by Stacy Pursell, CPC, CERS
The VET Recruiter®
I probably don’t have to tell you that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed a lot about the employment marketplace during the past year. This includes, of course, hiring, and it also includes Animal Health and Veterinary hiring for companies and organizations looking to add top talent.
It’s been a year since the COVID-19 virus first appeared in the United States, and it wasn’t long after that the lockdowns began all across the country and the economy took a nosedive. While the pandemic has certainly not ended, a number of industries have begun the process of recovering, including the Animal Health industry and the Veterinary profession. While the unemployment rate might be higher in these areas now as opposed to where it was before the virus arrived, it’s not that much higher. The unemployment rate is still low in the veterinary profession.
While that is certainly good news in the grand scheme of things, the pandemic has changed the employment landscape. Specifically, it has changed the priorities that employers have in terms of their recruiting and hiring process, or to put it another way, it should have changed the priorities that employers have.
With that in mind, here are three top priorities for Animal Health and Veterinary hiring in 2021:
#1—Develop, implement, and manage a flexible workforce model.
What does this mean, exactly? The pandemic has forced many employers to allow workers to work remotely. Before the virus arrived and the pandemic started, there were companies and organizations that utilized a hybrid model with both employees working on site and employees working remotely. These models were determined largely by the objectives of the organization, as well as the nature of the positions involved.
Now, though, many employers are utilizing a hybrid workforce model that were not utilizing one before. In addition, some employers that were not utilizing a hybrid model at all have now joined those who were already using one. The pandemic, of course, has played a pivotal role in this shift, and as long as there is a pandemic, this will be the reality of the employment marketplace.
And it’s not enough to just development or even implement a flexible or hybrid workforce model. Successfully managing one might be the most difficult—not to mention the most important—part of the process. If your Animal Health company is utilizing a hybrid workforce model, keep in mind that it falls on the shoulders of leadership to make that model work. While the degree of difficulty is greater all the way through the chain, the investment of time, energy, and effort is worth it when you consider the return.
#2—Improve and fine-tune the onboarding process.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made changes to the entire Animal Health and Veterinary hiring process, including onboarding. In fact, I should say especially onboarding. How many employers do you think had a virtual onboarding process in place before the pandemic began? Unless they were already using a hybrid workforce model, the answer is probably very few, if any of them.
Not only did these employers have to create a virtual onboarding process, but they had to do so in a relatively short amount of time. As you might imagine, because of these time constraints and deadlines, some mistakes were made. Because of that, these employers may have sent the wrong branding message to job seekers and candidates in their quest to hire top talent. And as we’ve discussed before, one of the best ways to lose top talent is to brand your organization in the wrong way.
Now that an appreciable amount of time has passed, 2021 is the year for companies to improve and fine-tune their onboarding process. While the lockdowns have ended and the economy has picked up for some industries, including the Animal Health industry and the Veterinary profession, the virus and the pandemic still exist. As a result, employers must still focus on effectively engaging new employees after hiring them to foster positive employer branding and to ensure that those new employees show up for their first day of work (either on site or remotely.)
#3—Rely on data to track your success and make improvements.
Data and data analysis constituted an emerging trend even before the pandemic started. Like other trends, the pandemic only accelerated it. First of all, you’ve probably heard this phrase before: “If you can’t measure it, then you can’t improve it.” Second, there’s only so much time in a day. Even if you’re a committed hard-working individual, there are only so many seconds and minutes at your disposal.
You might have also heard of “The 80/20 Rule,” According to this rule, a person experiences 80% of their success by doing 20% of their activities. Although it typically pertains to the professional setting or work-related activities, it can apply to just about anything. Since there is only so much time in a day, it’s important for employers to know which of their activities are included in the 20%, so can maximize their efforts and get the best results.
The best way to figure out which activities are paying off the most in your Animal Health and hiring efforts is through the use of data and analytics. This means tracking what happens during all stages of the hiring process, including sourcing, identifying, recruiting, hiring, and onboarding. The reason for this is simplicity itself: once you determine the reasons why you are successful, you can focus more of your time, energy, and effort on those reasons so that you can enjoy more success.
Aligning your organization with an experienced Animal Health recruiter or Veterinary recruiter is another way that you can enjoy more hiring success. An experienced recruiter knows all about the hiring process and can make sure that your organization is doing everything that it can to react and adapt to evolving marketplace trends and ultimately maximize its efforts.
You can click here to find out more about our recruiting services for employers. Click here to learn more about our recruiting process.
We help support careers in one of two ways: 1. By helping Animal Health and Veterinary professionals to find the right opportunity when the time is right, and 2. By helping to recruit top talent for the critical needs of Animal Health and Veterinary organizations. If this is something that you would like to explore further, please send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.
Copyright © 2021 The VET Recruiter
The VET Recruiter is The Animal Health Executive Search Firm and The Veterinary Recruiting Firm
Stacy Pursell is an Animal Health Executive Recruiter and Veterinary Recruiter and Workplace/Workforce expert for the Animal Health Industry and Veterinary Profession.