Resume guide · Job Zone 5

Veterinariansresume guide.

Diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals. A strong Veterinarians resume shows active listening, reading comprehension and active learning, and names the tools you have worked with, such as Microsoft Access, Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Outlook.

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01Also called

O*NET
Companion Animal PractitionerDoctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)Emergency Veterinarian (Emergency Vet)Large Animal Veterinarian (Large Animal Vet)Mixed Animal Veterinarian (Mixed Animal Vet)Small Animal Veterinarian (Small Animal Vet)Veterinary Medicine Doctor (DVM)Veterinary Surgeon (Vet Surgeon)Veterinary Surgical Specialist (Vet Surgical Specialist)Zoo Veterinarian (Zoo Vet)

02Skills employers expect

O*NET

Importance is how much the skill matters to the job; level is how much of it the job demands. Both are worth naming on the resume, in this order.

SkillImportanceLevel
Active ListeningVery highAdvanced
Reading ComprehensionVery highAdvanced
Active LearningVery highAdvanced
Complex Problem SolvingHighIntermediate
Critical ThinkingHighAdvanced
Judgment and Decision MakingHighAdvanced
ScienceHighAdvanced
SpeakingHighAdvanced
WritingHighAdvanced
Service OrientationHighIntermediate

03Knowledge areas

O*NET
  • Biology
  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • English Language
  • Mathematics
  • Education and Training
  • Chemistry
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Administration and Management
  • Psychology

04Common responsibilities

O*NET

Ordered by importance. Each one is a bullet waiting for a result and a number.

  1. Treat sick or injured animals by prescribing medication, setting bones, dressing wounds, or performing surgery.
  2. Inoculate animals against various diseases, such as rabies or distemper.
  3. Examine animals to detect and determine the nature of diseases or injuries.
  4. Collect body tissue, feces, blood, urine, or other body fluids for examination and analysis.
  5. Operate diagnostic equipment, such as radiographic or ultrasound equipment, and interpret the resulting images.
  6. Educate the public about diseases that can be spread from animals to humans.
  7. Counsel clients about the deaths of their pets or about euthanasia decisions for their pets.
  8. Advise animal owners regarding sanitary measures, feeding, general care, medical conditions, or treatment options.
  9. Euthanize animals.
  10. Attend lectures, conferences, or continuing education courses.

05Software and tools

O*NET

20 tools across 9 categories. The six largest categories are below; Hot marks a hot technology, In demand a tool employers ask for most often.

Medical software11
  • IDEXX Laboratories IDEXX Cornerstone
  • American Data Systems PAWS Veterinary Practice Management
  • Complete Clinic
  • Eklin Information Systems VIA
  • Henry Schein ImproMed
  • ImproMed Infinity
  • InformaVet ALIS-VET
  • IntraVet
  • Mobile Data Software VetInfo
  • Sneakers Software DVMax Practice
  • Vetport
+ 6 more
Data base user interface and query software2
Document management software1
Electronic mail software1
Internet browser software1
Office suite software1
Presentation software1
Spreadsheet software1
Word processing software1

06Education and preparation

O*NET
Typical education
Doctoral Degree
79% of surveyed workers. Others report Post-Doctoral Training (12%) and First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work (9%).
Preparation level
Job Zone 5 · Extensive preparation
Usually a graduate degree and extensive related experience.

07Putting it on your resume

ResumeXRays guidance
BEE · How to show it

Lead with what you built. For a Job Zone 5 role, hiring managers and parsers both look for outcomes before credentials. Put two or three results at the top of each job entry, with the scale or effect stated plainly.

Name the tools exactly. This occupation is heavy on named software. A skills section that says "Microsoft Access, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office software" matches more job descriptions than a general phrase. Use the spelling employers use.

Show reading comprehension and active learning, not just active listening. Reading comprehension and active learning rank close to active listening for this occupation. One bullet per role that shows a decision, a tradeoff or a result covers them.

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