Veterinary academia jobs: 4 top application tips

Lecture Hall by Avery, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

Landing a job to teach veterinary science and animal care is a dream come true for many applicants, offering the opportunity to take on a role that allows them to focus on their passion and pass it on to the next generation.

For this reason, the application process for many roles in veterinary academia is extremely competitive. This vet times jobs article offers four tips that could help you find your ideal position:
 

1. Highlight the most relevant experience on your CV

Typically, roles in veterinary academia will entail providing student support, delivering lectures, writing course content and attending seminars and exhibitions – not to mention running training programmes.

Your resume should highlight any experience that relates to these duties on the job specification, detailing what you did and focusing on your successes.
 

2. Make the most of shadowing opportunities

Many universities and colleges offer the opportunity to come in and shadow a lecturer for the day, enabling a prospective applicant to get a feel for the job prior to putting themselves forward for a role. Not only is this a brilliant opportunity to develop a flavour for the life of a lecturer, it is also a good chance to get your foot in the door by meeting some of the staff at an institution.

3. Demonstrate flexibility and time management skills

Your multitasking capabilities will be put to the test as a veterinary lecturer, so the experience you choose to highlight will go a long way if it showcases situations when you have been under pressure to deliver multiple projects to tight deadlines.

Lecturing is far from the 9-5 job many perceive it to be, so make sure your application demonstrates you can handle a varied schedule.

4. Familiarise yourself with the current curriculum

Properly researching a role is key, and if you can develop a firm understanding of the subjects of the main modules on a course, you will give yourself a head start.

Once you know what pupils are being taught, you will be better placed to display your own knowledge of these subjects in the application process, and even put forward your own teaching ideas in relation to them.