How do I get a job in the veterinary field??

[ElizaThornberry]

I just had an interview a few hours ago for a vet assistant position. I just received an email from the practice manager that "I am not the right fit" for the position. It must have been bad enough that they immediately knew that weren't going to hire me...?? I have had multiple interviews for kennel assistant/vet assistant positions where I have reached the interview stage and have either been ghosted or sent an email w/ a rejection. I really don't like interviews, I will admit they make me anxious but for the most part I am able to compose myself and suck it up and do decently (imo). But with all these rejections, I think the problem lies with my interviewing skills...? Idk. I am just looking for someone to give me a chance bc I am still at the beginning of my journey. I am considering giving up on the field all together because I feel like I have to be fake and constant rejection is disheartening. I will have my B.S. in bio this fall & am 26....I can't keep playing games like this. I honestly feel like I should easily be able to get a job in a clinic but apparently not. I also can't afford to do just volunteering/shadowing (even if I could but prob not due to covid). Any advice is appreciated.

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[Kota1000]

I am a pre-vet student currently working as a veterinary assistant. I started out by shadowing - yes it is sort of boring and you don’t get paid, but it’s great experience. Shadowing will help set you apart from job applicants that already have experience or are older (I’m assuming your pre-vet). When your shadowing offer to help with basic things like cleaning or doing laundry, this is a great way to show those you are shadowing with that you have a good work ethic and are willing to do the less glamorous part of vet med. From there you have a foot in the door with experience and maybe the clinic will offer you a paid position, or you have a reference for other clinics you apply to.

 

[EngrSC]

Have you gone to your university’s career services center? I would try to set up a mock interview before you graduate. You could get some good feedback about where you’re going wrong (if that’s the case)

 

[Minnerbelle]

I am considering giving up on the field all together because I feel like I have to be fake and constant rejection is disheartening.

I feel like “being fake” as you call it and constant rejection is my life in a nutshell as a vet...

 

[Jess Monster]

Volunteer at a shelter or some other animal non-profit for a period of time. Work in a pet store, on a farm, in a lab, etc. where you can learn more about animal husbandry. Shadow at a vet clinic (this means you watch and ask questions, not that you work for free). Just seek out more opportunities where you can work closely with animals in any capacity. If you’re worried about your interviewing skills, tape yourself answering questions and let a friend or family member critique it and clue you in on any obvious problems.

Honestly, even after doing all of the things above you still might not get a paid job in vet med. Depending on where you live, especially right now, your job market might be saturated with people who have way more experience than you. There’s not much you can do to fix that. In my experiences, a lot of vet clinics don’t care about giving students “a chance.“ They’re running a business. They want someone who’s already been trained and will stick around for a long time and accept minimum wage for a demanding position, often with no benefits. The more educated you become, the closer you get to your next step in college (or graduation), or the more alternative skills/training you receive, the less desirable you become for those low paid positions - in any field.

You don’t have to give up on vet med as a career because you can’t find a paid job in a clinic. There is more to the profession than clinical work and the goal of “getting veterinary experience” before you apply to vet school is to understand the nature of what veterinary medicine looks like in practice, not to necessarily become an exceptionally experienced kennel tech or vet assistant.

If I could give you any real advice from my many years dealing with a similar issue, it’s that you should stop wasting your time looking for that clinic position. Once you graduate, prioritize finding a job in a biological science field, maybe one that includes working with live animals, that will pay you a living wage and provide you with basic benefits. Save your money. Spend your free time volunteering and shadowing. Develop other sets of skills and pursue new hobbies that will make you a really well rounded person and hopefully a standout vet school applicant some day in the future... if you still want that.

 

[ResoluteMike]

I had zero paid veterinary experience when I applied to veterinary school. Any experience you get in or out of vet med can be an asset. My experience learning how to frame houses was something I talked about in my application and it came up in the veterinary school interview. There are a lot of different paths on this journey, don't think you have to take the same route as everyone else.

 

[kaydubs]

Similarly, I also didn’t have a job in vet med until I got into vet school (the question was asked in my interview and I said that it wasn’t ever an option for me so I worked hard). I worked a ton of other jobs so I could afford to shadow in a clinic. I understand why you/OP want to work in a clinic but along with what others said, definitely try for a job you feel comfortable in. Especially when you’re feeling burned out with the rejections and interviews, I hear you on that.

best of luck with whatever you decide!!

 

[ElizaThornberry]

Volunteer at a shelter or some other animal non-profit for a period of time. Work in a pet store, on a farm, in a lab, etc. where you can learn more about animal husbandry. Shadow at a vet clinic (this means you watch and ask questions, not that you work for free). Just seek out more opportunities where you can work closely with animals in any capacity. If you’re worried about your interviewing skills, tape yourself answering questions and let a friend or family member critique it and clue you in on any obvious problems.

Honestly, even after doing all of the things above you still might not get a paid job in vet med. Depending on where you live, especially right now, your job market might be saturated with people who have way more experience than you. There’s not much you can do to fix that. In my experiences, a lot of vet clinics don’t care about giving students “a chance.“ They’re running a business. They want someone who’s already been trained and will stick around for a long time and accept minimum wage for a demanding position, often with no benefits. The more educated you become, the closer you get to your next step in college (or graduation), or the more alternative skills/training you receive, the less desirable you become for those low paid positions - in any field.

You don’t have to give up on vet med as a career because you can’t find a paid job in a clinic. There is more to the profession than clinical work and the goal of “getting veterinary experience” before you apply to vet school is to understand the nature of what veterinary medicine looks like in practice, not to necessarily become an exceptionally experienced kennel tech or vet assistant.

