5 Places to Recruit New Veterinary Employees
These days, attracting, recruiting and retaining qualified veterinary professionals can feel like searching for a needle in an ever-growing proverbial haystack. With unemployment at an all-time low, the pickings are slim and the competition is become fiercer by the day. The best way to improve your odds of landing those top-tier candidates for your open positions is to broaden your horizons and expand your reach. That being said, here are a few places you may or may not have thought to consider for your veterinary recruiting needs.
Traditional Job Boards
The most logical place to head to when you’ve got a position to fill in your veterinary practice is the traditional job sites, like Indeed, Monster and CareerBuilder. Given the size and scope of these job sites, employers have the opportunity to reach a much larger pool of candidates. That being said, however, there are also a lot of other vet clinics vying for the same prospects. This can make it much harder to actually find qualified job seekers and effectively recruit them for your own practice. In other words, you may not be very successful (as you’ve probably already discovered).
Niche Sites
Another great place to locate qualified veterinary professionals is an industry-related site. For instance, organizations like the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has its own designated page for veterinary career seekers, as does the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). On these types of sites, the audience of jobseekers may be smaller, but the competition is just as fierce, as everyone is there for the same purpose and competing for the same pool of candidates. Still, it can help you cut through the red tape and hone in on more high-quality prospects.
Industry-Related Organizations
If you’re willing to get a little more creative and think outside the box, looking to local organizations that are in the same or complementary industries can be a highly effective recruiting strategy. For instance, people who volunteer at the local animal shelter or rescue group may be excellent candidates for more entry-level positions. As a bonus, you’ll already know they love and work well with animals, and chances are other clinics in the area haven’t thought to tap into this resource yet, so your competition will be lower. Consider forming relationships with local animal-related organizations so you can start building a talent pipeline.
Social Media
According to Glassdoor, 79% of job applicants use social media when conducting a job search. Those are some pretty decent odds if you’re looking to fill a position in your veterinary clinic. This is one of the many reasons it’s so important to maintain a strong and consistent presence on social media. By building an online community, you’ll have a ready-made resource when it comes to recruiting. Not only might one of your fans or followers be the perfect fit for a particular role, but by asking your audience to share your job listings, you’ll be able to expand your reach exponentially to all of their networks for free.
Community Outreach
Staying involved with your local community can pay off in a number of ways, including having a resource for seeking candidates for open positions. As an added bonus, by being involved locally, you’ll establish a strong and trustworthy brand, which can work wonders when it comes to attracting job seekers. If you aren’t already doing so, consider starting a few outreach initiatives, whether it be hosting a low-cost vaccine clinic, sponsoring a local cause or volunteering your time and services to community needs. The visibility and trust you’ll gain will pay off tenfold.
Finding the right people to join your veterinary team isn’t easy – especially when the job market is as competitive as it is right now. Expanding your efforts by incorporating multiple resources, such as those above, can help you find those needles in the haystack and fill your open roles more quickly. And, of course, we are always here to help as well! Get in touch today and let us do all the work in putting together your dream team!
