Veterinary and Animal Health is a candidate-driven market. With unemployment rates at historic lows and the number of US households with a pet increasing, it’s safe to say, it’ll remain competitive for a long time. What does that mean for you? Now more than ever, you need to stand out as an employer of choice to win top veterinary talent. One of the most important things you can focus on in veterinary recruiting is your employer brand - when candidates view you as an employer of choice, you’ll increase your conversion rates drastically.
Here are 4 key factors that contribute to a winning veterinary employer brand and help you snag top talent:
Handling of COVID-19
Let’s face it, the changes brought on by the pandemic aren’t going away anytime soon. Veterinary professionals, like any healthcare talent, want to know that their employer cares about their wellbeing and is taking the right steps to ensure their safety. Make sure you clearly communicate your protocols on your website, in your job postings, and again during interviews. What PPE do you provide, what are the office guidelines, how are you interacting with patients and caregivers? This is all part of your employer brand, and needs to be communicated thoroughly.
Workplace flexibility
Even before COVID-19 caused a massive shift, today’s workforce has been flexing and adjusting, while demanding better work-life balance. Veterinary candidates want to know what options you provide in terms of remote work, flexible office hours and paid time off. They’ll also want to know how you adapted these policies due to the pandemic. (Hint: how you handled the situation provides huge insight into your employer brand, and potential candidates WILL learn about it one way or the other).
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Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) is another key part of your employer brand and a critical piece of the candidate-decision puzzle. Veterinary professionals should feel welcomed and valued in your organization. They should also be equipped to create a welcoming environment for their co-workers and clients. The veterinary organization they work for should provide equal and unbiased support to everyone - both employees and patients. If you’re not conveying this to your veterinary candidates in your recruiting efforts, you need to start as soon as possible.
Technology
Technology can set you apart as an employer of choice in today’s competitive veterinary market. With current limitations to in-person methods, executing a well-planned and tech-enabled recruiting program is the first step in showing off your organization as a forward-thinking employer hat veterinary professionals are excited to associate with. Use video interviewing tools and candidate assistance software to brand yourself as modern and innovative.
Although the current environment can prove challenging for recruiting veterinarians, positioning your employer brand in a way that attracts top talent and ensures you’re a company they want to work for is the best way to stand out and build a top organization.
