Episode #266 – How to Evaluate an Animal Health or Veterinary Job Offer
Joel: Welcome to “The Animal Health and Veterinary Employment Insider,” brought to you by The VET Recruiter. In this podcast, Animal Health executive recruiter and Veterinary recruiter Stacy Pursell of The VET Recruiter provides insight and practical advice for both employers and job seekers in the Animal Health and Veterinary industries. The VET Recruiter’s focus is to solve talent-centric problems for the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession. In fact, The VET Recruiter’s mission is to help Animal Health and Veterinary companies hire top talent, while helping Animal Health and Veterinary professionals attain career-enhancing opportunities that increase their quality of life.
Today, we’ll be talking about how to evaluate an Animal Health or Veterinary job offer. Hello, Stacy, and thank you for joining us today.
Stacy: Hello, Joel. As always, I’m glad to be here with you.
Joel: Stacy, can you tell us a little about today’s topic?
Stacy: Certainly. As we’ve been discussing, there is a lot of opportunity in the job market right now, especially in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession. Employers are more than willing to hire, and professionals are more than willing to quit their current jobs in pursuit of what they consider to be better opportunities. In fact, the Great Resignation is hardly over. Not only did 47 million people quit their jobs in America in 2021, but 4.4 million quit their jobs in February of this year. That marked the fourth month in a row that more than four million Americans quit their job.
Joel: Wow, I guess you’re right. The Great Resignation is far from over.
Stacy: It is far from over. Since that’s the case and since it’s a candidates’ market at the moment, I thought it would be a good time to address evaluating an Animal Health or Veterinary job offer. Employers are making a lot of job offers right now, which means there are a lot of people making important decisions. After all, changing jobs is one of the most important decisions a person will make during their lifetime.
Joel: Let me guess: the other decisions are getting married and starting a family.
Stacy: That’s right! The only difference is that a person is more likely to change jobs more frequently than they get married.
Joel: Well, you would hope so Stacy.
Stacy: Very true. But since changing jobs is so important to a person’s professional life and their personal life, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss how to evaluate an Animal Health or Veterinary job offer.
Joel: Sounds good. Where would you like to start?
Stacy: I’d like to start by referencing LinkedIn’s “2022 Global Talent Trends Report.”
Joel: We’ve talked about that on the podcast before, haven’t we?
Stacy: Yes, we have, but I want to revisit the report because it sets the stage for our conversation today.
LinkedIn conducted a survey of professionals across multiple industries to prepare the information for this report, asking those professionals numerous questions about their job and career. For one of the questions, LinkedIn asked survey participants what they look for most in an employment situation. The top answers were:
- Flexible working arrangements
- More work-life balance
- To work for an employer that values their physical and emotional well-being
For another question, LinkedIn asked participants what they want when they’re selecting a new job. And in this case, “selecting a new job” could mean choosing the best offer from among multiple offers. The three answers were:
- Work-life balance
- Compensation and benefits
- Colleagues and culture
Joel: So these are the things that people are looking for the most in a job or offer of employment?
Stacy: Yes, that’s right. So it makes sense that when a person is evaluating an Animal Health or Veterinary job offer, these would be the things they would evaluate.
Joel: But everyone is different, right? Not everyone values or prioritizes the same things.
Stacy: Correct, which is why it’s important for people to identify what is most important to them in a job or employment opportunity. Once you do that, it becomes easier to evaluate a job offer. However, if you don’t know what is most important to you, then it will be more difficult to evaluate a job offer effectively, which can negatively affect your career in the long run.
And there are two big decisions that a person has to make before they can even start to evaluate an Animal Health or Veterinary job offer.
Joel: What decisions are those Stacy?
Stacy: The first one is whether or not the position is right for them, because if the position isn’t right for them, there’s no point in evaluating a job offer. The second decision is what kind of offer they’d be willing to accept.
Joel: And if the person has determined what is most important to them, then they should be able to answer that question.
Stacy: That’s right, and they’ll have a better idea of whether or not they should accept the offer if one is made. And this where the different aspects of an offer should be considered, and I have 11 such aspects.
Joel: Will you be covering those aspects today?
Stacy: I will, and I’m going to address them in an order that I believe is least important to most important. And I’m ranking them in that order based on what I have seen in the job market as an Animal Health and Veterinary recruiter. In other words, this is based on what I’ve witnessed as being important to top candidates during the past few years.
Joel: That makes sense.
Stacy: With that being said, the first factor is commuting distance. I know that some jobs in the workforce are remote or virtual, and that has increasingly been the case since the pandemic started. This is less the case in the Veterinary profession, although there have been more telehealth positions lately. But the commuting distance is a factor if you’re working onsite.
Joel: Especially with the price of gas!
Stacy: You’re right about that. The price of gas recently hit $6 a gallon in California, and some analysts are saying that could be the norm for the rest of the country, too.
The second factor to consider is the position title. After all, candidates typically do not consider an employment opportunity unless that opportunity has the potential to be better than their current job. Since that’s the case, the new job title should indicate that it’s a step above the title you hold with your current employer.
Joel: Stacy, is this also a subjective factor? I mean, job title could be more important to some people than others.
Stacy: Yes, that’s right. In fact, just about all of the factors on this list are subjective to one degree or another. I’m presenting them in the order in which they’re prioritized in a general basis within the employment marketplace.
Joel: Got it. What’s the third factor on the list?
Stacy: The third factor is the challenge of the position or the challenge of the tasks associated with the position. In order to be satisfied with their position, many workers need to feel as though they are being adequately challenged. This is especially the case with top candidates and top performers. In fact, that’s one of the reasons that a person will leave a job: they’re not being challenged enough.
