It’s important to remember that there are a number of different factors involved in finding great Veterinary jobs. Those factors involve you, they involve employers, and they involve the market. And while you can find a great job, keep in mind that there are no perfect jobs.
Sometimes, people start a job and they love it, but then they stop loving it over time. The reason is not necessarily because the job changed. The reason is perhaps they’ve grown bored with it, their skills have grown beyond the job, or they’re looking to grow more in their career. Your attitude about your job is important. It’s like marriage. You love your spouse, but there are some days that you don’t necessarily like your spouse. It’s the same with a job. You may love your job overall, but you may not like it every day.
Interviewing for new Veterinary jobs
However, what many Veterinary professionals don’t realize is that you can tell a lot about an employer just by watching what they do doing the hiring process. Below are five important things that you should watch when interviewing with a potential new employer:
#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?
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 if your interview is scheduled during lunch? Changing Veterinary 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.
Factors in the decision-making process
Next, when it comes to finding great Veterinary jobs, there are four major factors that are involved in a person’s assessment and decision-making process:
#1—Doing what you love to do
I talked about this at the beginning of the presentation. If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, then how can it be the right job for you?
#2—Your core values
When you’re looking to get a 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?
#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.
Veterinary jobs and an employer’s value
So in terms of finding great new Veterinary jobs, what is part of an employer’s value proposition? Or perhaps more accurately, what should be part of it? The answer: the following five things:
#1—Opportunities for growth
According to LinkedIn’s “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 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.
Specific value an employer can offer
Let’s break the value that employers can offer in their Veterinary jobs even further. 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 Veterinary 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 we just discussed, 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 position, you naturally want to grow in that position. Keep in mind that an employer cannot 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.
Where to look for new Veterinary jobs
Now that we’ve addressed what to look for in terms of a new Veterinary jobs, where can you find such jobs? Where can you find the right Veterinary job for you? There are a number of different avenues from which you can choose, including the following five:
#1—Job boards
There are many different job boards on the Internet. You’re certainly familiar with some of the bigger job boards, such as CareerBuilder, Monster, and Indeed. However, there are also industry-specific and niche-specific job boards available.
#2—Company websites
Nearly all companies’ post-employment opportunities on their website. This is why it’s important to know the top employers within the industry. That way, you can visit their website, learn more about them, keep tables on what they are doing and also find out about available Veterinary job opportunities.
Keep in mind, though, that organizations typically don’t post ALL of their Veterinary jobs on their websites. In addition to monitoring these websites, you can also connect and follow them on the major social media channels, including LinkedIn, which is next on our list.
#3—LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network, with millions of members. LinkedIn is a good way to get found by employers and also by recruiters. That’s because it’s used by 98% of recruiters, and 48% of them use LinkedIn exclusively.
With LinkedIn, you can build both your credibility and your personal brand. One way to do that is by getting recommendations from current and former colleagues. Be sure to keep your profile updated. A good rule of thumb is anytime you update your resume, then update your LinkedIn profile at the same time.
Now LinkedIn is a great tool, but you should not rely on it exclusively. In fact, you shouldn’t rely on any of these Internet-based sites exclusively when it comes to searching for new opportunities. That’s because nothing can replace the value of face-to-face networking, which we’ll address next.
#4—Conferences and trade shows
There are a number of conferences and trade shows every year. There are the big ones like VMX, WVC and AVMA, but there are also regional and local ones, too. These events are great opportunities for not only training and education, but also for networking. You never know what another person knows or who they know.
#5—Search consultants/recruiters
Search consultants, or recruiters, are a great place where you can gain access to opportunities. I mentioned that employers typically do not post all of their open positions on their website. That’s because they often use recruiters to conduct covert searches when filling their most important positions. Recruiters have access to what is referred to as the “hidden job market, “which is a good reason to get on the radars of the top recruiters in the industry. The right job for you could be part of the “hidden job market.”
The value of a recruiter in your career
In fact, you relationship with a Veterinary recruiter can be one of the most important professional relationships that you can have.
There are two really good reasons why you should build a relationship with a good recruiter:
- They have more contacts with hiring managers than you do. They spend their days and weeks building networks and cultivating relationships with top employers and hiring managers in the industry. In fact, they’ve probably worked with some of these hiring managers for years and already have good working relationships with them. This means having a recruiter recommend you to a hiring manager they already have a relationship with could a better strategy than applying to a job posting and hoping you get a call back.
- Once again, some of the best Veterinary jobs are not always posted online or anywhere else. Sometimes the only way to find out about them and apply for them is through recruiter.
We at The VET Recruiter cannot emphasize enough the importance of expanding your network. You’ve probably heard the saying that it’s not what you know, but who you know. I believe that it’s BOTH what you know and who you know. If you want to find the right job for you, then you must expand your network.
The trajectory of a person’s career is not necessarily a straight line. In fact, there’s a good chance your career will NOT be a straight line, so be prepared for that.
I also want to emphasize that you need to know what your strengths are in your quest to find great new Veterinary jobs that can help grow your career. When you know your strengths, you know the value that you can provide. Then you can match your value with an employer and an open position that has the type of value that YOU want.
We can help you find new Veterinary jobs
The VET Recruiter has more than 25 years of experience working with job seekers, candidates, and employers in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession. If you believe that you’re ready to make this move in your career, we would love the opportunity to speak with you.
Click here to see examples of The VET Recruiter’s placements. These are all examples of real positions we have filled in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession. We have new Animal Health jobs and Veterinarian jobs on a regular basis.
We’re eager to hear about your needs and how we can help you. Contact us today for more information about The VET Recruiter’s services for candidates by calling (918) 488-3901 or (800) 436-0490 or by sending an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.