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Critical Factors in Landing New Animal Health Jobs

There are multiple factors involved in landing new Animal Health jobs and growing your career at the same time. One of those factors, of course, is the state of the job market. Another is the state of the Animal Health industry, which has been beset by a flurry of mergers and acquisitions during the past several years.

 

How much value do you offer?

Another factor is the value that you’re providing to your current employer, the value that you can offer to a potential new employer, or both. The more value you can offer and provide, the more Animal Health jobs you’ll be able to land the more that you’ll be able to grow your career. This is why continuous training and education is important. Your education does not stop after you graduate from school. It continues throughout your career.

It’s also critical to have the right frame of mind when it comes to pursuing new Animal Health jobs. We at The VET Recruiter once received a resume from a job seeker that started with the question, “What do I want?” That question sends the wrong message to whoever is reading the resume.

The first step is NOT telling the hiring manager (or recruiter) what you want. The first step is articulating the value that you could provide to a new employer. The hiring manager is not motivated by what you want. They’re motivated by what you offer, specifically the talent, skills, and experience that you bring to the table.

One of the most important parts of finding great new Animal Health jobs is matching what employers offer with what you’re looking for.

(See what to expect when working with The VET Recruiter as a job seeker or candidate. You can get started with The VET Recruiter today!)

 

Animal health jobs: what employers offer

So what about the value that employers offer? How do you know if what they’re offering is right for you?

One way to find out is by conducting research regarding the organization. You can find out plenty of information on the Internet and through social media. And don’t forget you can check out reviews of any employer on the Glassdoor website.

However, what many job seekers and candidates don’t realize is that you can tell a lot about an employer just by watching what they do doing the hiring process. And we’re going to look at five different things.

#1—The level of communication

If you’re a serious candidate in the interview process, the hiring manager should begin communication with you. How an employer conducts itself during the hiring process is absolutely an indication of how it will conduct itself once it hires you.

This is very similar to the dating process. How a person acts when they’re dating is how they’ll act when they’re married. In fact, they’re on their best behavior when they’re dating. It’s the same with the job market.

#2—Action (or inaction)

If the hiring process is long and drawn out, then it could mean the organization is understaffed or that the hiring officials are indecisive or not proactive.

#3—Trustworthiness

This comes down to one question: “Do the people involved in the interviewing and hiring process do what they say they’re going to do?” If they do, then they’re branding themselves as being reliable and trustworthy. But if they don’t, then they’re not.

And why would you be interested in working for an organization that you can’t trust?

#4—Nature of the interviews

Does the organization schedule too many interviews or marathon interviews? What if they break the confidentiality of your search?

A few years ago, we at The VET Recruiter became aware of a hiring manager who breached the confidentiality of a candidate by reaching out to someone they knew at the candidate’s current employer. The hiring manager didn’t think it would get back to the candidate, but it did. That understandably upset the candidate, who ended up taking a job with another employer.

If there are multiple people, do you find that they’re asking the same questions over and over again? If it’s a longer interview, do they offer to give you a break, especially if it’s close to lunch time? Do they take you to lunch? Changing Animal Health jobs is a big decision, and these are the things you must consider if you want to find a job that’s right for you.

#5—Organization (or disorganization)

Does the employer appear to be organized or disorganized? This is important because what you see could be what the company culture is like. Do you really want to be part of a culture that’s disorganized?

#6—Assumptions made

Some hiring managers assume that you’ve already decided to leave your current employer or that you absolutely want the job for which you’re interviewing. As a result, they use the hiring process more like an interrogation and less like a conversation or two-way street.

 

Animal Health jobs: Assessing their potential

Below are four major factors involved your decision-making process when it comes to assessing new Animal Health jobs. (At least, they should be part of your decision-making process.)

#1—Doing what you love to do

If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, then how can it be the right job for you? This is why passion is so critical.

#2—Your core values

When you’re looking to get an Animal Health job that’s right for you, core values are important. Your employer should have the same core values you have. But what are your core values? Do you know them?

A couple of years ago, The VET Recruiter, conducted a survey of professionals.

In that survey, we asked candidates what they look for in an employer. According to the results of the survey, the top 10 things that attract candidates are as follows:

#10—Flexibility

#9—Excellent products/new technology

#8—Stability within the industry

#7—Educational opportunities

#6—Company culture/supportive environment

#5—Good wages/benefits package

#4—Integrity/honesty/great reputation

#3—Fairness/to be treated with respect

#2—Strong leadership and vision for the future

#1—Opportunities for growth and advancement

So, if we are to sum up what candidates truly want from potential employers, the answer would be along these lines:

“Candidates want potential employers that do a good job of ‘selling’ themselves and their opportunity and that provide opportunities for growth, show strong leadership, and share a vision for the future.”

As you can see, answers like “integrity, “honesty,” and “fairness” all speak to core values. So when you’re looking for the right Animal Health job for you, that position should be with an organization that holds the same core values you do.

#3—The company culture

The actual job is only part of the overall opportunity. Another important part is the company culture, including your potential co-workers and colleagues. What kind of culture do you enjoy working in? A structured atmosphere? A more relaxed one? Do you like working for a large organization or a smaller one? Does there seem to be a lot of bureaucracy at the employer? Does it appear nimble or does it move slowly?