Joel: It’s crazy to think that some employers are not challenging their employees enough.
Stacy: True. The fourth factor on our list is decision-making autonomy.
Joel: What does that mean, exactly?
Stacy: This means a person’s freedom to implement ideas and affect change in the workplace. It deals with how much authority and responsibility a person is given to complete projects and tasks on time. People don’t like to be micromanaged, and once again, this is especially the case with the best candidates.
The fifth factor is the work environment.
Joel: Is this the company culture?
Stacy: Yes and no. The work environment involves the physical environment, where you’ll actually be working. For example, is it an office? Will you be traveling a lot? Your preference about this aspect of the position could be very important in your decision.
The sixth factor is also related to company culture, which we’ll discuss in a minute.
Joel: Tell us more about that Stacy.
Stacy: A person’s relationships and rapport with their co-workers and management. Chemistry is extremely crucial to achieving satisfaction in the workplace. In fact, it could be the main reason that a person is exploring other opportunities in the first place.
Joel: How will a person know how they’ll interact with future co-workers?
Stacy: They can get a sense of it during the hiring process and the face-to-face interviews. Ideally, they’ll interview with more than one person and they can get a sense of how they’ll interact with their potential colleagues.
And our seventh factor is the company culture or the corporate culture, if that applies to the situation.
Joel: What do you mean by that?
Stacy: An organization’s company culture includes not just the working environment and the people who work there, but the size of the company also has a lot to do with the culture. For example, is the employer you’re interviewing with larger than your current employer? Are they a lot larger? Are you interested in working for a larger organization?
Joel: I imagine some people prefer to work for a smaller employer.
Stacy: That’s right, and vice-versa. Once again, it’s all about what’s important to the person involved in the process.
Speaking of the organization, the growth of the employer within its industry is the eighth factor. How stable is the Animal Health company or Veterinary practice? What kind of potential does it have for growth in the industry? Do your homework before you commit to making a final decision. There is plenty of information on the Internet about all employers. All you have to do is roll up your sleeves and do the work.
Joel: Stacy, I’ve noticed that we haven’t talked about starting salary yet.
Stacy: We haven’t, but thank you for bringing that up, because starting salary, benefits, and perks are the ninth factor on our list.
Joel: Is that because it’s toward the top of the list?
Stacy: I think that’s fair to say, but once again, it depends on the person involved. As we’ve been discussing, flexibility, work-life balance, and company culture are more important to the members of the younger generations. Be that as it may, though, those workers still weigh starting salary heavily in their final decision.
Now remember, if you’re close to the offer stage of the hiring process, then you’ve probably already touched upon the subject of compensation with the hiring manager. But ask yourself how much of a motivator salary is. It’s important to determine what the minimum salary is that you will accept and then stick to that figure when the offer is extended.
Joel: And a recruiter can help with the whole negotiation process, right?
Stacy: Correct! An experienced and reputable recruiter is a valuable resource and asset when it comes time to negotiate the starting salary for a potential new job.
Joel: So if I’m counting right, we have two more factors to go.
Stacy: Yes, and the 10th factor is the potential for promotion and advancement with the organization. Not only do people want to work for an organization that grows, but they also want to grow with their employer and advance through the ranks. So once again, there are multiple questions that you must ask yourself.
What kind of potential exists for upward mobility? Are you being groomed for a bigger and better position? How long would it take to get there if you worked at your maximum level of effectiveness and efficiency?
Joel: Well, that’s 10 down and one to go. What’s our final factor for evaluating an Animal Health or Veterinary job offer?
Stacy: Our final factor is access to professional development. This is also about growth, but it’s not about the organization’s growth or even the person’s growth through the ranks of the organization, but the person’s growth as a professional. We’re talking about new skills and knowledge. Will you have the opportunity to gain new knowledge and experience? Will ongoing training be part of your job description? Your answers to these questions will determine whether or not a new Animal Health or Veterinary job is right for you.
Joel: Stacy, we are just about out of time for today. Is there anything else that you would like to add before we end today’s podcast episode?
Stacy: Yes, I would like to add to what we’ve already talked about today, mainly that evaluating an Animal Health or Veterinary job offer is an important task. It’s not to be taken lightly, especially if you’re seriously considering the position. By using each of the factors and points that we’ve discussed today to compare and contrast their current job with a potential future opportunity, the members of our listening audience will be able to make better decisions and grow their careers the way they want to.
Joel: Stacy, thank you for all of this great information. If a member of the listening audience wanted to reach out to you, what would be the best way to do that?
Stacy: There are many ways that someone can contact me. Of course, you can call The VET Recruiter’s office at (918) 488-3901 and you can send me an email at stacy@thevetrecruiter.com. Or if you’d like to check out our website first, you can do that by visiting www.thevetrecruiter.com. There are many things that job seekers and candidates can do at our website, including registering their profile and uploading their resume.
I would also encourage website visitors to check out the other content that we have on The VET Recruiter website. For example, there is a library of articles and blog posts, and you can also sign up for our newsletter. We send out our newsletter every month, and included in our newsletter are our hottest jobs, plus Animal Health and Veterinary career tips and hiring trends.
People can also connect with me and with The VET Recruiter on social media. I have a LinkedIn account and so does my firm, and you can follow The VET Recruiter on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Joel: Stacy, thank you so much for talking today about evaluating an Animal Health or Veterinary job offer. Once again, we invite everyone listening to visit www.thevetrecruiter.com. And Stacy, as always, thank you for joining us.
Stacy: It’s been my pleasure, Joel, and I look forward to our next episode of the “Animal Health and Veterinary Employment Insider”!