Although pets are notoriously reluctant to visit them, veterinarians keep our dogs, cats and other animals healthy, vaccinated and spayed or neutered. If this is your field, writing a standout veterinary cover letter is an essential step to getting your next job.
This writing guide will address the basics of writing a veterinary cover letter, including:
- Choosing the best format for a veterinary cover letter
- The six elements of a winning cover letter
- Common mistakes to avoid
For more writing and formatting tips, take a moment to review some of Resume.io’s 180+ other cover letter examples.
Best format for a veterinary cover letter
A veterinary cover letter should be one page only, 400 words max, with the following six parts:
- Header
- Greeting
- Introduction
- Body
- Conclusion
- Sign-off and signature
Pay close attention to the design and layout of your letter, making sure it has a professional, eye-pleasing look, with appropriate use of fonts, margins and white space. Do not use a tiny font size to try to cram a wordy letter onto one page.
Strive for a balanced look, avoiding a letter that is full of text at the top and blank at the bottom. Keep your paragraphs of more or less equal length, and avoid big blocks of unbroken text.
Our comprehensive cover letter writing guide contains useful tips and formatting information to help you create each section of your letter.
Below you’ll find our adaptable veterinary cover letter guide that can be modified for your own experience.
Dear Mrs. Winsome,
As a veterinarian with six years of reptile care experience, I believe my specialization and commitment to care standards for even the smallest animals would add to the Holt Clinic’s outstanding reputation in the field.
My veterinary career has brought experience in diagnosing, treating and performing surgery on all major household pets. Much of my experience is with dogs, cats and rabbits, although I have a particular affinity for snakes and reptiles. Your state-of-the-art reptile care facility is a key reason for my interest in the role.
For the past six years, I have spent my summers volunteering in the reptile house of the Fort Worth Zoo to help them tackle their most difficult cases. Whether the issues are caused by improper enclosure temperatures, Vitamin A deficiency or respiratory problems, much of my time is spent educating as well as treating.
While surgery for reptiles is rare, I have performed an average of 20 procedures a month on a variety of animals and am an expert in the latest surgical techniques. My success rate of 96 percent was higher than the state average of 84 percent. I always make an effort to engage with owners before their pet goes into surgery to explain why we are taking action and patiently answer any questions. I find that once owners better understand their pets, they are much less likely to bring the animal in for a recurrence of common issues.
I enclose a link to over forty letters of recommendation and hope for the opportunity to visit your clinic to discuss how my skills might add to your renowned reptile veterinary team.
Sincerely,
Simona Jakes
Additional cover letter writing guides for related occupations can be found here:
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- Physical Therapist Cover Letter Sample
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- Doctor Cover Letter Sample
- Occupational Therapy Cover Letter Sample
- Pharmacy Technician Cover Letter Sample
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- Healthcare Cover Letter Sample
- Medical Cover Letter Sample
- Physician Assistant Cover Letter Sample
- Veterinary Assistant Cover Letter Sample
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- Phlebotomist Cover Letter Sample
Cover letter header: How to reach you
The cover letter header should contain your name, occupation, address, phone number and email, and you can also add your LinkedIn page or another website that showcases your professional skills. Our adaptable veterinary cover letter sample can give more insight into creating a great header.
Cover letter greeting
The cover letter greeting, also known as a salutation, should usually start with the word “Dear,” followed by “Mr.,” “Ms.” or “Dr.” and the last name of the hiring manager.
Always try to find out the actual name of the person processing applications for the job you’re seeking. If that’s impossible, use a more generic salutation like “Greetings Happy Pet Veterinary Clinic.” You’ll find the greeting from our cover letter sample below.
Dear Mrs. Winsome,
Cover letter introduction
The cover letter introduction, the first paragraph, should be an intriguing opening statement that leads with your most impressive job qualifications, whether that’s your years of experience in the field, your education or something else. Write an opening that compels the hiring manager to keep reading. See the introduction from our veterinary cover letter sample for more ideas.
As a veterinarian with six years of reptile care experience, I believe my specialization and commitment to care standards for even the smallest animals would add to the Holt Clinic’s outstanding reputation in the field.
Cover letter body
The central part of your cover letter, known as the body, should present the meat and potatoes of your case. This section usually focuses on work experience, though it may mention education and special skills as well.
Try to mention why you want to work for this employer in particular to make it obvious that you aren’t just sending the same boilerplate cover letter to all. Check out the body section from our cover letter example below.
My veterinary career has brought experience in diagnosing, treating and performing surgery on all major household pets. Much of my experience is with dogs, cats and rabbits, although I have a particular affinity for snakes and reptiles. Your state-of-the-art reptile care facility is a key reason for my interest in the role.
For the past six years, I have spent my summers volunteering in the reptile house of the Fort Worth Zoo to help them tackle their most difficult cases. Whether the issues are caused by improper enclosure temperatures, Vitamin A deficiency or respiratory problems, much of my time is spent educating as well as treating.
While surgery for reptiles is rare, I have performed an average of 20 procedures a month on a variety of animals and am an expert in the latest surgical techniques. My success rate of 96 percent was higher than the state average of 84 percent. I always make an effort to engage with owners before their pet goes into surgery to explain why we are taking action and patiently answer any questions. I find that once owners better understand their pets, they are much less likely to bring the animal in for a recurrence of common issues.
How to close a veterinary cover letter: conclusion and sign-off
The conclusion of your cover letter, the final paragraph, should include a call to action in which you let the hiring manager know that you look forward to a response. Be sure your tone is not demanding or presumptuous, but let the company know you’d really like to follow up.
The sign-off, sometimes called a complimentary close, is the line that says “Sincerely,” “Best regards,” “All my best,” “Thanks so much” or the like. Add a space below this and type your full name. See our cover letter sample below.
I enclose a link to over forty letters of recommendation and hope for the opportunity to visit your clinic to discuss how my skills might add to your renowned reptile veterinary team.
Sincerely,
Simona Jakes
Mistakes to avoid
- Typos, misspellings and other writing mistakes are unacceptable in a cover letter.
- Do not send the same letter to every potential employer.
- Omit irrelevant info like your hobbies and interests.
- Avoid poor formatting and unattractive design by using a professionally-designed cover letter template.
Key takeaways
- Follow proper cover letter structure to make sure you’ve covered all the bases you need to.
- Check out our veterinary cover letter sample for more insight into creating a great page layout.
Best of luck in our job search. Woof!
