A steady rise in pet ownership has meant more need for veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Yet practice owners and managers often face challenges when recruiting for new team members. From finding quality applicants to promoting your clinic as an ideal place to work there are common challenges in the veterinary hiring process. With a little creativity—and the right strategic partner—these roadblocks can be overcome and your veterinary team can be set up for success.

Hiring challenge #1: Attracting qualified candidates for open roles

Finding the right match for your veterinary practice’s job vacancies can be tricky. This job market in on the upswing, with projected employment for veterinarians growing faster than the average for all occupations. However, more candidates don’t necessarily equal the right candidates. As a practice owner, how can you be sure you attract qualified potential team members?

Practices can narrow the pool by recruiting from a job postings platform aimed at veterinary professionals. Seeking candidates from specialty platforms gives recruiters an edge by ensuring job listings are seen by candidates with the right credentials.

Once you get that job listing in front of the candidate, take the effort to ensure it’s direct and easy-to-read. Bullets, short paragraphs, and white space are your friends here. Be transparent with salary ranges and hours in the job description. Include mention of benefits, like continuing education stipends, 401K matching, student loan repayment programs, and employee assistance programs. If your practice does not offer incentives like this, it might be time to reassess your benefits. In today’s competitive environment, you might be losing out on premium candidates to nearby practices with more comprehensive employee benefits.

If you’re wondering, how do I write this essential job description, then Hound is here to help. Through the Scout platform, you’ll be guided in creating your listing. And that listing will be targeted to veterinarians and veterinary technicians who meet your exact requirements through a white-glove matching service. Additionally, Hound’s credential verification system ensures each applicant is licensed and accredited per state requirements.

Don’t waste time skimming resumes of job seekers who aren’t a fit; and instead prepare for productive conversations with qualified applicants.

 

Hiring challenge #2: Process takes too long

A drawn-out application and interview processes frustrates job seekers—and paints your practice in a poor light. With the average time to hire an associate DVM 15 months, it’s clear the process needs some streamlining. Long vacancies affect the workload and morale of current team members, making it imperative to make some changes. Also, take into account the perspective of the job seeker. They are likely applying for multiple jobs; do you want to be taken out of the running because your process was too slow?

Consider what steps can be eliminated from the hiring process—and where you can lean on technology to help. How many rounds of interviews do you really need to assess a candidate? Can you consolidate some into panel conversations? Offer initial interviews over video chat to save candidates travel time and then move into the clinic for the final round.

Remember to continuously evaluate and update your hiring process based on feedback from candidates and hiring managers. Continuous improvement identifies and removes bottlenecks and enhances overall efficiency.

Create interview templates to ask each candidate the same questions. Yes, establishing this baseline will take time up front, but later you won’t scramble around when preparing for the interview. It’s also fair—and easier— to have the same data points when evaluating applicants against each other. Throughout the process, be transparent about timelines so job seekers know what to expect.

Using Hound as your recruitment platform lets you chat about open positions with interested veterinary professionals. Think about the time saved if you could answer some basic questions ahead of the formal interview process and mutually agree ahead of time there’s potential.

 

Hiring challenge #3: You don’t have an employer value proposition

Do you know your practice’s mission statement? Does your practice even have a mission statement? With veterinary clinics everywhere, what stands out yours as an employer? What are you offering that makes interested professionals say, “That’s where I want to work.”

Creating and socializing an employer value proposition is not just some feel good exercise; in today’s competitive job landscape, it’s necessary to stand out to qualified applicants. If you’re stuck on where to start, survey current team members about what makes the practice unique. How does it compare favorably with other clinics they’ve worked at? Aspects of the employee experience to highlight include teamwork wins, out-of-the-box perks, mental health supports, or mentoring programs.

Once you’ve aligned on your employer value prop, market it through various channels, including your website, social media, and job postings. Candidates will be doing their research, so consistent messaging across different touchpoints is key.

As a Hound client, you can expect personalized guidance to define your value prop and showcase it to attract the right veterinary talent

 

Hiring challenge #4: You don’t evaluate for culture fit

With the time and money and effort that go into the hiring process, it would be disappointing if your new hire doesn’t mesh with the rest of the team and the practice’s ethos. Culture fit needs to be a consideration before that job offer is delivered.

When writing interview questions, include some whose answers hint at potential culture fit. Incorporate questions that assess a candidate’s alignment with your practice’s culture. You might ask about problem solving strategies, examples of collaboration, or preferred communication styles.  
Including potential peers in the interview process—not just a manager—is a great way to get feedback on culture fit. Pay attention to how job seekers interact with current team members during the interview process. You can use these insights to predict future behaviors.

Also, references’ perspectives on work styles, values, and how a candidate fit into previous work environments, can offer predictions to culture fit.

Using Hound can help you further clarify culture fit. Hound Connect is a white glove career matching service that utilizes proprietary Value Questionnaire to match employers and employees based on a culture fit.  

 

Hiring challenge #5: You don’t have a pipeline of potential candidates

 
Recruiting is a fact of business; yet managers are often caught off guard when an employee puts in their notice. There’s scrambling to write and post the job description, plus the realignment of duties for what can be months at a time.

Keeping tabs on previous, qualified applicants can shorten the recruiting process. Add them to your newsletter mailing list so they stay updated on happenings at your practice. Sharing valuable industry information could make your practice stand out as an employee-centric place of business.

Your current team members are another strong source of potential candidates. An employee referral program can be a smart way to identify qualified job seekers who might fit your culture. 

Relationships with area veterinary schools are another way to connect with future job seekers. Participating in career fairs and offering internships can help you identify potential team members to add your database.

With Hound, you can easily favorite and stay in touch with promising candidates. The Scout platform lets you nurture your pipeline and maintain engagement. Checking in with passive job seekers puts your veterinary practice top-of-mind when those candidates are ready to actively look for their next opportunity.

Finding your next veterinary team member doesn’t need to be a challenge. Leaning on resources like Hound can expediate the hiring process and create a friendlier recruiting experience for everyone involved.