For Veterinary Referral & Emergency Practices

The hiring process can be a lengthy endeavor. Many owners of veterinary referral and emergency practices realize that the longer a position remains vacant, the more that their practice will suffer—with heavier workloads for other employees, delays in servicing regular clients, and missed opportunities for growth.

Veterinary Career Services has provided veterinary referral and emergency practices with excellent search services and placements since 1998. Handling all aspects of the search, VCS offers an effective and efficient alternative for hiring new employees, one that reduces the length of position vacancies and lets practice owners focus on what they do best. And VCS offers confidentiality—especially important to practices that might be considering expansion into new areas.

The VCS Search Process

Phase I—Job Definition

The search process commences with an in-depth interview between the client and Veterinary Career Services. The agenda includes defining the position available and defining the criteria for the candidate selection process. The preparation of the job specifications is a very important aspect of the search. VCS needs to understand our client's goals and the dynamics of the current team in order to find the best candidate for the position. With this information, VCS generates a practice and position profile that is presented to candidates.

Phase II—Search Strategy

VCS develops a strategy to effectively market the practice and to indentify candidates who might be a good fit for the team.

Phase III—Identify Candidates

VCS explores many avenues in pursuit of qualified candidates. Our extensive network throughout the country allows us to identify potential candidates quickly, and an extensive search in the field is also performed. From these sources a target list is generated. Through phone interviews, this list is narrowed down. Extensive reference checking is performed to assess the candidates' suitability for the position. After this has been completed, a short list of candidates is presented to the client.

Phase IV—Interview

Chosen candidates are interviewed by the client in two steps. Initially, an informal phone conversation is arranged between candidate and client. If all parties are in agreement, a visit is arranged during which the candidate can tour the practice, meet the doctors, and explore the area.

Phase V—The Superior Candidate

VCS will assist the client in selecting the best candidate for the position. Our role is to provide assistance based on our feedback, references, and personality assessments—all of which lead to our suggestion. The final selection is made by the client.

Phase VI—The Offer

This is one of the most important phases of the recruiting process. VCS will assist the client in making an attractive, competitive offer to the candidate. Our experience and market knowledge allow us to provide valuable insight into the structuring of a compensation package that can be tailored to the candidate’s expectations.

Phase VII—Negotiations

VCS will assist the client in the negotiation of the compensation package until an agreement is reached, and a win/win situation has been achieved for all parties involved.