It is great to be back at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Werribee as Practitioner in Residence for the second year!
I will attempt to record my tutorial material here as a source to students at Melbourne and elsewhere to use as a resource.
Many students are most concerned about finding jobs in the current apparently oversupplied veterinary market. However, there are jobs out there, and in some cases, employers prefer enthusiastic young vets with their up to date knowledge.
A good CV and cover letter is essential to the job application process. Although graduation is still almost a year away, I believe this information is relevant.
Cover letters matter a lot! This may be your only chance to impress your potential employer without a face to face meeting. After all you are competing with other people who have the exact same level of education as yourself. This is your opportunity to show that you are passionate about the job. This letter serves as a selling tool and a short summary of your resume, stressing the highlights.
However, do not try to oversell yourself and risk coming across as arrogant. The person reading your cover letter must want to meet you and work with you every day!
Choose the positions you apply for. If a practice is advertising for a senior vet with management experience, obviously a new graduate will not be successful.
Reread your cover letter carefully and more than once to check for spelling mistakes and awkward sentence construction. Justify the margins for a neat appearance.
Make sure that your cover letter matches the job that you are applying for, and never ever mix them up in the mail! Do not rush your cover letter!
Mistakes one should avoid before sending out a CV include the following:
Not following instructions
Job advertisements will usually indicate how they want to receive applications. Make sure you follow their guidelines.
Incorrect format
Ensure that the resume looks good and that the formatting opens on all computers. A prospective employer often will not go through the trouble to get the formatting to work, especially if he/she has several other applicants.
Professional email address
As a student you may call yourself anything you like, but on a job application to a vet clinic "catslayer@gmail.com" just won't cut it! It may be worth opening a second account for job applications
Spelling mistakes
Do a spell check and ask someone else to read through your CV and cover letter for spelling as well as grammar mistakes.
Forgetting the interviewer's name.
The name of the person receiving the applications is usually on the job advertisement. Pay attention that you use it correctly. If you get an interview, other people may be involved. Establish who they are in advance.
Sending applications to the wrong company
If you are applying for several jobs and have tailored your cover letter and CV to fit (as you should), it could happen that you inadvertently send the wrong application to a specific company. Keep the different copies clearly labelled and well organised on your computer and double check before you press send!
Not being specific
Be specific about your accomplishments. If you say I am a fast worker, give examples - e.g. "when assisting at a spay clinic, managed to spay 15 dogs in a day."
When drawing up your resume, follow an accepted format :
Many websites have templates or examples. The website of the AVA has very useful information for members.
A resume should be short and concise. For an entry level position one page should suffice. If relevant, two pages are acceptable.
