“Well, I was just a small animal vet? Why would they hire me?”

This may come as a surprise to you, but simply having worked in private practice and having a qualification in the veterinary field provides you with a wealth of abilities- these are aptly named transferrable skills. Thinking of these skills in advance allows you to be perfectly poised to be in just the right place at just the right time.

If you’re looking at job postings, think of the skills you acquired while in your other jobs throughout your career, volunteering, or other roles you might have filled in your community. What situations can you think of where you demonstrated the skills listed? Sometimes it’s a useful exercise to look at job postings and think of where your skills would fit, even if the job isn’t one you’d apply to.

Here’s a light look at a few you might not have thought of.

1.Complex problem solving: Those working in the veterinary industry are uniquely qualified to look at multi-faceted problems, and solve them. Generally used to working with teams, rarely in solitude, we are great at satisfying multiple needs at once with one clinical solution.

2. Communications skills: If you’ve ever talked an intense dressage rider off a ledge about her horse’s lameness, or worked with a multi-generational farm family with different ideas on herd health strategies, or dealt with a very emotional euthanasia with multiple family members, you’ve got communication skills and experience with multiple stakeholders.

3. Compassion, empathy: Clinical practitioners see people at their most vulnerable, at their very worst, and we help them and their pets through whatever ordeal is presented. We see them with their pyjamas on, their noses running, ugly crying, and we see pets at their most stressed out times; when they are sick. We can easily place ourselves in their headspace, and we can also express empathy.

4. Small business world knowledge: Most of the world’s businesses are small businesses. Working in a veterinary clinic in private practice is almost always an excellent example of small business across many geographic areas and niches. If you got to know anything about the culture, the needs or the financial/logistic ideas of a vet clinic, you have small business knowledge. And here’s a secret: most large businesses started as small businesses, and many are small businesses nested in a bigger business.

5. Relatability to other professionals: Dentists, lawyers, engineers, human doctors, veterinarians. We’re all professionals. We take oaths, pay licensing dues, write lengthy exams, and we struggle in similar ways.

6. Ability to understand and meet the needs of a wide range of stakeholders: In private practice, if there’s one thing we know as veterinarians, it is that it takes all kinds of people to make up a client base. Every time you step out of the car or into the exam room, the person on the other side of the table or the barn door will require something different of you. Veterinarians are like chameleons, but way better! You understand what the client needs, how to talk to them, get to the bottom of their issue, and get a task accomplished to help their animal.

7. Advanced knowledge of biological systems: Don’t underestimate the excellent knowledge base you received in veterinary college. Basically, 4 years of comparative biology + clinical skills wrapped up in 3 letters: vet. Every “ology” you took added to your knowledge. You didn’t sweat through your shirt in bell ringers for nothing! This knowledge base transfers to a wide variety of professions with ease. Your undergraduate work prior to veterinary college may also be applicable.

8. One Health philosophy: The term One Health has become a big buzz word of late, and for good reason. Understanding the connection between human health, animal health, and environmental health is fundamental to veterinary medicine. While this might have been a revolution to our human med counterparts, veterinarians were doing one health before we had a term for it.

9. Organizational leadership skills: When you are a veterinarian, even the lowliest intern in the largest clinic, you are a big-L leader in your team. You likely understand your impact in the workplace, how to carry yourself. If you know how to improve morale in your team, how to build trust with the mean team member, how to kindly hold the staff accountable, how to mentor gently, don’t be afraid to share these skills, particularly with examples (e.g., supervised externship students, performed staff reviews).

10. Ability to handle high pressure situations: Can you triage? Can you organize your team to get everything accomplished when 3 emergencies bust through the door? Can you work under pressure and keep creatures alive, looking competent with a poker face that would put Vegas gamblers to shame?

Although this article is pretty light in nature, it seems clear (since all of our interviewees have mentioned it), that anyone looking to change career paths should look to their previous experiences, and think how they would apply to possible opportunities.

Be honest, but don’t sell yourself short either. It’s up to you to determine where you fit best, and it’s also up to you to help your potential employer see why you might be indispensable.

As the dust settles on another London Vet Show, did you make the most of it for career development purposes? Or was it a recruitment opportunity for you instead?

I’ve been going to LVS since the first event in 2009. In fact, I remember clearly arguing with the organisers about whether another show was needed, whether London was a good venue and whether delegates will travel. At the time I was Vet Affairs Manager for Hill’s Pet Nutrition, had a budget to manage and I wasn’t convinced. I’m definitely convinced now! 

The 2023 edition definitely fulfilled the brief. We’re clearly over the post covid blues and into new territory with the scale of the show. Over twenty streams of CPD to dive into, hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of delegates. It was the busiest I’ve ever seen it and I think there was a real buzz about the place that sends a message – we may have been in the doldrums for a while and whilst we still have problems to solve in the profession, there’s an energy and engagement I’ve not seen in years. I think that leads to a healthy situation for those in the career development space. 