Once you’ve identified exactly what you’re looking for, then it will be easier for you to search for it and find it.

#4—Compromising (or NOT Compromising)

Do NOT compromise or sell yourself short. If you’re in a job that you don’t particularly like, it might be tempting to jump at any job you think will relieve your current situation. If you do that, then you might find yourself in basically the same boat at another employer.

So what specific value should job seekers and candidates expect from employers?

And I want to stay by relaying a story. A couple of years ago, Stacy Pursell, founder and CEO of The VET Recruiter, was speaking with a hiring manager on the phone. There was also another person in the office who does not work in executive search.

This guest was listening to my conversation with the hiring manager, and he overhead Stacy ask this question: “Why would someone want to come to work for your organization?”

After the conversation was over and Stacy hung up the phone, the guest said, “You really asked that employer some tough questions.” Stacy asked what he meant. “Well, you just asked them why someone would want to work for them,” he replied.

Stacy told my guest that this was a really important question. She was hopeful that the hiring manager would “sell” his organization to me and provide me with some tools that she could use to “sell” the organization to candidates.

So once again, it’s about value. An organization must have a value proposition that articulates the value it offers to prospective employees.

(The VET Recruiter has a wide array of career resources for Animal Health professionals looking for new and exciting Animal Health jobs. Also check out The VET Recruiter’s career planning resources for growing your career.)

 

An employer’s value proposition

So the question is “What is part of an employer’s value proposition or what should be part of it?” There are five main things:

#1—Opportunities for growth

According to one of LinkedIn’s recent “Why & How People Change Jobs” report, opportunity is the #1 reason that employees decide to leave their jobs and choose to work for another organization. Keep in mind there are two main types of opportunities.

The first type is the opportunity for advancement through the organization in the form of promotions, raises, and more responsibility. The second type is the opportunity for personal development, in other words, the chance to add new skills and knowledge.

#2—Dynamic and appreciative company culture

What an organization offers in this area has increasingly become more important. What top candidates want is to join an organization with a culture that is both dynamic and appreciative. It’s not just about the job, and it’s not just about the organization—it’s also about the workplace. People want to work for an organization where there’s an atmosphere of teamwork and unity and where employees are shown appreciation for their hard work and dedication.

So an employer should communicate to you what its company culture is all about, so you can compare that to what you’re looking for.

#3—Leading status within the industry

Everyone likes to play for a winner, and that certainly applies to the realm of employment. Top candidates gravitate toward organizations that have a proven track record of success and have positioned themselves as employers of choice within the marketplace. People want to work for winners.

#4—Vision for the future

Working for an organization with vision is exciting, especially for the best talent in the marketplace. There’s a good chance that you probably love a challenge and you might even seek out challenges. If the Animal Health job is right for you, then the employer has a vision for the future and can communicate that vision effectively.

#5—Flexibility

Flexibility is a top concern for many candidates these days. If you value flexibility, then you need to find out how an employer views it. For example, management could be too rigid in its thinking or a boss may be too rigid in the way they manage.

 

New Animal Health jobs: all about potential

So, these next five things are all part of the specific value than an employer could offer to you as a candidate in an interview process. As you can see, there are five things that an employer should be able to communicate to you as part of its value proposition.

#1—The position itself

This makes sense. However, it goes beyond just the job description. That can be tedious and bland if all an employer talks about are requirements, skills, and experience. What’s exciting about the job? The job should be compelling to you.

#2—The position’s potential for growth

Ask the employer how the position ties into the organization’s plans for the future and what the position could grow into.

#3—The organization’s potential for growth

Part of sharing its vision is the employer sharing the organization’s potential for achieving growth within the marketplace. If the organization has a vision for the future, then it should also be able talk with you about the potential for growth. As discussed above, people like to be part of a winner, so an employer should show you the organization is already is a winner and will be in the future.

#4—YOUR potential for growth

If you take on a new Animal Health job, you naturally want to grow in that position. Keep in mind that an employer can not guarantee that you’re going to grow in the position because much of that will depend on your own performance in your role. The hiring manager should be able to talk in specifics about your potential for growth in the organization.

 

Animal Health jobs and recruiters

Another important factor in finding and exploring great new Animal Health jobs is what an experienced and reputable recruiter can do for you. That’s because recruiters have connections and expertise that other people do not have. They know about the top employers in the industry, and they have relationships with hiring managers at these organizations. They know what they employers want, what they like, and how their hiring process operates.

Not only that, but recruiters have access to the Animal Health jobs in the “hidden job market.” These are positions that employers do not advertise through traditional means, and that includes through online job advertisements. Instead, they enlist the services of recruiters to help fill these positions.

 

Let The VET Recruiter help YOU!

The VET Recruiter has more than 20 years of experience helping job seekers and candidates find great new Animal Health jobs. We have the experience, relationships, and desire to help YOU grow your career!

Check out The VET Recruiter’s successes working with job seekers and candidates. We also invite you to submit your resume and create a profile on our website.

You can also call (918) 488-3901 or (800) 436-0490 or send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.

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