If I could give you any real advice from my many years dealing with a similar issue, it’s that you should stop wasting your time looking for that clinic position. Once you graduate, prioritize finding a job in a biological science field, maybe one that includes working with live animals, that will pay you a living wage and provide you with basic benefits. Save your money. Spend your free time volunteering and shadowing. Develop other sets of skills and pursue new hobbies that will make you a really well rounded person and hopefully a standout vet school applicant some day in the future... if you still want that.

I just ended my position at my school's farm because they have obligations to other students who are animal science majors. I have shadowed a bit but I can't afford to do something without getting paid....rent is expensive and my husband doesn't have a job either. Also, I am worth more than that....I have skills that I should be getting paid for.

 

[Kota1000]

I just ended my position at my school's farm because they have obligations to other students who are animal science majors. I have shadowed a bit but I can't afford to do something without getting paid....rent is expensive and my husband doesn't have a job either. Also, I am worth more than that....I have skills that I should be getting paid for.

If veterinary medicine is something you want to pursue, you should consider shadowing or volunteering. Holding out for a paid position a lot of times doesn’t work it. It took me 200+ hours of shadowing at clinics/ animal shelter volunteering before getting a kennel position, and another year before becoming a veterinary assisting. If it’s truly your dream, try and make time for some shadowing or volunteering, even if it’s just a few hours a month

 

[cbucks]

What does your previous experience look like, have you worked in any sort of veterinary related job before? Additionally, have you looked into veterinary receptionist jobs at all? Obviously not as hands-on as an assistant position would be, but you'll gain a lot of client skills and still be able to learn the medicine side as well

 

[finnickthedog]

Covid aside (because obviously that presents issues at the moment), you should be able to make some time for shadowing if you're interested in pursuing this field. I had limited veterinary hours overall because I couldn't really find a paid position and yeah, I couldn't exactly go shadowing all the time. But you make time for things that are important. So I did a day or a half day here and there. You need a job to pay your bills. You need veterinary experience if you want to get into this field. It would be nice to kill two birds with one stone... but you don't need to have both of those things coming from the same place.

 

[meelc]

I definitely feel for you and the frustration. I could not land a position for the life of me at a clinic in undergrad. I lived in a small college town with a huge amount of pre-vet students, and unless you had skills and previous experience from working in a hospital back home or from shadowing, it was really really tough to land any sort of assistant position. Even when I got to grad school (in another small town with lots of pre-vets) it took doing an unpaid summer internship at a clinic to land a paid position at that clinic.

Realistically, clinics have to focus on running a business over hiring students with no/minimal previous vet experience, only willing to work part time, that are pre-vets using the opportunity to decide if its for them and could bounce at any minute. That time, effort, and money is a a total risk for them. I may be wrong, but from my observations, corporately owned hospitals (VCA, Banfield, etc) have a bit more financial security to be taking the risk and hiring unexperienced people so you may want to reach out to some of those.

You may also want to reach out to some of the places you interviewed at and see if they could give you any feedback. Yeah it doesn't feel great to get that criticism but that will probably give you the best insight on how to approach things going forward.

 

[Georgethecat]

Concur that you should utilize your college's career center for help with your resume and interviewing skills. Are you graduating in December? What application cycle are you aiming for?

If you're planning to apply in fall 2021 to start vet school in fall of 2022, then you still have approx 14 months to gain more experience. Since finances are a consideration, maybe you should focus on getting a job that aligns with your undergrad degree and if that works out to also include animal experience or if it's in a research lab with animals and you're working under the supervision of a vet then that's great experience for your application. Even if the job doesn't translate directly to vet med experience, there will be life experiences and skills that you can highlight such as working with the public/clients etc. In that case find an emergency clinic and ask to shadow there on the weekends. I'm a big believer in the benefits of shadowing. You get to shadow the vet and learn what the vet does all day as opposed to doing what an assistant or kennel worker does. Each experience (shadowing versus paid position) has pros and cons.

At this point how many hours of vet experience do you have? It's great to have thousands of hours, but many people get into vet school with just a couple hundred hours.

 

[genny]

. It must have been bad enough that they immediately knew that weren't going to hire me...?? I have had multiple interviews for kennel assistant/vet assistant positions where I have reached the interview stage and have either been ghosted or sent an email w/ a rejection.

Are these working interviews? Or just talking? If it’s the latter, it might help to practice with friends or family. I doubt a clinic is going to tell you what went wrong since that’s a whole can or worms that no one wants to start an argument about. Attitude counts for a lot: be willing to do anything, don’t act like you know it all, emphasize the positive.

As an introvert who hates interviewing, I will go over possible questions in my head beforehand and come up with answers so I am ready for whatever I might be asked. I sometimes also plan stories or jokes to tell because I get super anxious and have a hard time thinking in the moment when I’m with a group of strangers. It sounds weird, I know, but it helps my actual personality come through better in interviews instead just of them just getting the impression that I’m a quiet little mouse. I don’t know if any of that is helpful to you, but I thought I’d put it out there for anyone else who gets nervous about interviews.

 

[LetItSnow]

Also, I am worth more than that....I have skills that I should be getting paid for.

Like what?

If you've never worked in the industry (which is what I took away from your initial post), I'm not sure what veterinary-specific skills you'd have?

At the end of the day, you just have to start at the bottom and work your way up. I was in my 30s and still spend hours upon hours shadowing and volunteering in order to get into vet school in order to get my degree in order to get a job. Shadowing may be impossible right now with covid - I dunno - but you still likely have to start at the bottom, no matter what skills you think you have.

I think genny's suggestion is good - try and set up a mock interview (maybe with someone in the field? a vet you know? a friend who can be serious about roleplaying it and take it seriously?) to figure out why you're not getting in.

