There has been a considerable amount of debate during the last couple of months as to whether or not the country is in a recession. My approach to such an issue is to state that if you need to have a debate about whether you’re in a recession, you’re probably not in one yet. On the other hand, when a recession—a real recession—arrives, there is usually no doubt, and no debate is required.
First of all, despite the headlines you might be reading, the National Unemployment Rate increased modestly from July to August, from 3.5% to 3.7%. Those are both still historically low levels of unemployment. In addition, according to the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, U.S. employers announced just 20,485 layoffs in August. That’s the lowest year-to-date total since 1993.
Then there are the overall job growth numbers. In July, employment growth was anticipated to be around 250,000 jobs. Instead, the economy added 528,000 jobs, more than twice what was expected. In August, the economy added 315,000 new jobs that total, meaning there are now more than 11 million jobs available in the United States.
And of course, we all know that things are slightly different in the Veterinary profession.
Check list for tackling the Veterinary job market
While the National Unemployment Rate sits at 3.7%, still a historically low figure, the unemployment rate in the Veterinary profession is even lower. According to the job search site Zippia, since 2013, the unemployment rate in the Veterinary profession has decreased from 1.0% to 0.2%. In fact, by now, the unemployment rate in the profession could very well be non-existent. And no matter what the headlines might say, when the unemployment rate within a profession is as close to 0.0% as you can get, it negates all talk of a recession.
It is still as difficult to hire a veterinarian as it was six months ago, 12 months ago, and even two years ago. If anything, it might be even more challenging right now. With all of this mind, hiring managers and Veterinary practice owners must remain focused in terms of recruiting and hiring during the rest of the year. Not only that, but they must also prepare themselves for the very real possibility that conditions in the Veterinary job market will be just as challenging next year as they have been in 2022.
With this mind, below is a four-point recruiting and hiring checklist for Animal Health and Veterinary employers looking to hire:
#1—Streamline the recruiting and hiring process.
You’ve heard the phrase before: “Time kills all deals.” This applies to the hiring process, as well, especially in a candidates’ market in which top talent holds considerable leverage. You need to be agile and flexible and be able to move quickly to changing conditions and evolving situations.
It’s not what happens that ultimately dictates your level of success, but how you react to what happens that holds the key to recruiting and hiring top candidates.
#2—Make the candidate experience a superb one.
I cannot emphasize this point enough. There are only so many veterinarians in the job market. As a result, you can’t afford to provide a negative experience to even one of them, because they will tell their friends, family members, and colleagues about their experience. And there’s a good chance that some of those people are veterinarians, as well.
Not only should the candidate experience that you provide be superb, but you must also strive to build and maintain an exceptional employer brand within the profession and the job market.
#3—“Sell” every aspect of the opportunity and the organization.
Candidates are not going to “sell themselves” on working for your organization. They already have a job, and in the majority of cases, their current employer is treating them rather well. So, it falls to you to proactively “sell” every positive aspect of the opportunity.
The areas on which you should focus the most attention are those that are better than their current job. That’s because top passive candidates will only make a move for a position that is clearly better than what they have right now. So be sure to identify how what you’re offering is better and be prepared to talk in specifics rather than in generalities.
#4—Align yourself with an experienced and knowledgeable recruiting agency.
With as difficult as it is to recruit and hire talent, partnering with a recruiter is a strategic move, especially considering how much competition there currently is for veterinarian candidates. However, you don’t want to work with just any recruiting firm.
It’s important to align yourself with a firm that has the experience you need to help you reach your hiring goals and experience success. If you are hiring a veterinarian, it doesn’t make sense to partner with a firm who places accountants or a general search firm that fills every position under the sun and works across 10 different industries. It is better to work with a firm that specializes in filling the type of role for which you are hiring. If you are hiring a veterinarian, it makes sense to work with a firm who places veterinarians.
The VET Recruiter: experienced in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession
The VET Recruiter is an experienced Animal Health and Veterinary recruiting firm. We’ve helped our clients since 1997 and we know what it takes to succeed with hiring, no matter the prevailing (or future) economic conditions. Because despite what you might be reading in the national headlines, the job market is still strong in the country overall and the Veterinary job market remains red-hot.
That’s why employers must remain focused and keep doing what is necessary to engage, recruit, and hopefully hire the candidates they want to hire—both during the rest of this year and into 2023.
You can click here to find out more about our 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.