by Bash Halow, CVPM, LVT
Maybe you prefer animals to people and you’ve just had it with your old job. You’re looking for something new and purposeful to do for a living. You’ll be pleased to know that there are many opportunities in the veterinary profession that don’t require prior veterinary medical experience. Here’s a list of skills that will land you your first job working in this robust industry.
- Office Management: In most cases, veterinary practices are small businesses comprised of 3-30 team members. The owner of the practice is typically at the focal point of the business as the lead veterinarian. This means that they work as a doctor first and an office owner second, leaving plenty of opportunity for applicants who are skilled at office management. Skill sets such as bookkeeping, website maintenance, scheduling and payroll can be attractive to veterinary practice owners looking for help.
- Customer Service: Though the industry still calls some of its employees ‘receptionists’, the role is anything other than utilitarian. Today’s client care representatives, as they are more aptly titled, act as the conscientious ‘face’ of the practice. They field phone calls from concerned owners who appreciate talking to someone who is genuinely caring and empathetic. But it’s not just talking on the phone. Today’s representatives must proactively reach out to clients with a variety of tools, so familiarity with texting, emailing and live chat is helpful. Whatever your comfort level with any of these platforms is, know this: veterinary medicine is not for the person that ‘prefers animals to people’. Saying that you prefer one to the other is the kiss of death in an interview for a veterinary job.
- Marketing: Typically marketing at smaller practices is catch-as-catch-can and most veterinary offices would benefit from someone with a marketing background. Experience writing ad copy or regular blog writing stands out on a resume. Since many veterinary professionals can shy away from the camera, a candidate who is comfortable video-blogging for the practice or appearing in YouTube videos as part of the practice’s client education is a treat to find.
- Sales Experience: With so many competitors entering the industry, it’s extremely important that veterinary professionals are comfortable articulating and ‘selling’ the benefits of the practice as a source for all animal care products and services. If you’ve had prior experience in retail, underline it with a description of why you were especially good at teaching the client the value of the goods and services you sold.
- Word Processing Skills: Any candidate that comes to the table with a full suite of word processing skills is welcome. Veterinary practices are in regular need of someone who can build a spreadsheet, create a flier, type up medical protocols or create PowerPoint presentations for team meetings.
- Social Media: Small businesses have one powerful competitive edge: the ability to provide clients with a personalized service experience. Indicate that you can assist the practice in building client relationships using Social Media. It also wouldn’t hurt to have a good eye for day-to-day practice photo opportunities, to be handy with a digital camera, and to understand how to edit photos and video clips.
- Big Dreams: Veterinary medicine has come a long way. The profession includes gargantuan hospitals with 300+ employees, mobile units, specialty practices, rescue foundations and corporations. Additionally there are the many pharmaceutical, pet food, medical device, insurance, and business solution companies that service the industry. Once the applicant has a sufficient amount of experience and understanding of the business, there are countless other opportunities available to them. Talking about your long-term goals not only gives your employer an understanding of your level of commitment, but helps them build a career path that benefits both the business and you.