There has to be something going on. At least up here, we're desperate to fill any staff slots from front desk types to tech assistants to techs. It's not quite as bad as hiring any warm body, but it's close. So figuring out what is blocking you from getting hired is the biggest thing to focus on.

It seems obvious, but every once in a while we interview people who tend to focus on why THEY want the job and what the job means to THEM. That's great 'n all, but never forget: Your needs actually aren't that important in the hiring process. The position is open because the practice needs someone to perform some task(s). Your job interviewing is to convince them that you're going to make their life better by getting those tasks done efficiently, excellently, and with as little hand-holding as necessary. If you can additionally convince them that you can get other tasks done as well, even better. But trying to convince them you want the job because you want to get into vet med ... well ... so what? How does that help them? Think about it from their perspective: They want someone to clean kennels and clean floors, and you're telling them you want to get into vet med to get into vet school, and they're thinking "um... ok.... but I need my floors cleaned." Maybe that's where you're derailing? (Not saying that's the case, just trying to think why you consistently wouldn't get past an interview phase.)

It's really hard to know how to help without knowing more information about how those interviews are going, what kind of questions they're asking, and what kind of answers you're giving.

Say more about what you mean by feeling like you have to be 'fake'.

 

[Trilt]

Add me to the pile of people who didn't have any paid experience in a vet clinic when I got accepted to school. Actually got my first paid job just around the same time as my acceptance. Tbh if a couple job rejections is making you reconsider the field, reconsider it! You're in for a long haul with a lot of debt and poorly paid time, if there's other things you'd be happy doing, do them.

 

[ZZ801832]

I never managed to get any sort of position in a clinic either. Paid positions were few and far between and reserved for people who actually had experience already and shadowing opportunities were so oversaturated I couldn't fit them into my schedule being a working student. I worked at 2 shelters and 1 dog daycare/boarding kennel, and when I couldn't find an animal-related job I tried to make sure I still did something related to animals in my spare time (part-time farmhand in exchange for riding time and a bit of shadowing with a large animal vet). Not everyone enters vet school with thousands of hours of paid vet experience.

 

[ElizaThornberry]

Like what?

If you've never worked in the industry (which is what I took away from your initial post), I'm not sure what veterinary-specific skills you'd have?

At the end of the day, you just have to start at the bottom and work your way up. I was in my 30s and still spend hours upon hours shadowing and volunteering in order to get into vet school in order to get my degree in order to get a job. Shadowing may be impossible right now with covid - I dunno - but you still likely have to start at the bottom, no matter what skills you think you have.

I think genny's suggestion is good - try and set up a mock interview (maybe with someone in the field? a vet you know? a friend who can be serious about roleplaying it and take it seriously?) to figure out why you're not getting in.

There has to be something going on. At least up here, we're desperate to fill any staff slots from front desk types to tech assistants to techs. It's not quite as bad as hiring any warm body, but it's close. So figuring out what is blocking you from getting hired is the biggest thing to focus on.

It seems obvious, but every once in a while we interview people who tend to focus on why THEY want the job and what the job means to THEM. That's great 'n all, but never forget: Your needs actually aren't that important in the hiring process. The position is open because the practice needs someone to perform some task(s). Your job interviewing is to convince them that you're going to make their life better by getting those tasks done efficiently, excellently, and with as little hand-holding as necessary. If you can additionally convince them that you can get other tasks done as well, even better. But trying to convince them you want the job because you want to get into vet med ... well ... so what? How does that help them? Think about it from their perspective: They want someone to clean kennels and clean floors, and you're telling them you want to get into vet med to get into vet school, and they're thinking "um... ok.... but I need my floors cleaned." Maybe that's where you're derailing? (Not saying that's the case, just trying to think why you consistently wouldn't get past an interview phase.)

It's really hard to know how to help without knowing more information about how those interviews are going, what kind of questions they're asking, and what kind of answers you're giving.

Say more about what you mean by feeling like you have to be 'fake'.

I hope I am not offending anyone by saying this but the entire process of getting into veterinary school requires fakeness to some degree or "fake it til you make it" mentality. Let's be honest, some people volunteer, take certain classes, or partake in clubs only because it looks good on a vet school application and not because they actually like it. I tried out my university's pre-vet club and they all seemed...condescending....just an odd atmosphere....I decided it wasn't me.
I think that you have a good point about hiring someone to perform tasks....never thought about it like that.
And the skills that I have aren't in the veterinary field (although those skills can be taught). I have some micro lab experience and instead of wasting time with the BS of getting rejected for another barely above min. wage job in the vet field, I could be pursuing other jobs.

 

[SkiOtter]

And the skills that I have aren't in the veterinary field (although those skills can be taught). I have some micro lab experience and instead of wasting time with the BS of getting rejected for another barely above min. wage job in the vet field, I could be pursuing other jobs.

......Pursue other jobs then........
Everyone here is telling you that you don’t need a vet field job to get into school. Shadow for a few hours on your time off every week or every other week. If neither you nor your husband have jobs, supporting yourselves with a non-vet field job should be your top priority.

 

[Amanasoul]

......Pursue other jobs then........
Everyone here is telling you that you don’t need a vet field job to get into school. Shadow for a few hours on your time off every week or every other week. If neither you nor your husband have jobs, supporting yourselves with a non-vet field job should be your top priority.

THIS. As a person with a microbiology degree, I went the route of getting a decent paying job in a lab at a hospital, and shadowed on my one "off" day . It was a lot and meant that I didn't get down time, but I was motivated by the prospect of getting into vet school. I did this because I couldn't get a paid position at a clinic in my area because we are incredibly saturated with vet tech and pre-vet students here.

 

[Minnerbelle]

And the skills that I have aren't in the veterinary field (although those skills can be taught). I have some micro lab experience and instead of wasting time with the BS of getting rejected for another barely above min. wage job in the vet field, I could be pursuing other jobs.