Several observations lead me to that conclusion, aside from the obvious delegate throng. Firstly, the number of exhibitors was huge and it wasn’t just the usual companies. There were new entrants galore from across the globe. New products, technologies and services were everywhere, suggesting innovators and suppliers have confidence in the veterinary sector, investing in stands, promotions and giveaways. 

Secondly, the scale of the investments and efforts to engage with delegates. Did you see the size of the sweet dispenser stand, the circus stand or the proliferation of sponsorship? When companies are working that hard to engage with delegates, you know that you’re a valuable commodity, your influence carries weight and that having you onboard is critical in a highly competitive market. 

Finally, the breadth of content in the lecture streams. It’s expected that the RVC will deliver awesome clinical content, but to have multiple species, referral, career development, business, innovation and BVA Congress streams as well, speaks to the nature of a modern veterinary career. There’s no such thing as ‘just’ a vet or vet nurse anymore. 

Given all the action, did you take advantage of the show as a career development or recruitment opportunity? If not, don’t worry, VSGD has you covered. We know you had a fab show, were super busy and perhaps didn’t get time to visit the VSGD Basecamp. We also know that a fair number of you won’t have made the London pilgrimage. 

So it’s only fair we offer you the same career development downloads we offered the folks that attended. We’ve taken some of our most popular downloads and turned them into resources just for you. Each is intended to cover one element of veterinary recruitment or career development, whether you’re a candidate or a recruiter. Click this link to download them now.

The Ultimate Guide to Getting Your Career Unstuck

We’ve taken a coaching approach and provided you with a mini workbook. By posing you questions, giving you space to doodle and then helping shape your answers through reflective exercises, the workbook is designed to get you thinking and create some action. It’s a great starting point and perhaps a first step towards our Group Career Coaching or Personal Coaching Programs, which you can check out on our website. 

The Ultimate Guide to DIY Headshots

Your photo is the first thing people see with your online presence. Whether it’s for Linkedin, social media or as an avatar for an application, it’s critical to make a great first impression. If you missed the chance to get a photo at the VSGD Basecamp during London Vet Show, then our guide gives you hints and tips that are simple to follow at home. All you need is a smartphone and a little time to follow the guide. Get snapping!

The New Grad’s Guide to Finding Your Ideal Workplace

When you’re a new grad, asking the question about how your ideal workplace looks can be difficult, especially if you’re younger with limited work experiences. It can be difficult to identify what’s important, so this guide contains prompts and questions that will help you find insights from previous workplaces, school and experiences and draw insights from your past. We’ve included green and red flags too – markers of things you want or don’t want in that first role. 

The Ultimate Guide to Finding Your Ideal Workplace

When you’re in career development mode, one of the key questions is what your ideal workplace looks like. It can be difficult to identify what’s important, so this guide contains prompts and questions that will help you think back to previous workplaces and experiences and draw insights from your past. 

The Smart Employer’s Guide to Making Job Ads Easy

We absolutely understand that writing a job advert can be daunting and time consuming. Hurdles such as finding the right way to show off your clinic’s key features, being camera shy or feeling uninspired can get in your way. And how do you achieve a standout advert amongst the masses? Our guide gives you a framework to use and plenty of hints and tips to ease the process. 

And if you’re still struggling, why not check out the VSGD Careers advertising platform? It brings web and social media together, adds unique live events and our team of copywriters to help you find your voice and write a breakout recruitment campaign. 

Download the free e-guides for career development and veterinary recruitment NOW! 

That’s London Vet Show wrapped for the year and hopefully your networking, contacts and follow up list will bear fruit in whatever step you take next in your career. We’re here to help throughout your career journey so if you need anything, drop us a line here. Make sure you ask the community in the Facebook Group and you never know where your vet passport might take you next. 

If you don’t enjoy networking, you’re not alone!  40% of people on a recent LinkedIn poll said they do not enjoy networking, even though 90% recognized it as “critical”!  

As a veterinary professional, you might also recognize how critical networking is to your success, especially as we are in a small field.  Most of the people we interview for our monthly career Q and As have leveraged their connections to land their jobs, or make career transitions, or even create jobs where there were none!  (Check out the replays here)

Networking is critical as well if you’re a business owner, side hustle owner, or if you’re looking to break into speaking, consulting, or freelancing of any kind.  And how many people have been hired following a great conversation at an event?  

So, we’ve established that networking is important… how can you make it less cringey and anxiety-inducing?

Here’s our top tips to get comfortable with networking:

1. Embrace the awkward

When I learned how to become better at public speaking, I learned that it was always going to feel a little awkward for me, no matter how many stages I crossed or how many events I facilitated.  Now I know that feeling of anxiety and how it will play out, and how I’ve survived it and thrived despite it.  Let’s consider that those feelings of interacting in unknown situations are normal, but just like learning a new veterinary procedure, we get less nervous with time, and we learn to cope with them.  I take some deep breaths if I’m feeling a bit keyed up, and assume a power pose (cheesy but it works).

