As a veterinary technology (VET TECH) graduate, you should create a career-specific resume which highlights your relevant work experience through a required internship, clinical experience in a veterinary setting, or previous experience in a related environment, such as an animal shelter or a tech center program. (Click Veterinary Technology Resume Template and use the instructions below to create your resume.)
Instructions for creating a veterinary technology resume:
A. Heading
List your contact information at the top center like this:
JACQUELINE WILLIAMS, CVT
Street Address, City, MI 00000
(000) 000-0000 jwilliamsemail@gmail.com
LinkedIn Profile/Customized URL
*List your credentials after your name when you have successfully passed your VTNE licensing exam: JACQUELINE WILLIAMS, CVT
B. Professional Qualifications
Begin your resume with a summary of your professional qualifications. To write the bulleted statements in this section, be sure to begin each statement with an action verb or strong adjective and use keywords, requirements, and preferences mentioned in the job posting. (For more information see Begin Your Resume with Professional Qualifications and 185 Action Verbs That Will Make Your Resume Awesome.) Below is an example:
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
• Show a consistently professional manner through teamwork and high-quality patient care
• Competent in working with companion animals, exotic animals, and production animals
• Excellent verbal, non-verbal, written, and electronic communication skills (IMPORTANT: specify the electronic system you are proficient in if it is mentioned in the job posting)
C. Education
Place your education information directly after the PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS section. You may include any colleges at which you have completed courses or from which you have obtained a degree. See the example below which shows how to list your degree:
EDUCATION
Baker College City, MI Expected graduation 05/0000
Associate of Applied Science Honors: Dean’s List
Veterinary Technology GPA 0.0
If you had a relevant major or a specific education track, you may list them below your degree. Other optional information: honors, GPA if 3.5+
D. Licenses/Certifications
List licenses or certifications granted by a governing body. If they are listed as requirements in the job posting, choose the optimum place on the resume for this information. Below is an example:
LICENSES/CERTIFICATIONS
• Graduate of CVTEA-accredited program
• Veterinary Technician License-Michigan Pending/Obtained 00/0000
• Fear Free Certification-Level I Obtained 00/0000
• Veterinary Technician National Licensing Exam Pending/Successfully completed
E. Clinical Education and Experience
A veterinary technician’s clinical education and experience are important examples of professional experience. List your clinical education and experience (in reverse chronological order) followed by a WORK EXPERIENCE section if you have other job experience. Below is the recommended format:
CLINICAL EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Lakeshore Animal Hospital Grand City, MI Spring 0000 /Hours: 240
Veterinarian Technician Intern
• Completed all tasks and reports and communicated results to the veterinarian in a timely manner
• Carefully prepared and positioned over 50 patients for imaging, following orders exactly to obtain accurate images
• Ensured patient comfort by assisting veterinarian in exams with patience and compassion
• Carefully completed surgical prep, anesthesia monitoring and recovery monitoring to ensure patient health and safety
• Assisted with phlebotomy and IV catheter placement with strict attention to required protocols
F. Work Experience
List non-medical work experience with two to three bullets which highlight soft skills. Also, be sure to list related medical experience outside of your clinical education and experience which would be desirable to the employer (e.g., Clinic Receptionist, Kennel Technician) and highlight transferable skills.
G. Optional Sections
ORGANIZATIONS/VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Member of Student Chapter National Association of 0000–0000
Veterinary Technicians in America (SCNAVTA)
• This section can be useful for those with little professional experience who have gained transferable job skills.
• Depending on the length of your resume and your goals, the ORGANIZATIONS/VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE section can simply be a list of your titles and the organizations or can include duties/achievements as in the CLINICAL EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
SPECIAL SKILLS/ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. essay scholarship