Then maybe you should?why not pursue a higher paying job and shadow on the side?

If the veterinary employer is getting even a whiff of this attitude above, I think that might be what’s tanking you. For a kennel assistant/vet assistant job, we’re typically looking for a “can do, yes ma’am” attitude for the most mundane scut work. I could give two ****z if my kennel/tech assistant has anything more than a high school diploma. It does not impress me if they have any other unrelated qualifications (unless it’s like they’re plumbers and that would be bomb to have around!). I just need a good attitude. The last thing I need is someone who feels like they are above the job they’re hired to do. When I hear someone tell me they are prevet and they are unskilled and want a job, I try to differentiate if they fall into one of two categories: entitled wannabe doctors who feel they should get special treatment because they are “future doctors,” vs. grateful motivated trainees who are willing to do anything and everything to try and soak up whatever they can. I assume they aren’t going to be long term employees if they declare themselves prevet, so their attitude alone kinda determines for me if they are worth having around.

 

[Minnerbelle]

THIS. As a person with a microbiology degree, I went the route of getting a decent paying job in a lab at a hospital, and shadowed on my one "off" day . It was a lot and meant that I didn't get down time, but I was motivated by the prospect of getting into vet school. I did this because I couldn't get a paid position at a clinic in my area because we are incredibly saturated with vet tech and pre-vet students here.

Yup, I just took a molecular bio job in a cancer lab, and used the research experience to help me with admissions. While doing that, I volunteered on the side. I don’t think people necssarily need to be as rabid as I was, but I volunteered every evening after work and extra on the weekends...and I went into work almost every day for 2 years since you can really expedite things if you’re willing to manage tissue/bacterial cultures and mouse colonies 7 days a week. Was worth it for me as it resulted in getting my name on 4 publications. Scored way more points this way admissions wise than just getting a kennel job somewhere.

 

[LetItSnow]

I hope I am not offending anyone by saying this but the entire process of getting into veterinary school requires fakeness to some degree or "fake it til you make it" mentality. Let's be honest, some people volunteer, take certain classes, or partake in clubs only because it looks good on a vet school application and not because they actually like it. I tried out my university's pre-vet club and they all seemed...condescending....just an odd atmosphere....I decided it wasn't me.
I think that you have a good point about hiring someone to perform tasks....never thought about it like that.
And the skills that I have aren't in the veterinary field (although those skills can be taught). I have some micro lab experience and instead of wasting time with the BS of getting rejected for another barely above min. wage job in the vet field, I could be pursuing other jobs.

I'm not offended. Doesn't really matter to me what you think about it. You asked for thoughts on why you're not making progress.

The "fake it til you make it" thing refers to expressing confidence, not being 'fakey' in a bad way.

I dunno. Reading your messages your frustration is clear, and I understand that. But there's also a subtext of entitlement - as in, thinking you deserve to be hired, that you deserve to be paid more, etc. - that probably is at least a part of the issue. The bottom line is that you're starting at the bottom and you need to acknowledge that and work your way up. That means low-paying jobs, boring and smelly and mundane tasks, etc. If you have some micro lab experience, go work in a micro lab because of the money issue, and then spend time volunteering on the side so you have more 'veterinary' hours for your application in a year or two. *shrug*

But you probably have to re-focus a little bit and understand that you can't short-circuit the process. You're going to have to put in the hours just like everyone else does/did.

 

[LetItSnow]

When I hear someone tell me they are prevet and they are unskilled and want a job, I try to differentiate if they fall into one of two categories: entitled wannabe doctors who feel they should get special treatment because they are “future doctors,” vs. grateful motivated trainees who are willing to do anything and everything to try and soak up whatever they can. I assume they aren’t going to be long term employees if they declare themselves prevet, so their attitude alone kinda determines for me if they are worth having around.

So much this.

It's not precisely the same (because they already work for us), but we have several vet students who are working as tech assistants, both in ER and ICU. Not gonna name names in case they are here, of course, but a couple of them are <highly> valued because of their work ethic, willingness to learn, and lack of "I'm a vet student, so I'm better than your techs" attitude. One of them .... is very much not. This person totally has that "I'm a vet student, I'm so super cool that I hardly know what to do with myself" attitude. Or, at least, comes off that way. Spends 95% of the time talking with the other vet students, always needs to be prompted to get tasks done, etc. This person seems to forget that we're a very busy functioning hospital and we're here to work. Vet students sometimes get in their own world and forget that.

The difference is obvious. Some of them view it as a job for which they should apply themselves, and a chance to learn. One of them views it as a chance to make some money and put something on the resume.

Pretty clear which ones will get the good recommendation if they come asking for job references, internship references, etc.

 

[DVMDream]

I hope I am not offending anyone by saying this but the entire process of getting into veterinary school requires fakeness to some degree or "fake it til you make it" mentality. Let's be honest, some people volunteer, take certain classes, or partake in clubs only because it looks good on a vet school application and not because they actually like it. I tried out my university's pre-vet club and they all seemed...condescending....just an odd atmosphere....I decided it wasn't me.
I think that you have a good point about hiring someone to perform tasks....never thought about it like that.
And the skills that I have aren't in the veterinary field (although those skills can be taught). I have some micro lab experience and instead of wasting time with the BS of getting rejected for another barely above min. wage job in the vet field, I could be pursuing other jobs.

That isn't what "faking it til you make it" means. It means exuding confidence when you really don't have the confidence.


What you are describing is inputting time and energy into things to show you are dedicated and wanting to pursue a particular career. This happens in many fields, not just veterinary medicine. You don't just fall into a career, you have to work for it. Sometimes that means taking classes or doing things you aren't necessarily excited to do, but you put your head down, put on a good attitude, learn something from that experience and allow it to contribute to your overall application for the career you are seeking.