2. Have a prop

I watched my young children do this as they learned to enter new situations. They found it easier when they brought something with them as a conversation starter. For little kids, it’s a stuffy to talk about, or an interesting rock.  As adults, it can be a drink (“Have you tried the signature cocktail at the event?”), or even a statement piece of clothing that someone may comment on.  Even having a business card can be helpful after starting the conversation.

3. Get some small talk questions prepped

I remember back in the stone age when I started dating, and you had to call on a landline.  You had to speak to the boy’s parents and then make conversation awkwardly on the phone. My uber organized friend gave me a good tip: have a little cheat sheet of “nice parent questions” and “questions for the boy you are dating” questions banked to whip out should things get dull.  Luckily, there was no video calling, so you could definitely flip through your notebook to consult questions. I’m not even ashamed to admit I’ve used this tip.  “So what was your favorite lecture today?” at a conference, or “tell me about your family,” or “what’s new in your area?  What are you excited about?” Have a couple on hand, or consult when you take a bathroom break.

4. Be curious, not desperate

I always advise job seekers to simply approach people with curiosity when they network, as opposed to viewing the interaction as a transactional one where the end result is finding out if the person has a job you can apply to.  I prefer to advise that we approach with open ended questions, like a dermatology or behaviour consult- “Tell me about how you got to your current position?” “What do you like the best about your role?”  Most people will happily answer questions about themselves, especially if you seem interested.

5. Lend value

If you have an idea or thing you think they might benefit from, let them know. Maybe a book, movie, process etc.  “You know, you mentioned that you love Brené Brown as an author.  I wonder, have you read any …” 

6. Segue into topics where appropriate 

If you have a service or idea that you could offer or help solve for the person, it’s totally great to either gently discuss it at the time, or grab their card to follow up later.  “So neat that you’re thinking about bringing in speakers to your practice.  I love speaking. What topics are you thinking of this year?”   Or “Wow, that sounds really cool; love to see people thinking like you are.  Can I grab your card?  I’d love to stay in touch.” Then follow up with a nice email offering a further chat and some of your ideas or services if they are interested.

Next conference or networking event, please make great use of your time, and remember that almost everyone there is as awkward feeling as you!

If you still feel awkward or unsure about networking, or leveraging yourself into a new area, this is 100% an area coaching is helpful.  Check out our coaching services here or drop us a line.

Slow your scroll to take a moment to assess

I read an interesting report from the Mom Project that reported on the challenges of summer childcare and logistical juggling for working parents, and particularly moms.  

Workplaces in summer are often short staffed, and none more than vet businesses with a shortage of veterinary professionals.  Overwork is a common complaint, or coverage and staffing.

I have to ask: are you sailing on calm waters right now?  

Or do you feel like you’re floundering around without a life jacket in rough seas?  

If you’re sailing on calm seas without a care in the world, I’d love to know what helped make it stress free and smooth for you.  Tell me all the things!

If you’re more in the floundering/drowning category, here’s 5 questions to ask yourself to “coach yourself”.  If you’re overwhelmed, please just pick one.  (Overachievers, I see you… just pick one!)

1.  What’s one thing that you could do today to help make your day easier right now?

Maybe this is a quick walk, a meditation, or a simple grounding exercise (5 things you can see, 5 things you can touch, 5 things you can hear).

2. What is one item you could offload or say no to right now?

NOT picking up groceries tonight.  

3. Who or how can you ask for help with one small thing?

This doesn’t even have to be asking a person for something. Sometimes getting the help you need is ordering dinner in/getting takeout, or doing click and collect groceries.  

4. What’s one thing that’s brought you joy in the past 24 hours?

If you’re on the churn of overwhelm and flailing, this is one thing I’d pick to do.  For me, one day when I was utterly exhausted and could see no good in the world, I challenged myself to find one joyful thing.  It was my little boy smiling at me, and feeling warm sun on my face as I walked to feed my animals.  It didn’t stop the surrounding chaos, but it calmed and centred me.

5. If I could imagine myself being past this time, maybe 6 months down the road, what would be different?

This helps us see what is possible, and why this time of struggle is worth going through to get to better times. This question can also clarify what we’ll never do again.  

I see you, struggling, flailing, overwhelmed person.  I see how hard you’re working, and even if you feel like you’re failing, I guarantee most other people in your life have a different vision of how you’re doing.  Take a deep breath.  You’ll get through this, and it doesn’t always have to be this way.  

If you need support to get to career sustainability and satisfaction, we’re got life boats at the ready!  Group coaching sessions are available in North America and the UK and we have individual coaching sessions as well.  Check it out below!