialize in small animals or large animals? The perfect CV will highlight your specialties for hiring managers so they can judge if you will be a good fit for their animal hospital or veterinary clinic.

The structure of a veterinarian CV example

Whatever the CV, there are obligatory sections: header, CV summary or objective, skills, work experience and education. Your CV should include these section to best showcase your abilities:
 
Header
 
It is essential to make it convenient for the recruiter to contact you. That’s why the header always sits at the top of your CV. Include your full name, phone number and email address. It’s also a good idea to add links to any of your job networking profiles such as LinkedIn.
 
CV Summary or Objective
 
This section is where you feature your professional CV summary – a brief outline of your career background that is no longer than two or three sentences. Use it to highlight your specialties in animal healthcare. A CV objective, on the other hand, is a brief statement that communicates your career goals if you don’t have many years of work experience under your belt.
 
Skills
 

To land your dream veterinarian role, you must demonstrate you have the skills to perform your duties. However, it’s not just about the technical and hard skills, You’ll also need to show you have the soft skills required. Refer to  the specific job description. A veterinarian CV may include some of the following skills:

  • Passion for animal care
  • Knowledge of diagnostic tests
  • Conducting vaccinations
  • Performing dental procedures
  • Spaying/neutering
  • Excellent interpersonal skills 
  • Excellent communication skillsAttention to detail
  •  
  • Ability to work under pressure

Remember that each veterinary clinic or animal hospital may place different demands on its veterinarians. Check the job description to ensure you are highlighting the skills applicable to the role advertised.

 
Work Experience
 
In reverse chronological order, list your previous relevant experience in this section. Below each role, list your responsibilities and duties briefly, using action words to highlight your ability to perform those tasks.
 
List veterinary roles that show your broad skill set. Hiring managers want to see that you have experience in all aspects of veterinary practices and procedures. To this end, listing any voluntary work or internships can help add an extra element to your veterinary CV. Some employers require evidence of voluntary work, so be sure to look out for that in the job description. It is good to share quantifiable metrics related to your work experience. This gives evidence of your veterinarian skills.
 
If you are a fresh graduate or don’t have much experience, then you will have to make the most of the experiences gained during your time at college. In that case, the education section should come before the work experience section.
 
Education
 
Veterinarians must complete a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree at an accredited college of veterinary medicine. State this clearly in your education section. In addition, veterinarians have to pass state exams to obtain their license as rules and regulations of veterinary practice vary from state to state. Be sure to acquire  the necessary credentials and share them in this section.

Do’s and don’ts for a veterinarian CV

Do:

  • Make sure to edit your CV. Take the time to make sure your CV is error-free and reads well. Recruiters may dismiss CVs with grammatical and spelling errors.
  • Customize your CV for the job description. Veterinarian roles can vary, so check the job duties and make sure you address them in your CV. If you are applying to work with large animals at a zoo, then focusing on experience with small animal medicine is not a good idea.
  • Establish your specialist knowledge, if any. The hiring manager at the vet clinic or animal hospital needs to see that you are highly qualified for the position. Show this by using the correct terminology.

Don’t:

  • Don’t lie or exaggerate about your skills and experience on your CV. You will get found out at the interview stage. Don’t claim anything you can’t follow up with evidence.
  • Overfill your experience section with too many roles that aren’t relevant. It’s a fine line with veterinarian roles since employers like to see a broad skill set, but try to offer just the highlights. No recruiter wants to scour through pages of previous roles. If they want to know more, then they can ask during an interview.
  • Write your CV without any help. That’s what the CVHelp CV builder is there for.

FAQ: Veterinarian CV

Q: What are soft skills for veterinarians?

Besides the technical skills needed, veterinarians also need soft skills. Veterinarians must skillfully communicate with pet and animal owners so they can share important information like treatment plans. They must also have compassion and patience to help put animals at ease. Veterinarians can find themselves in high-pressure situations, so it’s vital to have soft skills like decision-making and dependability.

Q: How do I put a DVM on my CV?

You need to emphasize that you are a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) on your CV. List the college name, years attended and degree with major and minors. Don’t forget to share your undergraduate degree, too.

Q: Do I need to include a cover letter for a veterinarian application?

You should always include a cover letter for your job application to add detail and show a personal touch. Take a look at our advice for an effective cover letter.

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