You are going to be taking a lot of classes, attending a lot of things and doing many things you don't necessarily want to do in veterinary school. Heck, I have done a ton of crap I don't particularly enjoy as a veterinarian, but it is my job, so I do it and move on with life. I just recently dumped an extra >40 hours of work into a single week (on top of my typical scheduled 45 hours) without added pay to do some research on a topic I really wasn't particularly interested in. I found out some interesting information though through that research. And, I am probably going to voluntarily sign up to do this same thing again. Why? Because overall it will be of benefit to my career in the future.

You have to be willing to input the effort to gain skills and experience in the field and, yes, that might mean something unpaid or volunteer basis in order to gain experience to apply to veterinary school. I started volunteering at 12 years old. When I was told I needed equine experience, I found a volunteer base opportunity that involved driving over an hour away after work to care for some horses at a humane society for about an hour or two of work and then driving back home the hour. Was it my favorite? No. Heck, no. Did I learn a ton? Yes. Did it make me more comfortable around a species of animal I had little experience with? You bet it did.

You need a paycheck, everyone does, so find a job that pays well and volunteer or shadow on the side for experience. I am not sure why you think you are above a volunteer/shadow position--- but that is how you come across.

 

[ElizaThornberry]

That isn't what "faking it til you make it" means. It means exuding confidence when you really don't have the confidence.


What you are describing is inputting time and energy into things to show you are dedicated and wanting to pursue a particular career. This happens in many fields, not just veterinary medicine. You don't just fall into a career, you have to work for it. Sometimes that means taking classes or doing things you aren't necessarily excited to do, but you put your head down, put on a good attitude, learn something from that experience and allow it to contribute to your overall application for the career you are seeking.

You are going to be taking a lot of classes, attending a lot of things and doing many things you don't necessarily want to do in veterinary school. Heck, I have done a ton of crap I don't particularly enjoy as a veterinarian, but it is my job, so I do it and move on with life. I just recently dumped an extra >40 hours of work into a single week (on top of my typical scheduled 45 hours) without added pay to do some research on a topic I really wasn't particularly interested in. I found out some interesting information though through that research. And, I am probably going to voluntarily sign up to do this same thing again. Why? Because overall it will be of benefit to my career in the future.

You have to be willing to input the effort to gain skills and experience in the field and, yes, that might mean something unpaid or volunteer basis in order to gain experience to apply to veterinary school. I started volunteering at 12 years old. When I was told I needed equine experience, I found a volunteer base opportunity that involved driving over an hour away after work to care for some horses at a humane society for about an hour or two of work and then driving back home the hour. Was it my favorite? No. Heck, no. Did I learn a ton? Yes. Did it make me more comfortable around a species of animal I had little experience with? You bet it did.

You need a paycheck, everyone does, so find a job that pays well and volunteer or shadow on the side for experience. I am not sure why you think you are above a volunteer/shadow position--- but that is how you come across.

I really appreciate the perspective from a dvm and I can understand why what I said seems entitled. But let me explain....I don't think I am above shadowing/volunteering and I think it's a crucial to do so in order to determine if vet med is right for me. I am fine with scut work, I have done my fair share of cleaning up crap. But I am the type of person who really likes to think critically, solve problems and think on my feet. My previous job was alot of power washing and manual labor which....is necessary but isn't for me. I literally would stand there power washing for 6-8 hours a day and It just gets old....I need a job where I can use my critical thinking skills. However, I learned alot at the farm and am thankful because I know in order to attain my goals I need to start from the bottom and work my way up.

 

[EB73674]

I really appreciate the perspective from a dvm and I can understand why what I said seems entitled. But let me explain....I don't think I am above shadowing/volunteering and I think it's a crucial to do so in order to determine if vet med is right for me. I am fine with scut work, I have done my fair share of cleaning up crap. But I am the type of person who really likes to think critically, solve problems and think on my feet. My previous job was alot of power washing and manual labor which....is necessary but isn't for me. I literally would stand there power washing for 6-8 hours a day and It just gets old....I need a job where I can use my critical thinking skills. However, I learned alot at the farm and am thankful because I know in order to attain my goals I need to start from the bottom and work my way up.

That’s totally fine if you need something more intellectually stimulating - being a tech assistant will absolutely involve some interesting things! But they may not ALL be interesting, or even most of them. I am incredibly stimulated & enjoy the intellectual parts of my vet assistant job, but I would say about half of my day is spent cleaning. You’re unlikely to escape that, especially when you’re first starting out in the field. As much as micro lab skills might be occasionally helpful for cytology, I think you need to embrace that you don’t have many immediately applicable skills in the veterinary field. I don’t say this to be a jerk - we all need to start from somewhere, and I started with little more than receptionist and dog handling skills! I just think it’s unrealistic to think you can immediately jump into a brand new field and do NO scut work. Sure, you can chat with the doctors over lunch about cases, but when you’re working, you’ll be cleaning and restraining and getting histories from clients.

So I think you have two choices, and either is valid. You can either really embrace the kennel tech or tech assistant route (and show excellent willing attitude during your interviews), or you can find a full time bench assistant position in a micro lab and shadow on your weekends. If you want to go the tech assistant route, I’d consider one of the corporate practices mentioned above. I started at a Banfield 4 years ago with zero veterinary experience, and they were much much more willing to train people with few to no technician skills. I’ve learned an insane amount since then, but I was absolutely willing to start out at the bottom and learn everything I could.

 

[JaynaAli]

The kennel techs and tech assistants I have worked with so valuable jobs, but a good portion of that job is menial tasks like cleaning and restocking. I mean, I absolutely hated mopping at the end of the day, but it was one of those things I just had to do. Those menial things are critical for efficiency and good medicine, but they are definitely repetitive. Honestly, I think when you're employed by the hospital you do get a certain kind of valuable experience, but shadows often get just as good or even more valuable experiences. Instead of having to focus on restraining the dog while the vet bandages, a shadow can actually watch how the vet does it, ask questions if it seems like an appropriate time, etc. The shadow can take the bloodwork and go sit to the side and look up what the abnormalities mean and spend more time looking at radiographs. Yeah you can ask questions and learn a lot of cool stuff as a paid tech, but you’re being paid to perform a function not just stand around and watch and think. They both provide different, valuable experiences. But I think a lot of prevets view shadowing as “less than” and it’s really not. It’s just different.

Edit: I guess to answer the original question about how to find a job in the field, so many jobs are influenced by who you know. My first vet related job was in a pathology lab and I got it because one of my pre-vet advisors was married to a pathologist who needed someone to work in their lab. So she recommended me to her husband. My first clinic job I got because my mom knew the vet’s wife and father in law...they’d been talking about me and the wife or FIL (don’t remember who) told mom I should call and talk to the vet (lets call him Vet 1). He hired me. My next job (as a vet student during summer) was the clinic in my hometown we took our pets too. So we had a client-vet relationship, but Vet 1 had worked for Vet 2 as a prevet himself, so when he heard I needed something closer to home than his clinic, Vet 1 called Vet 2 and told him to hire me. I still go see all these people when I visit home.

 

[itsrocky]

I really appreciate the perspective from a dvm and I can understand why what I said seems entitled. But let me explain....I don't think I am above shadowing/volunteering and I think it's a crucial to do so in order to determine if vet med is right for me. I am fine with scut work, I have done my fair share of cleaning up crap. But I am the type of person who really likes to think critically, solve problems and think on my feet. My previous job was alot of power washing and manual labor which....is necessary but isn't for me. I literally would stand there power washing for 6-8 hours a day and It just gets old....I need a job where I can use my critical thinking skills. However, I learned alot at the farm and am thankful because I know in order to attain my goals I need to start from the bottom and work my way up.

re: problem solving/thinking critically... if a vet job don’t work out might I recommend food service. No for real. That’s what my job was for a bit in college and I can tell you I learned a lot about soft skills, work ethic, efficiency and having to think fast.

 

[katashark]

I highly recommend reading the book 60 Seconds and You're Hired to help you with interview prep.

 

[DVMDream]

I'd potentially give my left pinky finger to do a repetitive non-thinking, "boring" task for like a month. Power washing for 8 hours sounds great right about now.

 

[that redhead]

I'd potentially give my left pinky finger to do a repetitive non-thinking, "boring" task for like a month. Power washing for 8 hours sounds great right about now.

Our local small garden center is hiring... don’t think I’m not tempted every evening I drive by after work

 

[SkiOtter]

The kennel techs and tech assistants I have worked with so valuable jobs, but a good portion of that job is menial tasks like cleaning and restocking. I mean, I absolutely hated mopping at the end of the day, but it was one of those things I just had to do. Those menial things are critical for efficiency and good medicine, but they are definitely repetitive. Honestly, I think when you're employed by the hospital you do get a certain kind of valuable experience, but shadows often get just as good or even more valuable experiences. Instead of having to focus on restraining the dog while the vet bandages, a shadow can actually watch how the vet does it, ask questions if it seems like an appropriate time, etc. The shadow can take the bloodwork and go sit to the side and look up what the abnormalities mean and spend more time looking at radiographs. Yeah you can ask questions and learn a lot of cool stuff as a paid tech, but you’re being paid to perform a function not just stand around and watch and think. They both provide different, valuable experiences. But I think a lot of prevets view shadowing as “less than” and it’s really not. It’s just different.

This is why I LOVED shadowing. I was eventually hired by that clinic when they needed someone to cover during a maternity leave so I had to stop shadowing and I missed it so much. Low key hated being an assistant/receptionist instead of shadowing

 

[mmmdreamerz]

This is why I LOVED shadowing. I was eventually hired by that clinic when they needed someone to cover during a maternity leave so I had to stop shadowing and I missed it so much. Low key hated being an assistant/receptionist instead of shadowing

I agree. I actually really tried to shadow some vets at a new clinic when I got to vet school so I should follow cases and surgeries rather than just working but they liked be so much that they literally offered me a job by the end of the first day lolol. Good help is hard to find?

 

[PippyPony]

Our local small garden center is hiring... don’t think I’m not tempted every evening I drive by after work

This is why I still like to hang around barns sometimes

Muck a stall? Refill some water buckets? Graze a horse outside in the sunshine after giving them a bath? Yes please, and I will also straighten up your tack room if you let me stick around long enough.

There's also something so relaxing about cleaning a space that doesn't belong to you... my own house is a complete disaster, but I've been cleaning barns since I was about 6 years old and it's good for my soul.

 

[PippyPony]

This is why I LOVED shadowing. I was eventually hired by that clinic when they needed someone to cover during a maternity leave so I had to stop shadowing and I missed it so much. Low key hated being an assistant/receptionist instead of shadowing

Receptionist is especially hard because you're stuck behind a desk listening to everything that you want to be watching.

Although it's really good for communication skills and learning about all the "wtf" questions people ask. "Ok so let me try to summarize -- you want to know if a prescription cat diet would be covered under human health insurance... because you found a baby raccoon, and you can't feed it frosted cupcakes anymore after it started biting your fingers? ...I'm glad you called."

 

[Trilt]

I'd potentially give my left pinky finger to do a repetitive non-thinking, "boring" task for like a month. Power washing for 8 hours sounds great right about now.

Our local small garden center is hiring... don’t think I’m not tempted every evening I drive by after work

My first summer of vet school I volunteered at a seabird rescue for a month, and you basically got assigned a task for the day every day. One was powerwashing and scrubbing the crates and mats (penguins are freaking dirty!) alll day, drying them, getting a new load as the day progressed and doing it again.

Gotta be honest, a day of that every week or two was fantastic. Just pure dedication to a physical task, music or audiobook in my ears, dedicated tea and lunch break, done when the time is over and no stress, no worries, no humans.

 

[ElizaThornberry]

That’s totally fine if you need something more intellectually stimulating - being a tech assistant will absolutely involve some interesting things! But they may not ALL be interesting, or even most of them. I am incredibly stimulated & enjoy the intellectual parts of my vet assistant job, but I would say about half of my day is spent cleaning. You’re unlikely to escape that, especially when you’re first starting out in the field. As much as micro lab skills might be occasionally helpful for cytology, I think you need to embrace that you don’t have many immediately applicable skills in the veterinary field. I don’t say this to be a jerk - we all need to start from somewhere, and I started with little more than receptionist and dog handling skills! I just think it’s unrealistic to think you can immediately jump into a brand new field and do NO scut work. Sure, you can chat with the doctors over lunch about cases, but when you’re working, you’ll be cleaning and restraining and getting histories from clients.

So I think you have two choices, and either is valid. You can either really embrace the kennel tech or tech assistant route (and show excellent willing attitude during your interviews), or you can find a full time bench assistant position in a micro lab and shadow on your weekends. If you want to go the tech assistant route, I’d consider one of the corporate practices mentioned above. I started at a Banfield 4 years ago with zero veterinary experience, and they were much much more willing to train people with few to no technician skills. I’ve learned an insane amount since then, but I was absolutely willing to start out at the bottom and learn everything I could.

Thanks for the advice! You weren't being a jerk & I completely agree with what you're saying. The funny thing is that I had an interview last week at Banfield for a vet assistant job. I wasn't called back. But the interview I was referring to above on the original post was at another place....unfortunately rejected from both .

 

[ElizaThornberry]

re: problem solving/thinking critically... if a vet job don’t work out might I recommend food service. No for real. That’s what my job was for a bit in college and I can tell you I learned a lot about soft skills, work ethic, efficiency and having to think fast.

LOL....I worked @ MCD's for about 5 years and was a barista for 2.

 

[PippyPony]

Thanks for the advice! You weren't being a jerk & I completely agree with what you're saying. The funny thing is that I had an interview last week at Banfield for a vet assistant job. I wasn't called back. But the interview I was referring to above on the original post was at another place....unfortunately rejected from both .

I'm sorry. Perhaps it's not even related to your interview? It may just be that places are less willing to train new hires given the current climate -- teaching people how to be techs requires you + whoever is training you to be in close proximity, so it would be literally impossible to maintain social distancing at work.

I definitely recommend reaching back out to both places as Kota recommended. In my opinion, if you made it to the interview stage, they kinda have an obligation to give you a reason why you are not a fit. You put in an investment of your time and effort to interview with them for an open position they are trying to fill -- if you simply didn't meet the qualifications, then that should have been apparent when they reviewed your resumé & cover letter and it shouldn't have gone to an interview.

(Obviously, don't be demanding or whiny... that definitely won't go over well in the current climate... but as a general rule, most vets are pretty empathetic people when they're dealing with someone who is politely asking for help. I might even suggest mentioning to them that you keep striking out in interviews in this field, and are at a loss for how to become a more attractive hiring prospect. You realize they have many demands on their time and respect their decision to look elsewhere to fill the position, but since you seemed to be qualified enough to make it to interview phase, you value their professional input about what was not a fit with their practice, etc etc)

Interviewing is a two way street, and I think sometimes people forget that it's an exchange when they're on the job-seeking end of things. Remember that it's in the best interest of everyone to increase the pool of qualified applicants for open positions.

If you want someone to look over your resumé and cover letter, PM me. I am an introvert with lots of "irrelevant" experience on my resumé and have had a good track record with interviewing. You likely have a lot of the skills they are looking for -- it sometimes just comes down to how you spin it.

This post ended up a lot longer than I intended

Tl;Dr PM me if you want help.

 

[ElizaThornberry]

I'm sorry. Perhaps it's not even related to your interview? It may just be that places are less willing to train new hires given the current climate -- teaching people how to be techs requires you + whoever is training you to be in close proximity, so it would be literally impossible to maintain social distancing at work.

I definitely recommend reaching back out to both places as Kota recommended. In my opinion, if you made it to the interview stage, they kinda have an obligation to give you a reason why you are not a fit. You put in an investment of your time and effort to interview with them for an open position they are trying to fill -- if you simply didn't meet the qualifications, then that should have been apparent when they reviewed your resumé & cover letter and it shouldn't have gone to an interview.

(Obviously, don't be demanding or whiny... that definitely won't go over well in the current climate... but as a general rule, most vets are pretty empathetic people when they're dealing with someone who is politely asking for help. I might even suggest mentioning to them that you keep striking out in interviews in this field, and are at a loss for how to become a more attractive hiring prospect. You realize they have many demands on their time and respect their decision to look elsewhere to fill the position, but since you seemed to be qualified enough to make it to interview phase, you value their professional input about what was not a fit with their practice, etc etc)

Interviewing is a two way street, and I think sometimes people forget that it's an exchange when they're on the job-seeking end of things. Remember that it's in the best interest of everyone to increase the pool of qualified applicants for open positions.

If you want someone to look over your resumé and cover letter, PM me. I am an introvert with lots of "irrelevant" experience on my resumé and have had a good track record with interviewing. You likely have a lot of the skills they are looking for -- it sometimes just comes down to how you spin it.

This post ended up a lot longer than I intended

Tl;Dr PM me if you want help.

Nothing frustrates me more than when an interviewer just ghosts me....it definitely is a two way street! I actually reached out to the local clinic and they told me that they found somebody who required less training. :/ I get it....but still sucks. I really appreciate the input/advice and might have to take you up on your offer about the resume....although tbh....I have never made a cover letter. But I can't say interviews are my strong suit.... I suck at behavioral interview questions because I really can't remember specific situations they want. I was asked a few questions like that at Banfield and for one I basically said that I had to deal with it alot in customer service but can't remember a specific scenario.

 

[Minnerbelle]

...although tbh....I have never made a cover letter.

You should! A cover letter tells me so much about the applicant, especially for an entry level job like this. It doesn’t have to be earth shattering, but it helps me weed out the duds. How likeable the person is, if they know how to spellcheck, if they seem like they have common sense, is their writing/thought process juvenile, do they understand the scope of the job, do they seem self absorbed/entitled, any red flags?

for kennel/vet assistant jobs, the pickings are usually pretty slim. So the cover letters that shock me with how “normal” the applicant seems is usually a winner.

 

[Tulojow]

You're already received a lot of advice but I wanted to toss a couple ideas into the ring. I'm currently a fourth year vet student, but I'm a non-traditional student who returned to school after 20+ years in the animal care industry as a vet tech, obedience and service dog trainer as well as a non-profit animal-assisted rehabilitation program manager. I've been on both the hiring and applying side of the equation.

My biggest suggestion is to get into the habit of requesting feedback from managers that have turned down your application. We can all speculate until the sun rises in the west about why they chose someone else, but the hiring managers will have the best information. It's absolutely acceptable and customary for applicants to request feedback from those who interviewed them. There's nothing wrong with contacting them after getting the news and politely thanking them for the opportunity to interview, for them taking the time to consider your application and asking if they wouldn't mind sharing their thoughts on what would have made you a stronger applicant. I consider it good manners to thank them for their time and consideration - it can leave a good impression. The animal care industry and, especially, the veterinary industry is a small world and the impression you leave at one clinic may follow you to other clinics.

I second the importance about cover letters. To be honest, when I was going through a stack of applications, I immediately passed over those without a cover letter. Your resume conveys your experience but your cover letter conveys who you are, as a person. For an entry level position, where I assume most of the skills will be learned on the job, the only useful information I can gain from someone's resume is how much they bounce from job to job and have they been in positions that require communication skills and teamwork. The cover letter provides better insight into their communication skills, mannerisms and personality. Resume's are predominantly generic but cover letters require some degree of customization for each business. When someone provides me with a cover letter specific to my business, it shows me they are motivated and willing to take the time to prove their the right person for the position.

 

[ResoluteMike]

This is why I LOVED shadowing. I was eventually hired by that clinic when they needed someone to cover during a maternity leave so I had to stop shadowing and I missed it so much. Low key hated being an assistant/receptionist instead of shadowing

I struggled so hard with this when something interesting was going on.

 

[WonderingStudent]

I suck at behavioral interview questions because I really can't remember specific situations they want. I was asked a few questions like that at Banfield and for one I basically said that I had to deal with it alot in customer service but can't remember a specific scenario.

If you come across a behavioral question in an interview that you don’t have an answer to in the moment, think more about it afterward and try to find a scenario. Even if you don’t get that job, maybe you’ll get a similar question in the future and then you are ready to give a good example from your past. Additionally, some experiences can work for multiple types of questions so maybe prepare by thinking about instances you’ve had that have common themes that come up in interviews like teamwork.

 

[EB73674]

Nothing frustrates me more than when an interviewer just ghosts me....it definitely is a two way street! I actually reached out to the local clinic and they told me that they found somebody who required less training. :/ I get it....but still sucks. I really appreciate the input/advice and might have to take you up on your offer about the resume....although tbh....I have never made a cover letter. But I can't say interviews are my strong suit.... I suck at behavioral interview questions because I really can't remember specific situations they want. I was asked a few questions like that at Banfield and for one I basically said that I had to deal with it alot in customer service but can't remember a specific scenario.

I think it would be worth starting to really work on interviewing in a dedicated manner - this is where both your college’s career center and even career coaches can come seriously in handy. These skills are incredibly important even outside of the veterinary field! There are tons of great example interview questions available online - practice thinking of your answers to them, writing them down, saying them into a mirror, and then practicing with a friend or family member. If you aren’t naturally good at speaking on the fly, the best remedy is preparation. It is totally reasonable and normal to at least vaguely sketch out your answers to common questions before interviews - I literally spent 2 hours sitting in a cafe with my mom the night before my first vet school interview, hashing everything out with her. This is a skill that will follow you everywhere, and it’s worth it to get some planned answers down that you can go to when you panic!

That really stinks about those interviews, I’m sorry! I would echo what folks have said above and ask about why you weren’t selected, and I would emphasize that you seem to struggle with interviews and would very much appreciate some feedback. Don’t let interviews hang out there, either - if you don’t hear back on the results of an interview, call! Don’t get stuck behind an email wall, if you got to the interview phase they at least are obligated to actually call you back. Be politely persistent until you get a clear yes or no!

 

[that redhead]

I’ll be honest, it sounds like the interview part is tanking you. Practice some questions out loud, set up a mock interview, ask places how you could have improved. Heck, I’m willing to do a PM mock interview with anyone interested to see how your answers sound. But get a second set of eyes (and preferably ears) on your answers.

 

[katashark]

I would also recommend sending a handwritten thank you note after any interview, even if you do not get the job. You never know if the other person they initially hired might not work out and you were #2, good for them to keep you in mind a week later or whatever.