Finding the right fit: what to look for in a practice
Bizarre as it may sound, when it comes to finding the right practice it pays to forget that you are – or soon will be – a vet altogether.
Why? Firstly, because at this, the very start line of your career, the chances are that you still have a lot to find out about what sort of vet you will eventually become and what that means for the type of practice you wish to work in.
And secondly, because whatever line of work we are in, from accountant to architect or Zumba instructor to zoologist, we bring far more of the real “us” to the workplace then we might first imagine.
Rediscovering the real you
The trouble is that the stresses of everyday life, combined with the need to “fit in” with what we can sometimes feel that friends, family and tutors expect of us, can get in the way of remembering who we really are and what is really important to us.
Some of the following tips might just help.
Look backwards
Even if you’ve yet to start your professional career, the chances are that you’ve already some experience in the workplace, whether that’s gap-year fruit picking or term-time bar work or maybe some kind of voluntary work.
Think about each role in turn: what you liked and didn’t like about it and, crucially, what you learned about yourself as a result.
The chances are that you’ll soon start to find some recurring themes – perhaps that all the roles you seem to have liked most are ones where you worked as part of a really close team, or where you were given the freedom to use your own judgement, or had a really supportive boss.
Look outwards
Don’t forget to think more widely, too. Who are your heroes and heroines (real or fictional) and why? What is it about them that you most admire? There will be a reason and its worth spending the time to work out what it is and what it says about you.
How would you describe yourself in five words to someone you’ve never met before? Give yourself the permission to be totally honest with yourself. There’s only one audience for any insights this reflection may surface – and that’s you.
Capture it
Whatever insights bubble up, make sure you capture them. Random words. List of names. Maybe even an image or two that seems to resonate. Keep hold of them and keep looking back at them.
Like a camera lens coming into focus, over time these impressions will get sharper. Some will grow, others shrink. Some may even fall by the wayside altogether or be replaced by something new. That’s okay.
What you will eventually be left with is the distilled essence of what makes you, you. And that is gold dust.
Making use of the gold dust
The trick now is to put this new insight into active use and to use it to find the kinds of practice that will be a good fit for the real you.
Deeds not words
I’ve never yet read a job ad that didn’t promise “a good work-balance”, “a great team” and “full support for your CPD and career development” (or words to that effect).
The sad truth, however, is that despite the – possibly well intentioned – rhetoric, the reality can often fall a long way short.
So, use the ads to find the jobs that are in the right location(s) for you and that are interested in new or early career applicants and then take nothing else on trust.
For everything else you need to find the evidence you need to reassure yourself that they are walking the walk and not just talking the talk.
Pre-interview research
What feeling do you get from their website? Does it stand out? Does it show something of who they are as a team and what is important to them and, if so, does any of that seem to match what is important to you?
How often do they seem to be recruiting and is that a cause for concern? What vibes do their social media feeds give off? Clinically corporate or fun and just a bit, well, whacky?
More importantly, which sits better with you? How visible are their staff in the profession or the local community. Does this matter to you?
Rethinking the interview as an inspection
Think of yourself as the “candidate” and all the power rests with the practice. It’s you answering all the questions and being given the officially sanctioned “guided tour”.
Yes, of course, you have to provide the information they need to make an informed decision, but after that give yourself licence to think of yourself as a practice inspector.
Not been shown the staff room? Then ask to see it. And while you are there, what impression does it give off about the staff who work there? Are there photos on the wall of social events? Jokey messages on the white board? Recognition and reward charts? And does it matter to you if there are not?
Try to get in the habit of asking “open questions”. “Do you have a mentoring scheme?” is easily, but not very revealingly, answered with a “yes”, whereas “how do you support your new graduates?” requires them to elaborate and to explain.
If all you’ve been able to talk to are the practice leads, ask if it would be possible to have a tour, or even just a coffee, with one of their more junior staff and ask them the kinds of questions that are likely to reveal what it is like to really work there.
There are no right or wrong findings to any of these questions or observations – just what is right for you. And, at the end of the day, that’s all that counts.
Steve Bailey
Steve Bailey is a partner at Space Coaching Services, a company specialising in supporting vets and vet practices to be the best they can through a range of coaching-inspired career and organisational support services. To learn more, visit www.spacecoachingservices.co.uk