How Can I Get More Applicants to My Veterinary Job Post?

Have you been having a lack of response to your perfectly crafted job ad? There is nothing more frustrating than taking the time and care to craft an engaging job ad and not receive either the volume of candidates or the appropriately skilled candidates. When you have an open job position it’s imperative for your clinic to fill it as fast as possible. These tips will help nudge your previously crafted ad to where it needs to be in order to get the volume of applicants that you need with the appropriately skilled backgrounds. 

The first thing that you can do is start to sell yourself. It’s not entirely on the applicant to alone sell themselves to you, it’s up to you to identify what makes your clinic and practice individualistic. What makes your practice a unique and enjoyable place to be employed? There will be an alarming amount of job ads that cover the very basics of their practice, highlighting things that all places will likely have. Look into the practices in your area and see what makes you different than them. Don’t be afraid to directly state things that other ads might not mention, such as compensation and competitive benefits. Not shying away from that will draw more applicants toward the job. When it comes to over-worked and undervalued veterinarians and veterinary technicians, money and benefits is the first thing they want to hear about. 

The second thing you can do is to do more research. While research might not be the most rewarding part of your day at work, the more you know about what candidates are looking for and the different things you can offer in comparison to your competition. You can start by checking out the job ads from other veterinary practices in your area. Is there something that you saw in another ad that spoke to you or sparked your interest? Make a list of compelling phrases and details that you would like to amend and add to your own job ad (but with a lens toward your own unique practice, opportunities, and individuality! Remember to not just copy and paste). Next, be sure to be fully aware of the exact duties you’ll want your candidate to perform so that you can be as detailed and thorough in your ad and speak to the most qualified, but also the largest quantity of, candidates. And finally, make sure, again, to speak to what you can offer that is better than the competition. This is especially true if you have a smaller veterinary practice in comparison to larger ones in the area. Try to find ways to speak to the benefits of going with a smaller practice than a big one. 

Try amending the tone of your job ad. If your job ad is coming off as too formal, it might be time to edit the language you use and the character of your ad, as well as the organization. Most people looking for jobs are scanning job ads and it isn’t until something catches their eye that they’ll read more in-depth. In order to avoid getting passed over, be sure to start with the highlights. And using an inviting and warm voice will also help get you noticed. Be sure to include both what you can offer but also what you’re looking for in a candidate. This should include job functions but also the personal characteristics that would best suit the job. While the job ad should gather a number of candidates to pick from, you also want to ensure that once you select the person that they’ll be happy in the position to stay at the practice for a long time. 

And finally, seek out your candidates! Go to where the candidates that you’re looking for would go to. There are plenty of places to go and seek out candidates. Are you familiar with locations that your candidates might be searching for jobs at? This would include places like job aggregator websites that are geared specifically to veterinary jobs and vet tech jobs. The candidates on this site will be people who have had similar jobs in the past or are recently completing their education in the field. But it might be equally dynamic to look at social media options. This could be creating social media accounts and making your own call-to apply flyers that would lead to the job ad, this kind of engagement is easy and free–and many candidates use social media and will be able to see what you put out. You can also look into your email lists. This would be email lists from veterinary networking sites. You can utilize these lists to put out an email campaign to alert the people involved through the networking site that you’re looking for candidates. And finally, utilize your own personal network. Networking is an essential part of all job markets, so it is imperative to have your own network. This also looks like asking your team if they have applicants in mind–friends from veterinary or vet tech school–or reaching out to veterinary educators that you may know and seeing if they have any students looking for an opportunity. 

With these tips, you’ll be sure to drive a large number of highly qualified candidates to your job ad and hopefully find the perfect person for the role.  

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