How to Write Job Adverts for Different Veterinary Clinic Roles - ep.234

You've just finished writing what you think is a brilliant job advert. But have you done this: taken your generic clinic template, swapped out "veterinarian" for "veterinary nurse," hit publish, and wondered why you're not getting quality applications?

Here's the likely reality: what attracts veterinarians doesn't necessarily attract veterinary nurses, and what motivates veterinary nurses might not resonate with your support team. Yet most vet clinics use the exact same generic template with just a title change—completely missing what each role actually cares about.

In This Episode You'll Discover:

• Why veterinarians want to know about case variety and mentorship opportunities while nurses care about teamwork and being valued for their expertise
• The three key strategies for tailoring job adverts that speak directly to each role you're hiring for
• How to address role-specific concerns (like veterinarians worrying about isolation or nurses feeling undervalued)
• Why describing veterinary nurses as "helping the vet" kills applications from skilled professionals
• The fatal mistake of making support staff roles sound like afterthoughts instead of meaningful team contributions

This week's actionable takeaway: Rewrite your current job adverts using role-specific value, concerns, and growth opportunities—transform generic templates into targeted messages that attract the right professionals for each position.

Essential listening for veterinary clinic owners who want to attract veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and support staff who are genuinely excited about their specific role in your clinic.

Brought to you by VetClinicJobs—direct hiring, reimagined. No agency.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction & Series Overview
• 1:10 The Generic Template Problem
• 2:19 What Different Veterinary Roles Want
• 3:18 Three Key Strategies
• 5:08 Language Choices & Role Specifics
• 8:07 Action Steps & Team Insights
• 9:02 Wrap-up & Next Week

Transcript

Julie South [00:00:00]:
You're listening to Veterinary Voices, the podcast that celebrates and showcases employer of choice veterinary clinics. I'm Julie south and this is episode 234, the tenth episode in our series about writing job adverts that attract and build the best teams and in the veterinary profession. Veterinary Voices is brought to you by Vet Clinic Jobs, the job Board Direct hiring reimagined no agency. You owe it to your team to be able to make job offers from your job ads. Let's face it, success when it comes to job ads should lead to your new hire starting within a few months. If that's not happening for you right now, then head on over to vetclinicjobs.com be because the average there is seven weeks from go to whoa. Last week in episode 233, we talked about handling salary discussions in your job adverts once you've decided to include them.

Julie South [00:01:10]:
Today, we're exploring something that many clinic owners kind of stumble with, kind of don't get quite as good as they could get. How to write job adverts for different roles. Because what attracts veterinarians doesn't necessarily attract veterinary nurses, and what motivates veterinary nurses might not resonate with your support team. And I'm going to give you three key strategies for tailoring your job adverts to speak directly to the specific role that you're hiring for. So stay tuned. Here's a mistake that makes me cringe kind of every time I see it. Whoever's been tasked with writing the job ad looks like on the outside that all they do is swap out one generic job advert template that's all about the clinic with just a generic job title. For example, it might go something like we're looking for a veterinarian or a veterinary nurse or a receptionist to join our busy practise.

Julie South [00:02:19]:
That completely misses the mark, because different roles are motivated by different things. Veterinarians, for example, want to know about case variety, mentorship opportunities and the calibre of the nursing team that they'll be working with. They also want to be able to bounce treatment plans off their peers and colleagues. Veterinary nurses care about teamwork. They care about skill development and about being valued for their specific expertise. Support staff, including administration, sales, marketing, reception and cleaning teams. They want to understand their role in the bigger picture and how they contribute to patient care. So, Julie, I hear you saying or thinking, how do you write job adverts that speak to each role specifically? Stay tuned.

Julie South [00:03:18]:
Here are three key strategies. Number one, lead with the role specific value for veterinarians, it could be something like join a practise where you'll see complex surgical cases with experienced mentors who love teaching. For veterinary nurses, perhaps use your skills to their fullest. From anaesthesia monitoring to client education, you'll be valued as a professional. For support staff, perhaps be the welcoming face that supports our veterinary team to be able to focus on providing excellent care. 2. Address their role specific concerns. For example, veterinarians sometimes worry about isolation and they want peer consultation.

