Episode #80 – The Core Values of The VET Recruiter
Samantha: Welcome to “The Animal Health Employment Insider,” brought to you by The VET Recruiter. In this podcast, search consultant and executive recruiter, Stacy Pursell, founder and CEO of The VET Recruiter, provides insight and practical advice for both employers and job seekers in the Animal Health industry and veterinary profession. The VET Recruiter’s mission is to help Animal Health and Veterinary employers hire top talent, while helping animal health and veterinary professionals attain career-enhancing opportunities that increase their quality of life.
In today’s podcast, we’ll be talking about the core values of The VET Recruiter. Stacy, thank you for joining us.
Stacy: Hello, Samantha. I’m glad to be here. And I’m glad to be speaking about this topic. I firmly believe that core values are extremely important.
Samantha: Why is that?
Stacy: First of all, it’s good to believe in a set of values. They serve as a way to guide you through life and also through your career. Second, if you’re a job seeker or candidate, you want to work for an organization that has the same set of values that you do. And by the same token, if you’re an employer, then you want to hire candidates who hold the same values that the organization does. Core values is one of the ways that a good match can be made between a candidate and an employer.
Samantha: And like any organization, The VET Recruiter has a set of core values?
Stacy: Absolutely. Every organization should have a set of values, and if you don’t, then you need to come up with them and communicate those values to your employees.
Samantha: Stacy, what are the values of The VET Recruiter?
Stacy: Well, there are quite a few of them, 13 in fact, and I’m going to briefly discuss each one. I’ll try to be brief, but I don’t want to deemphasize any of them. They’re all important. That’s why we chose them in the first place.
Samantha: Okay. Where would you like to start?
Stacy: I’d like to start with the mission statement of The VET Recruiter. A mission statement helps to provide direction, whether it’s for an individual or an entire group of people. A mission statement is crucial for an organization to reach its full potential and achieve long-term success.
With that in mind, here is the official mission statement of The VET Recruiter:
“Our mission is to help Animal Health companies and Veterinary businesses hire top talent to help their businesses grow and become more profitable, while also helping Animal Health and Veterinary professionals attain career-enhancing opportunities that allow them to achieve the quality of life they seek.”
Samantha: Wow, that’s a long mission statement, but it certainly seems as though you’re intent on helping the people and companies that you come into contact with.
Stacy: We absolutely are, and our core values back up our mission statement. They basically tell the story of how we carry out our mission.
Samantha: Stacy, are you ready to discuss The VET Recruiter’s core values?
Stacy: Yes, but before we begin, keep in mind that this list is not ranked in either ascending or descending order. Just because the first value is at the top does not automatically mean that it’s more important than the others or that we consider it to be the most important.
Samantha: That makes sense. Thank you for pointing that out.
Stacy: Sure thing. Our first core value is that of integrity. Everything starts with integrity. That is why it is the foundation of our core values. You must act with integrity in everything that you do with your career. Acting with integrity is the very best way to brand yourself and it’s also the best way to position yourself for professional success. It includes not only everything that you say and do, but also everything that you don’t say and don’t do.
Branding is also part of our second core value, which is reliability. Branding yourself as being reliable is nearly as important as branding yourself as a person of integrity. That’s because when you prove to be reliable, people are more likely to trust you. This is how you brand yourself as being trustworthy. If people know that they can count on you and trust you, then they’ll want to work with you and if they’re in a position to do so, they’ll want to hire you.
Our third core value is candor.
Samantha: Candor? That’s a rather unique word.
Stacy: It is. But really, it’s just another word for honesty. Now, keep in mind that I don’t mean a person should be brutally honest in all situations. I just mean that a person should be upfront in their dealings with people and don’t try to hide things from them in the interest of personal gain.
Samantha: It sounds like that one is closely linked to integrity.
Stacy: They are linked. In fact, they pretty much go hand-in-hand.
Our fourth core value is enthusiasm. This is a core value that’s linked closely to passion, something else that I believe is important.
When you have passion for something, including your career in the Animal Health industry or Veterinary profession, you show enthusiasm for it. Enthusiastic individuals are more likely to overcome challenges, reach their goals, and enjoy more success than their peers who do not display enthusiasm.
