Veterinarian Jobs Overview
Do you love animals? Do you have a passion for practicing medicine and helping those in need? In veterinarian jobs, you can use your skills to nurse ill and injured animals back to perfect health — and build a rewarding career along the way!
In fact, the future of the animal care industry is bright indeed. Thanks to advances in veterinary medicine and increased consumer spending on pet health, the job market for licensed vets is projected to continue growing by 20%.
Practicing vets carry out a variety of medical tasks in treating pets, livestock, and other animals, including:
- Conducting physical examinations
- Completing diagnostic testing
- Dressing and treating wounds
- Performing surgical procedures
- Administering vaccinations
- Prescribing medications
- Euthanizing animals
Salaries for Veterinarian Jobs
As is so often the case, your salary as a veterinarian will depend on your experience, qualifications, location, and industry. Most vets earn between $52,026 and $118,578 per year on average. The national median is $95,015, although you can expect to make more in high-demand cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago.
For more information, check out our salary calculator to see the average income range for veterinarians in your city. We also have salary data on a variety of other positions, allowing you to compare related career paths at a glance.
Find Your Dream Veterinarian Job
Whether living as pets, working on the job, or roaming free in the wild, animals are everywhere. Consequently, there's a need for expert veterinary care across many different industries and settings. While this provides lots of exciting opportunities, it can also make your job search a little overwhelming.
Luckily, we're here to help. To narrow down your options and determine which positions are the best matches for you, consider the following questions:
What Are You Passionate About?
Does the thought of being able to heal sick and injured pets fill you with joy? If so, you're well-suited to working in a companion or small animal practice. In this role, you'll primarily treat cats, dogs, and other household pets, as well as supporting and educating their owners.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, zoo jobs and exotic animal hospitals give you the chance to care for unique animals that most people never see up close. Other roles, such as equine veterinarians, specialize in treating specific species. If you're passionate about working with particular kinds of animals, pursuing opportunities to do what you love can be tremendously rewarding.
What Kind of Workplace Do You Prefer?
Understanding what your ideal work experience looks like can go a long way in helping you find veterinarian jobs you'll love. Do you crave the fresh air, frequent travel, and autonomy that come with being a livestock or food animal vet? Or do you thrive in the structured, team-oriented environment of a private clinic? How important is it for a job to further your professional development or provide a healthy work-life balance?
Similar-sounding jobs can be quite different in practice, so read each listing carefully to understand the role and responsibilities. Researching prospective employers can also help you get a better idea of what to expect. You can learn a lot about a company's culture and priorities from its website and social media profiles, but even customer reviews are often instructive.
Are You the Right Vet for the Job?
The easiest way to ensure a successful job search is to seek out positions that align with your strengths as an animal care provider. If you grew up on a farm, for instance, you may have an advantage when it comes to large animal veterinarian jobs. Got a gift for keeping a steady hand during high-stakes operations? An animal hospital may be the perfect place for you.
In addition, some veterinarian positions may have requirements beyond a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree. Review each posting before applying to determine whether you have the appropriate qualifications.
How to Apply to Veterinarian Jobs
If you're hoping to land your dream job, you'll first need to buff up your application with a perfectly tailored resume. Fortunately, we've developed step-by-step instructions to guide you through the entire job application process.
1. Study the Job Description
Before you submit applications, carefully read each job description you plan to pursue. If any employers have requested specific documents or included additional details on how to complete their applications, make notes and be sure to follow their instructions.
Study the listings that interest you and write down the most common job-related words and phrases, such as "veterinary medicine," "animal care," and "surgery." Next, identify a few critical skills and traits for each job. Typical examples may include "communication," "dexterity," "problem-solving," and "compassion." These will serve as the keywords you should naturally incorporate throughout your resume.
2. Assemble Your Resume with Care
A high-quality resume is both functional and compelling. It conveys all the information an employer needs to make hiring decisions, but it also persuades and attracts attention. As you can see from our sample veterinarian resume, there are several key principles to achieving this. They include:
- Making your contact information easily identifiable.
- Clearly and concisely summarizing your strengths as a veterinarian.
- Highlighting position-specific skills and competencies.
- Quantifying achievements with concrete numbers and examples.
Showing a bit of personality in writing and formatting can make your resume more unique but remember to keep it simple. When in doubt, brevity and professionalism are always best.
Of course, the easiest way to ensure your application is suitably impressive is to leave it to the professionals. Monster's certified resume writers craft attention-grabbing resumes and more, delivering real results that showcase your qualifications in the best possible light.
3. Craft an Impactful Cover Letter
A cover letter may or may not be necessary when applying for veterinarian jobs. Nonetheless, it's always a worthwhile inclusion.
In effect, your cover letter acts as an elevator pitch meant to convince an employer to take a closer look at your resume. To do this, provide a brief overview of your skills and experiences and how they relate to the position you're seeking. In addition, briefly explain why you're passionate about the job and the employer.
