It’s that time of year when final-year students start thinking about job applications – but a simple flick through the recruitment section of Veterinary Times, or some of the online veterinary job boards, shows a clear tendency for employers to include certain “buzzwords”.
With this in mind, new graduates need to consider all of the following factors when looking for their first role. Knowing what the practice means by these terms – and what you want with respect to each – is paramount to ensuring no mismatch of expectations when you start.
Competitive salary
Of all the things on a new graduate job advert, this one used to annoy me the most.
It tells you absolutely ZERO information – and listing it first (which is commonly done) detracts from other factors, such as support and mentorship, that are usually much more important for a graduate job.
The starting salary should not be the only reason you take a job.
Out-of-hours backup
Will this be a dedicated vet who will come out when required, or will he or she just be offering advice over the telephone? Also, how long does the practice offer this support?
I had a six-month period with a dedicated vet who would attend, if needed, or give telephone advice. After the six months, we had an open discussion about whether I was happy to lose my small animal-dedicated backup; but the practice and I both felt I should keep dedicated farm backup until I was happy I could deal with some of the common OOH calls solo (cattle caesareans, for example).
Professional fees covered
Some adverts specify which professional memberships they will cover, but some leave it as vague as this example.
I would advocate for getting, as a minimum, your RCVS registration and Veterinary Defence Society insurance covered – you cannot practise without them, after all.
After that, association memberships are a huge benefit and should be discussed with an employer.
4.5-day week / half-day after night on call
Again, this is a great thing to see in a job advert. Having appropriate time off in lieu of on-call work shows the practice cares about your workload/work-life balance.
However, if you are successful and invited to an interview, it’s worth speaking to some of the vets and asking what the practice does to ensure you do get away at lunchtime on your half-day.
Vehicle provided
If you’re doing any large animal or equine work, having a company car is a huge benefit – and while you will be taxed on the benefit in kind, it will likely save you money.
However, it’s worth discussing whether it is for “business use only” (drive your own car to work each day then have use of a car/van in work hours for visits), or if you get “personal use“ included.
It’s also worth checking that breakdown cover and any form of vehicle health check are included.
All the usual toys/equipment
By the time you reach final year, EMS will undoubtedly have shown you that veterinary practices vary wildly from one to the next.
“The usual” will depend on the type of practices you’ve been in for EMS – and may not be at all similar to what the practice means. The best example of this would be dental x-ray – most students would view this as a “usual toy”, but lots of practices don’t yet have the capacity to perform dental radiographs.
Hopefully this article has helped break down a few common phrases used by practices when advertising.
However, if you’re faced with an ad that sounds interesting, but doesn’t give you all the information you want to know before applying, there’s nothing wrong with telephoning a practice and asking to chat to someone about the vacancy.
You have no obligation to apply just because you’ve discussed it on the telephone, but it’s in the practice’s interest to give you all the information to try to encourage you to apply.
Finally, I would always advocate looking at the entire package on offer, rather than the gross salary figure (for your first job especially), as money really isn’t the be-all and end-all – support, mentoring and clinical experience are all vital factors to be considered.
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