Our fifth core value is also one that can help people overcome challenges and reach their goals. That value is perseverance.
Let’s face it: adversity is inevitable. The question is not whether adversity is going to strike, but how you’re going to react when it does. It’s not a cliché; those who refuse to quit are those who rise to the top and enjoy more success in all areas of life. I’ve seen this happen time and time again, in my own life and also in the lives of others.
On the other hand, our sixth core value is NOT one that I see very often these days.
Samantha: Which one is that?
Stacy: Acting with urgency. I see a lack of professionals including some people working in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession who act with urgency, and I think that’s a problem.
That’s because your career is not just going to “come to you.” Acting with a sense of urgency is critical in terms of achieving your professional goals. This means being proactive, having the mindset of always moving forward, and at least being open to opportunity when it’s presented to you.
Our seventh core value is coach ability. This means that you have the ability to take direction from others and you don’t believe that you “know it all.” No matter what you’ve achieved during your career, you can always learn something new. I have encountered many individuals who thought that they knew it all, and as a result, they had an attitude that definitely did not help them with their career. Those who are coachable realize the value of continuous learning and the advantage that it can give them.
Samantha: What’s next on our list, Stacy?
Stacy: We have another core value that is in short supply these days.
Samantha: Which one is that?
Stacy: It’s one that I call active listening. This is also sorely lacking in today’s culture, and I have plenty of evidence to support that claim. I’ve had clients who specifically put in their job orders that they want candidates who have active listening skills. It’s so scarce, they have to specifically ask for it.
Listening to someone and waiting for your opportunity to speak is not the same as actively listening. This involves receiving and processing information in a meaningful way, including understanding what you can learn from the conversation.
Our ninth core value is one that you probably knew was going to be on our list, and that’s hard work.
This is a core value that transcends time and cultures. It doesn’t matter how talented you are; if you don’t work hard, then you will never reach your true potential. Hard work is a value that can give you an edge over other professionals including in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession.
Another value that gives people an edge is our 10th one, which is optimism.
Samantha: Isn’t that more of characteristic or a trait?
Stacy: It’s both of those things, but it’s also a value. Keep in mind that it’s a choice. People choose to be optimistic. You can choose to be optimistic about a situation, regardless of the circumstances surrounding that situation. Like all of the other values on our list, this value enhances a person’s chances for success.
Samantha: Only two more values to go! What’s #11?
Stacy: Our next core value is teamwork. Being able to work with others as a team reflects a collaborative value. This involves the putting aside of personal interests in the pursuit of a common goal that will benefit everyone. In today’s employment marketplace, working well with others is not an option; it’s mandatory if you want to excel.
Our next core value isn’t a characteristic or trait as much as it is a mindset. It’s the “win-win” mindset.
Samantha: We talk about that a lot of on our podcast, don’t we?
Stacy: We do, and for good reason. We’ve also talked about something called the “Principle of Reciprocity,” and these two things go together.
According to this principle, when someone gives us something, we feel compelled to give them something in return. Conversely, when you first give something to someone else, they will feel compelled to give something to you in return. This is what I mean by “win-win.” You should always strive to give first so you can achieve a “win-win situation” with everyone.
Samantha: This is it, Stacy. We’ve reached the end of the list. What is lucky #13 on our list of core values?
Stacy: Our 13th and final core value is results. All of the values that we’ve discussed to this point lead to this one. It requires all 12 of the values to achieve the results that a person wants. If you miss a step or a value here or there, it can alter the results and the outcome.
Samantha: And this is how you and The VET Recruiter achieve your results? In other words, these 12 core values help you to achieve the 13th core value—results—and also achieve your mission statement?
Stacy: That’s exactly right. The bottom line for me, The VET Recruiter, and many others in the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession is results. Without core values, there are no results. Or at the very least, there are not results that people are truly satisfied with.
Samantha: Stacy, thank you for this great topic and for sharing all of this information with us today. Core values are very important, and I think our listeners are glad to hear about your core values and the values of your organization.
Stacy: Thank you, Samantha. I enjoyed talking about our core values, and I look forward to our next podcast!