Episode #95 – If You Don’t Add to THIS, Then Your Career is Probably Going Nowhere
Samantha: Welcome to “The Animal Health Employment Insider,” brought to you by The VET Recruiter. In this podcast, executive search consultant and veterinary 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 what professionals need to do for career growth and advancement. Stacy, thank you for joining us.
Stacy: Hello, Samantha. I’m glad to be here today.
Samantha: Stacy, just judging by the title of the podcast, I’m thinking this is a topic that you feel strongly about. Is that the case?
Stacy: That is the case, and it’s one of the reasons I wanted to address it in our podcast. However, it’s not a topic that we haven’t discussed before. We have. But I want to revisit it and stress it in a different way because it really is central to a person’s desire to grow their career.
Samantha: What is that topic?
Stacy: That topic is value. As we’ve stated before in this podcast, everything in the employment marketplace comes down to value. Everything revolves around it, so to speak, and that’s why professionals should be familiar with the value that they provide to their current employer. The reason is simple. If a professional does not know the value that they provide to their employer, then how can they expect their employer to know what value they provide?
And another great question to ask is this one: if a professional does not know the value that they provide to their current employer, then how could they know the value they can offer to a potential new employer? A person’s value in the workplace and the employment marketplace is why they are employed in the first place. It’s why their employer decided to hire them.
If a professional wants to grow their career and get more satisfaction from it on every level, then they must know the value they provide. And when I say that, I don’t mean they “sort of” know the value. I mean they know to the greatest extent they possibly can, right down to being able to quantify it in measurable terms.
Samantha: As we can tell from the title of the podcast, we’ll be discussing adding to the value that professionals provide to employers. Is that right, Stacy?
Stacy: That’s correct. It’s not enough to just know the value you provide to your current employer or a potential new employer. As a professional in the Animal Health industry or Veterinary profession, you must also keep adding to your value. That’s because the more value that you provide, the more that employers will want to hire you.
Samantha: So those two things are in direct proportion: the amount of value you can offer and how much employers want to hire you?
Stacy: They absolutely are. If you don’t add to your value, then ultimately your career is probably going nowhere. You might remain employed, but you won’t grow and you won’t advance. And that’s a dangerous position to be in. That’s because everything and almost everyone in the employment marketplace is constantly growing and evolving. If you don’t grow as a professional, then you’re essentially falling behind. And if, one day, your employer believes that you’re not providing enough value to justify your employment . . .
Samantha: Then you may find yourself without a job?
Stacy: Exactly. You may find yourself without a job, which is a situation that no one wants to find themselves in.
Samantha: Well, if the advantages of adding to your value as a professional is that you have the opportunity to grow your career, and the disadvantages of not adding to your value is that you could one day find yourself without a job, I guess that makes it an easy decision!
Stacy: You would think so, but that’s not always the case with everyone. I meet quite a few people who say that they’re comfortable and they want to stay comfortable and remain in the status quo. Unfortunately for them, growth is something that can make a person uncomfortable. It’s difficult to both be comfortable and to also grow professionally. In fact, some people might say it’s impossible. So if you want to take your career seriously and do everything you can to grow, then you’re going to have to be okay with the idea—and the reality—of being and feeling uncomfortable.
Samantha: Stacy, let’s move into the “how” segment of today’s podcast. How can a professional in the Animal Health industry or Veterinary profession add to their value?
Stacy: Samantha, there are a number of strategies. We’re going to address the major ones today, and there are five of them.
The first strategy is the simplest of the group, and that is to ask!
Samantha: Ask? Ask who?
Stacy: Ask your boss or supervisor, of course. After all, why would you want to guess about what you can do to provide more value to your current employer? Actually, you should have some idea and sure, you could make an educated guess. But the possibility exists that you could guess wrong and then you’d waste time. What you think your supervisor wants from you might be different from what they actually want from you. So ask instead and get the correct answer.
Samantha: Stacy, what’s the second strategy?
Stacy: The second strategy is to earn certifications. This one absolutely makes sense. If you don’t have any certifications, earn some that will help you get an edge in your career. If you already have some, strive to earn more. This indicates first that you have the desire to improve yourself and second that you have acquired certain skills. As we’ve discussed before, skills are one form of value. If there’s one thing that employers want in their employees, it’s the acquisition of more skills.
Samantha: That certainly makes sense. What’s next on our list?
Stacy: The third strategy is to take on more responsibility at work. And I know work-life balance is very important to candidates in today’s marketplace, and that includes within the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession. As a result, professionals probably want to be selective about the additional responsibilities they assume. However, remember that the more responsibility you take on, the more valuable you are.
Our next strategy has to deal with a mindset more than anything else.
Samantha: It does? What strategy is that?
Stacy: Our fourth strategy is to be results-oriented. Achieving results is important to organizations of all sizes. That’s why they want employees who are in the habit of achieving the desired results. Employees who are known as people who consistently get results are considered to be the most valuable employees.
Samantha: Is being results-oriented the same thing as being a problem solver? I know you’ve touched upon that in previous podcasts, as well. Organizations want to hire professionals who are problem solvers.
Stacy: Yes, they are definitely similar. When you’re results-oriented, that means you’re always looking to solve problems. “Results” is another word for “solutions.” Employers want results and they want solutions, and they’re more likely to hire the candidate who has a track record of providing both.
Samantha: What’s the fifth strategy on our list?
Stacy: The fifth strategy is to network. There are many benefits associated with this. That’s because not only will your networking efforts help your employer, but they will also help your career. Companies and organizations need employees who have good networking connections within the Animal Health industry and Veterinary profession. More networking connections are good for both you and your employer.
Samantha: Stacy, how can working with a recruiter help professionals in this area?
Stacy: Working with an experienced recruiter can help in a couple of different ways. First of all, a recruiter has knowledge of the different skills that employers value in the marketplace. This includes both hard skills or technical skills and also soft skills or people skills.
In addition, a recruiter might also have knowledge of the value that a particular employer is seeking in its candidates. This is because the recruiter has dealt with the hiring officials of that employer previously and has perhaps spoken and worked with them on prior occasions. Since the recruiter has this knowledge, they can pass it along to candidates during the hiring process. Armed with this knowledge, these candidates will have a competitive advantage over other job seekers who don’t have access to such information.
Samantha: So this is yet another reason why aligning yourself with a good recruiter is an intelligent career move.
Stacy: Yes, it is. Not only do good recruiters have the connections necessary to help grow professionally, but they also have the knowledge and the expertise. When you put all of that together, it’s a wonder why every candidate doesn’t have a good recruiter in their network to help their efforts to advance their career.
Samantha: I agree! It certainly seems that working with a good recruiter is the way to go. Stacy, thank you for joining us today and for sharing all of this great information with our listeners.
Stacy: Thank you, Samantha. I look forward to our next podcast!