Home Dog Groomer Resume template
Dog Groomer resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what dog groomers actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most dog groomers should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Dog groomer with hands-on experience bathing, clipping and styling dogs across a range of breeds and temperaments. Skilled at reading canine body language, spotting early skin and coat health issues, and keeping both dogs and owners calm and satisfied. Comfortable working in a salon, mobile van or retail grooming environment.
Key skills
- Animal care and handling
- Electric clippers and grooming shears
- Dog dryers and grooming tables
- Nail grinders
- Breed-standard coat trimming
- Skin, ear and nail health checks
- Customer service and client communication
- Physical stamina and dexterity
- Empathy and calm animal handling
- Problem solving under time pressure
Experience: example bullet points
- Bathed, dried and de-shedded dogs of varying coat types using breed-appropriate shampoos and dryers, keeping appointment times on schedule across a full daily booking sheet
- Trimmed and styled coats to breed standard or owner preference using clippers, shears and thinning tools, building a base of repeat clients who requested the same groomer
- Checked skin, ears, nails and coat condition at each appointment, referring several dogs to a veterinarian for issues such as ear infections or skin lesions before they worsened
- Handled anxious, elderly and first-time grooming clients with calm, low-stress techniques, reducing the need for extended settling time on later visits
- Maintained and sanitised grooming tools, tables and salon equipment daily in line with workplace hygiene and WHS requirements
Education
Typically entered through on-the-job training or a Certificate II in Animal Care or Certificate III in Animal Care Services (Pet Grooming) at a TAFE or registered training organisation; standalone dog grooming certificates are available and useful but not mandatory for entry.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- dog grooming
- companion animal services
- breed standard trim
- coat care
- de-shedding
- canine handling
- animal welfare
- pet retail
- mobile grooming
- Certificate III Animal Studies
- clipper maintenance
- nail trimming
- skin and ear checks
- client communication
- WHS animal handling
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.