5 Myths about Working with a Veterinary Recruiter

Filling the open roles at your veterinary practice can be challenging – especially when you are trying to focus on other things, like running a profitable operation. Enlisting the help of a veterinary recruiter can help to remove this burden from your shoulders, saving you both time and money in the hiring process. Yet, far too many practice owners have fallen victim to some of the common misconceptions surrounding the veterinary recruiting realm. Let’s take a look at five of the most frequently purported myths and the real truth behind each of them.

Myth #1 – It’s easier and cheaper to just do it myself.

Can you handle your own staffing? Absolutely. Should you? Probably not. Why? Because it takes you away from focusing on what’s more important, like improving client acquisition or streamlining internal processes. Do you really want to pull yourself away from these critical business functions just to find a new receptionist? And furthermore, what kind of value do you place on your own time?

A veterinary recruiter will be able to dedicate the necessary time and efforts to attracting, evaluating and narrowing down candidates on your behalf. This means you’ll fill positions faster without having to waste valuable time and energy on the nitty gritty recruiting process.

Myth #2 – Recruiters don’t understand my industry.

While this may be true for generic staffing agencies, if you choose the right partner it doesn’t have to be. For instance, Dream Team Elite works exclusively with the veterinary industry, which means we have in-depth knowledge of what skills and characteristics make the best candidates for each role. We’ll even work with you to fully understand your practice culture so we can better define the perfect fit for your open position.

Myth #3 – It’s really expensive.

Obviously, veterinary recruiters get compensated for what they do, but if you think of the work they perform in terms of time savings and improved candidate selection, it becomes clearer that it’s not as much an expense as it is an investment in the future success of your practice. In the grand scheme of things, it can cost thousands of dollars to recruit on your own. In comparison to this, the compensation of a veterinary recruiter is oftentimes much lower.

Myth #4 – They’re not interested in creating long-term relationships.

Another popular misconception about veterinary recruiters is that they’re only out to fill as many empty roles as possible and, as such, churning clients is part of their routine. To the contrary, with the right firm, the goal should be developing a solid, mutually beneficial partnership. After all, successful business is about creating strong networks, including relationships between veterinary practices and their recruiting service providers.

Myth #5 – It’s better to work with several head hunters rather than just one.

This mindset is understandable. After all, having a bunch of recruiters working on your behalf will get you more candidates faster, right? Not necessarily. The reality is, this type of arrangement results in sort of a competition between recruiters, which can lead to poorly vetted candidates from some and disengagement from others.

Your best bet is to choose one veterinary recruiter that will be dedicated to finding you the best possible prospects for the jobs you’re trying to fill. No competition, no shoddy effort. Just focus on the task at hand until success is achieved.

Want to learn more about how Dream Team Elite can help you staff your veterinary practice with a top-notch team? Contact us today!

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