You may be well-versed in CV writing for part-time jobs or other employment, but veterinary nursing is a committed, high-responsibility career choice and your CV needs to reflect your dedication to pursuing this path.
Here are our tips to help your veterinary nurse CV stand out from the crowd.
Read the job description and tailor your CV to fit
It may seem obvious, but you must make sure you thoroughly read the job description of any role you are applying for. Not only will this help you be certain the role is one you want to take on, but it also allows you to tailor your CV to include the key skills and attributes the employer is looking for.
Don’t just send a template CV, even if it is one that you’ve been over with a fine-tooth comb and has gotten you interviews in the past. You can’t make up new experiences, but if you read the job description carefully, you may realise that you have demonstrated those particular skills in one of your previous roles, and you can tailor your CV to reflect that.
Demonstrate your passion with a short personal profile
A career in veterinary nursing is one that requires commitment, patience and passion, and you will need to outline these traits in your application even before you get to interview stage.
A lot of employers ask applicants to provide cover letters, which are a great way to show your passion and explain why you want the role. However, whether they want a cover letter or not, you should still add a short personal profile in your CV that reflects what you’re all about in a few punchy and effective sentences.
Keep this brief – your personal profile should show who you are and why you want to be a veterinary nurse, but its primary purpose is to frame the rest of the CV and act as an introduction to your experience.
Include relevant work experience and education
If you have had the chance to get some work experience in a veterinary practice or a related animal care environment, then this should be front and centre of any veterinary nurse CV. Any sort of hands-on experience in the field you’re applying for is usually highly sought after by employers.
Whether you have work experience or not, make sure to include all the relevant things you have done. Even experiences that don’t seem relevant to you straight away might be to an employer. Your education shows a dedication to improving yourself and learning more but evidence of previous employment, even part-time work or internships, demonstrates your ability to arrive on time and fulfil the role that has been asked of you.
Include details of your training, qualifications and CPD
As well as any work experience you may have, it’s essential that your CV includes details of all your training, qualifications and Veterinary Continued Professional Development (CPD). Veterinary nurses undergo rigorous training to do what they do, so make sure you outline the work you’ve put in to be able to follow this career path.
Any additional and relevant qualifications or courses you’ve taken should also be included as this shows your dedication to your professional improvement as well as your passion for animal care.
Include skills and personal attributes that make you right for the job
Being a good veterinary nurse requires more than just experience – it also requires having the right character and skill set to succeed in a demanding role. Veterinary nurses need to have passion, dedication and emotional resilience to deal with what can often be an emotionally challenging work environment.
Veterinary nurses also need to be organised, efficient, good at multi-tasking and able to work under pressure. You will have likely demonstrated these qualities in a previous position, work experience, or even your studies, so make sure your CV reflects that.
Related article: What Qualities are Needed for Veterinary Nursing?
Use a clear and simple layout
For all CVs, a clear and simple layout is best. Employers are likely sorting through many veterinary nurse CVs at once and won’t always have the time to read through each thoroughly. This is why a clearly laid out, clean looking CV will stand out.
Make use of section headings so employers can immediately find what they’re looking for if they don’t have the leisure of reading the whole CV at first – they should be able to easily spot your employment history, work experience, skills and profile.
It’s also good practice not to go overboard with eye-catching fonts or colours, these can end up being distracting or looking unprofessional, which will do you an unnecessary disservice.
And finally, make sure to always check for errors – your attention to detail will be key in your role as a veterinary nurse, and grammatical mistakes can raise question marks for employers as to whether that is in your skill set. Get someone else to proofread your CV for you before you send it off – they may spot something you’ve missed even after multiple read-throughs.
Hopefully these tips will help you write a better veterinary nurse CV that will catch employers’ eyes and get you well on your way towards your dream job. Good luck!
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