Julie South [00:04:12]:
They want to have colleagues around that they can bounce around. And you could address this with something like A collaborative approach means you'll work through challenging cases together. Veterinary nurses worry about being undervalued and theirs could look something like. Your expertise in patient monitoring is essential, essential to our success, and we absolutely recognise that. For support staff, they worry about being overlooked. So instead, perhaps you're the first point of contact for worried pet parents who need compassion and expertise. And finally, number three, customise growth opportunities for veterinarians. Whether you want to develop surgical skills or pursue sports specialty interests, we support your journey.

Julie South [00:05:08]:
For veterinary nurses, we encourage continuing education, from advanced techniques to leadership opportunities. And for support staff, learn about veterinary medicine and grow with us. Many of our current nurses, if this is true for you, started in support roles, there are some key points to remember. For example, pay attention to your language choices. For veterinarians, use terms like clinical autonomy in challenging cases. If that's true for you. For veterinary nurses, emphasise skilled professional and expertise because that's what's important to them. And support staff, focus on meaningful contribution and them being a team member.

Julie South [00:05:59]:
Be specific about what each role does for veterinary nurses. For example, you will be responsible for anaesthesia monitoring and patient assessment. Remember episode 228 about job titles. Veterinary nurse commands more respect than vet assistant. Stay away from describing veterinary nurses as helping the vet. Yes, they're support staff, but they do so much more than that for support staff, avoid making roles that sound like afterthoughts, like pss, and use the same salary transparency standards for all roles. We talked about this last week. Everyone deserves transparent remuneration information.

Julie South [00:06:47]:
Have you noticed that traditional job boards often lump veterinary roles together with human, medical or farming roles? Or they force you into generic categories that don't actually reflect the specific nature of each veterinary position that makes it harder for the right people to find your job opportunity. Vet Clinic Jobs understands the distinct nature of veterinary roles through its Real Story framework. You can write targeted adverts that speak directly to veterinarians, veterinary nurses and or support staff. Staff without being forced into a one size fits all template, each role gets the specific attention and the respect it deserves. When you can tailor your message to the specific professional that you're looking for, you attract those people who are genuinely excited about that particular role in your clinic. Let me quickly recap the three strategies for the role specific adverts. First, lead with the role specific value. Highlight what matters most to that particular professional.

Julie South [00:08:07]:
Second, address role specific concerns. Acknowledge the unique worries that each role has and show how you address them. If you're unsure of this, ask your team. And third, customise growth opportunities. Present development paths that are relevant and exciting to each role. Here's your takeaway. Your action step for this week look at the current job adverts that you have for different roles. Are you using the same generic template with just the title change or are you speaking specifically to what each role values? Rewrite your adverts to address the unique motivations and concerns of veterinarians, of veterinary nurses and support staff.

Julie South [00:09:02]:
Better yet, ask your current team members what attracted them to their roles and what keeps them engaged. These insights will help you write adverts that resonate with future team members in similar positions. And if you're ready to write a role specific job advert that attracts the right professionals for each position, visit vetclinicjobs.com Lizzy and the team understand that veterinarians, veterinary nurses and support staff are all distinct professionals with unique motivations. Remember, the average for us is job offers from job adverts in seven weeks, not seven months. That's episode 234 of Veterinary Voices. Next week we'll be looking at exploring urgent hiring how to find the right person without lowering your standards or compromising your values. Another big thank you to Vet Clinic Jobs, the Job Board Direct Hiring Reimagined no agency. Check them out@vetclinicjobs.com Remember, you're not just hiring a veterinarian or a veterinary nurse.

Julie South [00:10:15]:
You're hiring someone to become part of your unique team. Until next week, this is Julie south inviting you to go out there and be your most fantabulous self because you work with a team that wants you to succeed, seed and lift you up every single day. Until next week.