Animal Shelter Volunteer Resume Example
- 30% higher chance of getting a job‡
- 42% higher response rate from recruiters‡
Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community while gaining valuable job skills and experience. It’s also an effective way to get your foot in the door at a nonprofit where you might like to work one day. Even if your only goal is to give of your time, applying for a volunteer position with a professional resume will demonstrate your commitment to and enthusiasm for the organization.
As an animal shelter volunteer, you may perform a wide variety of tasks from answering phones to cleaning cages. Your resume summary is a good place to indicate that you are a flexible team player who is willing to do whatever needs to be done. It’s also the perfect place to mention your love of animals. Of course, you should include any past experience working with animals, but don’t forget that the organization may also be interested in your administrative and customer service skills.
Have a look at our animal shelter volunteer sample resume for more ideas on how to write a knockout resume.
Animal Shelter Volunteer Resume Questions
1. What does a good animal shelter volunteer resume look like?
Working in an animal shelter offers plenty of rewards to people who enjoy helping the most vulnerable creatures. Getting a volunteer position at an animal shelter is possible if you write a strong resume that impresses the hiring manager. A good resume for this type of job should provide examples of how you’ve excelled with responsibility, dependability, attention to detail, and knowledge of animal care. Our animal shelter volunteer resume sample is a good place to start to see an example of how you should write your own document.
2. How can you highlight team experience on an animal shelter volunteer resume?
Animal shelter volunteers need to prove to the employer that they have an ability to work well on a team. Animal shelters are only successful if everyone on the team contributes to the common goal of providing excellent care to all species. You can showcase your teamwork ability by including specific examples of your successes when working with others. In the work history section, give examples of your teamwork skills with details about projects you’ve helmed and tasks you’ve completed with team members.
3. How many skills should you put on an animal shelter volunteer resume?
The skills section of your resume is an ideal place to give evidence of your ability to be a great volunteer at the animal shelter. You can put this part of the resume near the top of your document, as shown in the animal shelter volunteer resume sample. The best way to write this section is to have a list of job skills featured in the advertisement, such as compassion and experience with different types of animals. You can also write about soft skills employers appreciate, such as time management and detail-oriented. Most resumes include no more than seven or eight skills in the list.
4. How do you make an animal shelter volunteer resume with no experience?
Many candidates for a volunteer job may not have any experience. It’s still possible to land a job as a volunteer in an animal care facility, as long as you focus on what your skills and talents are. Instead of using the common chronological style resume format, as shown in the animal shelter volunteer resume sample, opt for the functional resume style. With this type of resume, you can organize all of your details by skills needed for the job instead of your past employment. You can talk about skills you’ve developed through school and other volunteer positions.
5. How do you write an objective statement for an animal shelter volunteer resume?
Most resumes use a professional summary at the beginning to give employers a 30-second elevator pitch idea of what the candidate offers. In some cases, it’s best to use a resume objective statement to open your resume. For an animal shelter volunteer who doesn’t have any job experience, writing an objective statement is a smart move. You should customize your objective statement for the animal shelter job specifically and summarize your top selling points while also stating your desire for the position. Use our resume builder to start writing your customized objective statement and resume.
Resume Text
Laura Greene
123 Fake Street
City, State, Zip Code
Cell: 000-000-0000
email@email.com
Professional Summary
Compassionate Animal Shelter Volunteer with a broad range of skills working with rescue animals. Experience includes day to day animal care and handling, rehabilitation of injured or abused animals, temperament assessment and placement counseling. Specialize in evaluation of potential foster homes for pets needing extra care.
Highlights
- Animal CPR Certified
- Dog Behavior Specialist
- Adoption counselor
- Kennel maintenance
- Volunteer organizer
Work Experience
October 2012 to February 2015
Company Name-City, State
Animal Shelter Volunteer
- Organized team of 30 volunteers providing daily kennel maintenance and animal care.
- Assisted veterinary team with animal evaluation and treatment.
- Assessed pet behavior to determine adoptability.
- Participated in fund drives and volunteer recruitment.
- Helped save lives of more than 7,000 animals annually.
January 2009 to October 2012
Company Name-City, State
Animal Shelter Volunteer
- Advocated for responsible pet ownership through community outreach.
- Supervised twice-daily feedings of over 70 shelter animals.
- Conducted behavior assessments and provided placement recommendations for adoptable animals.
- Participated in treatment of injured or ill animals under veterinary supervision.
- Walked dogs to provide daily exercise and training opportunities, enhancing adoptability.
December 2007 to January 2009
Company Name-City, State
Animal Shelter Volunteer
- Performed daily kennel duties such as cleaning, feeding and walking.
- Conducted pet meet-and-greet sessions with potential adopters.
- Responsible for care of up to 30 pets daily.
Education
2007 University of California, City, State
Bachelor of Science, Animal Health and Behavior