4. Start Submitting Applications
With a top-notch resume in hand, the next step is to create a Monster account and set up your profile. This will allow you to upload your resume, quickly locate and apply to veterinarian jobs, set up custom alerts, and much more. You'll even be able to get noticed by recruiters in your field.
Following Up with an Employer
Deciding when and how to follow up after submitting an application can be very stressful. If you make contact too soon, will you annoy your prospective employer? If you wait too long, will you lose your shot? What are you even supposed to say?
We went straight to the source to find the answers, asking a panel of recruiting experts about the dos and don'ts of application follow-up etiquette. Their advice?
- DO: Wait at least a week before reaching out
- DO: Make sure the employer hasn't requested no follow-ups
- DO: Address your follow-up to the person in charge of hiring
- DO: Show enthusiasm and restate the value you bring to the position
- DON'T: Be overzealous or long-winded in your message
- DON'T: Get discouraged if you don't get a reply
Interviewing Tips for Veterinarian Jobs
Job interviews are your chance to prove that you're more than just a collection of skills and qualifications. By learning how to consistently deliver great performances, you're sure to cement your status as a top candidate for any veterinarian jobs you decide to pursue.
Come Prepared To Make an Impression
A job interview is a lot like a test in school. The more you study, the easier and less stressful it becomes. To prepare effectively, you'll need to anticipate the interview questions you're most likely to be asked.
This is where it's helpful to think like a prospective employer. What skills and personality traits are they looking for in a new hire? What experiences might they want to know about? Understanding the employer's values and the duties of the role can give you a better idea of the questions you should be prepared to answer. Examples include:
- What made you want to work as a veterinarian?
- What skills do you feel are most important in treating animals?
- What was your most difficult or unexpected case? How did you handle it?
- Have you ever received a complaint from a client? What did you do?
Before you head off for your interview, make sure you look your best as well. Choose well-fitting clothes that are appropriate for the workplace. Bonus points if you also arrive with resumes, references, and any other materials you may need.
Listen Closely and Be Specific
To become a true job interview superstar, you'll need to master the art of active listening. This can help you deliver clearer, more precise answers while showing that you understand the importance of effective communication. It's also surprisingly easy. The fundamental skills of an active listener include:
- Letting people speak without interrupting them or engaging in distractions
- Observing body postures, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues
- Maintaining eye contact and displaying attentive body language
- Asking for clarification and confirmation when necessary
- Recalling and incorporating previous information
Veterinarians often have to absorb and communicate a lot of information in stressful, distracting environments, so demonstrating active listening is critical. When appropriate, you can reinforce this point by giving detailed examples of situations in which your communication skills helped you do your job more effectively.
Wrap Up Your Interview the Right Way
At the end of your interview, you'll likely be given a chance to ask your own questions. Instead of simply declining, this is your time to take the initiative. Asking a few relevant and insightful questions can give you valuable feedback while also showing that you're a serious and engaged candidate. For instance:
- What is your onboarding process for new veterinarians?
- What is the caseload typically like? How do you handle overbooking?
- Do you offer opportunities for professional development and advancement?
Finally, save yourself some stress by inquiring about the next steps in the hiring process. Will there be a working interview if you're selected? Who should you contact if you have questions? When can you expect a decision?
Unless instructed otherwise, feel free to follow up by phone or email if you haven't heard back within the time frame you're given. Again, keep your message brief and polite while reiterating your enthusiasm for the veterinarian position.
What To Do When You Get an Offer
Getting a job offer is always a big deal, but it's important not to lose sight of your goals. There's still work to be done if you want to make sure you've found the right gig.
Contact the employer promptly to confirm that you've received the offer and express your gratitude. Unless you've already made up your mind, it's usually wise to request some time to review the offer. Is the salary commensurate with other veterinarian jobs in your area? Are the benefits in line with what you expected?
If the offered compensation falls short of expectations, don't feel pressured to accept it. Even if you've been out of work for a while, negotiating your job offer may help you secure a better deal that matches your value as an employee.
Career Paths for Veterinarian Jobs
There are many career paths you can follow with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree. Starting a private practice may be especially appealing if you aspire to be your own boss. If you'd rather push the bounds of veterinary science, perhaps a research or teaching role in the public sector is in your future.
Ultimately, the most lucrative advancement opportunities lie in becoming a board-certified veterinary specialist. This requires completion of an extensive postgraduate education, training, and residency program in one or more of the fields recognized by the American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS). Some of the highest-paid and most in-demand roles among veterinary specialists include:
- Veterinary radiologist
- Veterinary surgeon
- Veterinary pharmacist
- Veterinary ophthalmologist
- Veterinary dentist
Similar Occupations
If you have a passion for working with animals, check out these other occupations you may find rewarding: