Question on gaining veterinary experience

[Huckleberry]

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I am new to this forum, and have really enjoyed reading all of your posts. I am another one of the non-traditional, almost-mid-life career changers looking to enter the field.

Considering my background is sales and marketing management, I have a lot of catching up to do in order to apply for vet school, and I am ready for the long road ahead of me. I do have animal experience, but it was 12 or so years ago...and I am not sure how that looks on my resume to potential employers.

I am lucky to be shadowing a vet for the next two weeks, and I am happy to see all the excitement and events that happen on a daily basis. I am also starting the volunteering process next week for the local SPCA (East Bay, California).

I have a few questions and maybe some of you can help me out....

Will shadowing help with my chances of actually getting hired as a vet assistant?

Are there job boards for vet assistant job announcements? Thus far I am checking Craigslist daily....but either the postings are few and far between, or at least 1 year experience is required.

Any other ideas to get hired? Shadowing is great, but I want to actually get involved (not just watch), and I will have to pay some bills eventually!

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[HopefulAg]

Will shadowing help with my chances of actually getting hired as a vet assistant?

Slightly, yes.

Are there job boards for vet assistant job announcements? Thus far I am checking Craigslist daily....but either the postings are few and far between, or at least 1 year experience is required.

Uhm...yah but I don't remember what they're called (I'm a lot of help, I know). I think one was like VetSeeker.com or something like that? (Edit: Or maybe VetSniffer? Or JobSniffer? It had a dog sniffing the ground as their logo IIRC.)

Any other ideas to get hired? Shadowing is great, but I want to actually get involved (not just watch), and I will have to pay some bills eventually!

Yah sure. Start in kennels, you'll most likely have to do this anyhow. Also go and volunteer with the clinic for a few days.

 

[tpad40]

Hi and good luck! There are lots of non-trads out here so you are def. not alone and I'm sure you'll get lots of great advice.

Finding an assistant job is not always easy. It always seems that you have to have experience to get experience, so it is sometimes luck that gets you that first job! Because of that, I have been most succesful by writing up a good resume and writing a very clear letter of intent and then mailing this out to clinics (or delivering in person) hoping that one tkaes a bite. In my case, I got my first job because the barn where I worked knew the vet well and knew that they happened to need someone right away and I was available (very very fortunate).

I actually think your background in sales/marketing is a great thing to highlight when applying. It says that you have excellent people skills, most likely great computer/office skills, and you are a hard working individual. Those are all great qualities - and very important ones to a vet assistand - so that may help outweigh your lack of animal experience. You will need to be very clear in your letter of intent that you are very serious about this as a career.

Best advice for finding jobs is to ask around (ask when you are shadowing if they know of any clinics looking, etc, the SPCA may also know) and stalk craigslist as well as your local newspaper classifieds. And if nothing turns up, I would just mail resume/letter to a selection of clinics where you'd like to work!

Best of luck to you and congrats!! 😀

 

[Truth74]

Hey there Huckleberry,

I'm one of those non-trads. I was in retail and had quite a bit of customer service, sales, and computer experience when I started to send out resumes to clinics in my area. However, I had Illinois right next door and a bunch of undergrads with free time and loads of vet experience. It took a while to figure out why my follow up calls were falling on deaf ears.

Do you have a relationship with your local shelter? They may offer volunteer opportunities with veterinarians that come in to donate their time. If you are in a town with a vet school nearby, it will be almost impossible to get a job, because of the number of students available with previous vet experience. If that is the case, you may need to volunteer with national organizations and do a little traveling to get that first 100 hours of experience.

Spay and neuter clinics through the ASPCA, HSUS, or the local big city in your area can help you rack up vet experience quickly, as well.

Hope this helps.

 

[twelvetigers]

I think one was like VetSeeker.com or something like that? (Edit: Or maybe VetSniffer? Or JobSniffer?

Or dogsniffer? Or dogbuttsniffer?

Sorry, these places have some silly names.

My advice is... BE PERSISTENT. Call places back, ask if they've had time to review your resume. Let them know you're still interested if a while passes.

Good luck! 🙂

 

[Huckleberry]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I think my next step is to start visiting or mailing local clinics. When I send off a cover letter, should I address it to the veterinarian (or to each of them if 3-4 are there)? I am assuming in smaller clinics the vets are handling the hiring?

 

[JulieB361]

Some vet clinics have websites that indicate who you should address the cover letter to. In some small clinics the vets do the hiring and in others they have office managers (I have worked in both types.) So basically....I'm not sure who you should address it to.

Have you put your resume on Monster.com? I once got a job offer as a vet assistant from there.

 

[sumstorm]

The best advice I can give is to network. Tell everyone that you know or meet that you are looking for a position working with animals, preferably under a vet. Ask friends/associates/family members to ask thier friends/associates/family members to ask thiers, etc.....you never know what will come up from this.

Sometimes taking a different job working with animals will give you enough experience to get you in the door of a vet clinic.

Attend events that are pet oriented such as dog park openings, and if there are any vets there, approach them...in my experience vets that are out in the community are more likely to accept inexperienced help from a pre-vet. Contact shot clinics and places that have 'off' hours such as evenings/weekends. Alot of people don't like to 'burn' thier weekend or evenings working.

My own method, with your background, would be to develop a year long marketing plan, pull out a quarter of that, and make a plan for the clinic to generate more profit. Money talks, and someone who can bring in more than thier pay is appreciated. Perhaps even frame yourself as working half time as an assitant and half time as a marketing guru. I used inventory control and library research as my hooks.