Home Zookeeper Resume template
Zookeeper resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what zookeepers 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 zookeepers should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Zookeeper with hands-on experience caring for a range of species from reptiles to large mammals, balancing daily husbandry with public education. Skilled in reading animal behaviour, preparing species-specific diets, and maintaining enclosures to strict welfare and safety standards. Comfortable working alongside veterinary staff on medical procedures and enrichment activities.
Key skills
- Animal care and handling
- Health education and advice
- Feed preparation equipment
- Health monitoring charts
- Veterinary restraint equipment
- Zoo management software
- Attention to detail
- Safety and compliance awareness
- Physical stamina and dexterity
- Empathy and interpersonal care
Experience: example bullet points
- Prepared species-specific diets for a mixed collection including reptiles, birds and large mammals, adjusting portions against veterinary and nutritional guidelines
- Monitored animal health and behaviour daily, logging observations on health monitoring charts and flagging changes to veterinary staff before they became serious
- Cleaned and maintained enclosures to sanitation and biosecurity standards, reducing disease risk across the collection
- Delivered talks and informal Q&A sessions to visitors on species biology and conservation, consistently drawing full crowds at scheduled keeper presentations
- Assisted veterinary staff with restraint, medical procedures and animal transfers, following WHS and animal welfare protocols throughout
Education
Certificate III in Wildlife and Exhibited Animal Care is the standard entry pathway in Australia, often combined with a bachelor degree in zoology, veterinary science or wildlife biology for keepers moving into senior or conservation-focused roles.
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.
- Certificate III in Wildlife and Exhibited Animal Care
- ZAA accreditation
- animal husbandry
- enrichment programs
- WHS compliance
- biosecurity protocols
- veterinary restraint
- zoo management software
- animal welfare standards
- conservation education
- enclosure maintenance
- species-specific diets
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.