by Stacy Pursell, CPC, CERS
The VET Recruiter®
I’ve talked about numerous traits and characteristics in my articles and blog posts. I’ve discussed soft skills. However, I’ve not yet discussed the one trait that can make a huge difference in your career.
That trait is resiliency.
There are many reasons why this trait can make a difference. Let’s start with the fact that everyone in the employment marketplace is looking for an edge. If you’re interested in growing your career, then you’re essentially looking for an edge in order to do so. Sure, there are plenty of employment opportunities and options available in the Animal Health industry and especially the Veterinary profession, but if you pursue one of them, it’s not like you’re going to be the only person doing so. Competition will always exist, no matter how good the market is for job seekers and candidates.
So let’s start with the fact that resiliency can give you an edge over the competition.
I’ve addressed before the importance of value in the employment marketplace. In short, the reason that an employer wants to hire you (and the reason that you’re currently employed) is value, specifically the value that an employer believes you provide for the organization. There are many different types of value. Technical skills, or hard skills, constitute value. Soft skills, or people skills, constitute value. In the eyes of an employer, anything you do as an employee that solves a problem is basically a form of value. And that’s because when you solve problems, you’re doing one of three things—or two or three things:
- Making money for the organization
- Saving money for the organization
- Providing some other type of value for the organization
You could be accomplishing these things in a direct way or in an indirect way, but the value that you provide eventually translates into a healthier bottom line for your employer. Once again, that is why you are employed in the first place. You might be thinking that all of this is fine and good, but what does it have to do with resiliency? As it turns out, it has everything to do with it.
Now that we’ve established that resiliency as a trait is a form of value, let’s determine the degree to which it’s a form of value. Not all forms of value are the same, and there are certain factors involved in determining which ones are the most valuable. One of those factors is the availability of that value. This represents the law of supply and demand. Basically, when something is in demand and there is a low supply of it, that something is automatically considered to be more valuable.
And that is the case with the trait of resiliency.
As an Animal Health recruiter and Veterinary recruiter, I speak with hiring managers in the Animal Health Industry and Veterinary practice owners every day. As a result of those conversations, I have a good idea of what those hiring managers and company leadership are looking for in new employees. When speaking with them, it becomes apparent they some of them believe that overall, the trait of resiliency is lacking in job seekers and candidates in the marketplace today. So there is a demand for resiliency—hiring managers and company leadership acknowledge they want that form of value in their employees. However, they also acknowledge that the trait (and the corresponding value) is in short supply.
Consequently, that makes resiliency even more valuable in the employment marketplace.
The next step is to gauge how resilient you are, both as a person and also as a professional. You might have an idea of your level of resiliency. However, let’s explore what makes a resilient person so . . . resilient. Below are five important attributes of resilient people:
#1—They are authentic individuals.
What does this mean? It means they never try to be someone they are not. They don’t “put on airs” and attempt to mask their weaknesses. Instead, they constantly work to improve their weaknesses and turn them into strengths.
#2—They are flexible, both in their thinking and their approach.
Resilient people often have the mindset of “Whatever it takes to get the job done.” Now, that doesn’t mean they’re willing to do something unethical or illegal. However, it does mean that they’ll continually strive to adjust and adapt to find a solution. Remember: being a problem solver is one of the best forms of value for any employer. Keep in mind that a problem solver is the opposite of a complainer. It is one thing to complain about a problem and another thing to do something about it.
#3—They are self-motivated individuals.
These types of individuals are intrinsically motivated, as opposed to extrinsically motivated. When you’re intrinsically motivated, the motivation comes from within. YOU are the one pushing yourself to achieve and to be successful, not anyone else.
#4—They manage stress well.
Stress, by itself, is not inherently harmful. What a person does with the stress and how they react to it dictates the level of harm involved. The amount of stress that a resilient person can handle is typically more than a person who is not considered resilient. Your reaction to what happens around you and to you is crucial in determining your level of resiliency.
#5—They do NOT give up.
This is perhaps the most important attribute of a resilient person: not giving up, regardless of the situation or how many defeats they’ve endured. You can increase your resiliency exponentially if you make the decision to simply not give up. In many ways, perseverance is the #1 key to resiliency.
Aligning yourself with an experienced Animal Health recruiter or Veterinary recruiter is a great way to find out what hiring managers and practice owners want most in job seekers and candidates. Resiliency is just one of many attributes and characteristics that employers are seeking in today’s market. As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post, there are plenty of employment opportunities and options available in the Animal Health industry and especially the Veterinary profession right now. Despite that, competition for these opportunities still exists, and competition will always exist.
That’s why you should gain every edge and advantage that you can in pursuit of your professionals goals and continued career growth.
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.
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