by Stacy Pursell, CPC, CERS
The VET Recruiter®
First, allow me to say that I hope you’re doing well personally and physically. These are not only uncertain times in this country and around the world, but they’re challenging and troubling times, as well, on a number of levels. It’s my wish that you are navigating these challenges the best you can, keeping a positive attitude, and looking forward to the better days that are ahead in the future once we get through this.
And that’s one of the pieces of advice I’d like to present in this article—to keep a positive frame of mind with the hopeful expectation of a better future. Positivity forms the framework of resilience, and resilience is a helpful trait right now. However, as I’m sure you’re well aware, you need more than just a positive attitude.
Tips for Animal Health and Veterinary career success
Obviously, you should be following all of the CDC’s suggestions associated with combatting the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This is especially the case for those professionals who are not able to work from home, and that applies to a great many workers in the Veterinary profession. In addition, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has been advocating “for all veterinary hospitals and ambulatory practices to be considered essential businesses in any situations in which non-essential businesses are asked to close for COVID-19 risk mitigation.”
Click here to see an update that was recently emailed to all AVMA members.
I’ve written in numerous articles and blog posts during the past several years about how it has been a candidate-driven market. In some of those articles, I mentioned the fact that those market conditions were not going to last forever. The spread of COVID-19 has already had a transformative effect on the economy and the employment marketplace.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen approximately 30% from its all-time high, which it achieved earlier this year. Meanwhile, many employers and businesses, especially within the restaurant and hospitality industries, have begun to lay off workers, presumably at least until the virus threat is over. Prior to COVID-19, job candidates and job seekers had the leverage in a hiring situation. That’s because the employers needed the candidates more than the candidates needed the employers. This dynamic is now changing, and it’s doing so rather swiftly.
What does this mean for you? What can you do right now? Below are some tips, advice, and strategies for Animal Heath and Veterinary career success during this uncertain time:
#1—Manage your mindset correctly.
Try to stop focusing on the seemingly dire circumstances of current events and focus instead on what you can control. When you focus on that, you’ll be better able to prepare and position yourself for success when things get back to a more normal time, whatever that may look like when this passes.
#2—Take time to reflect.
Since your social calendar is going to be less full than usual, this is the perfect time to reflect upon your career, including your current employment situation. How your employer responds to the COVID-19 pandemic could tell you a great deal about how it handles crisis situations. Hopefully, it will handle the situation well and you will be assured about your choice of employers.
However, if it doesn’t, that brings up a series of other questions. Are you truly working in a supportive environment? Is your career in the hands of the right people? Are you at a point in your life where you are re-evaluating your priorities, and if that’s the case, what does that mean for your job and your career? Your answers to these questions could have a large impact on the decisions you make regarding your professional life once this crisis is over.
#3—Keep networking.
Even with social distancing protocols and the lack of face-to-face events, you can still network. You can accomplish this mainly online, including through social media sites like LinkedIn. Speaking of which, this is the perfect time to maximize and optimize your LinkedIn presence and make sure that your profile is branding yourself the right way and also providing as much value to you and your career as possible. You can also network through phone calls and video chats through platforms like Zoom.
#4—Look for opportunities to add to your skills.
I’m not talking about technical skills per se. I’m talking more about soft skills or supplementary skills, including computer and/or software skills. Once again, since your social calendar is probably light right now, this is a great time to explore online training classes and courses that can increase your value as an employee and as a professional.
Helping Animal Health and Veterinary professionals
Once again, your health and well-being and the health and well-being of your family and friends are of paramount importance. While it is true that the coming weeks and months will prove to be challenging for everyone, remember that there will be a time of recovery and restoration in the future. The key is to stay focused on that fact, stay calm and level-headed, and prepare to move forward and make progress during this time of unprecedented uncertainty.
The VET Recruiter has been proud of help Animal Health and Veterinary professionals for nearly 23 years, and we’re committed to continue doing so in whatever capacity we can. We are open for business and we have clients who are continuing to interview and hire. Many are conducting video interviews during this time where we are social distancing. And of course, we’re taking our own advice. We’re keeping a positive frame of mind with a hopeful expectation of a better future. We’re doing everything we can to position ourselves and prepare for that future, and we hope that you will, too.
Stay well and stay safe.
We want to help you grow your Animal Health career or Veterinary career, both in the short term and also for the long run. To get started, I encourage you to create a profile on The VET Recruiter website and submit your resume.
We help support Animal Health and Veterinary careers in one of two ways: 1. By helping professionals to find the right opportunity when the time is right, and 2. By helping to recruit top talent for the critical needs of Animal Health and Veterinary organizations. If this is something that you would like to explore further, please send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.
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