The search for the perfect job..

Hey friends,

I’ll be very honest with you. I am still figuring this whole internet thing out. To save time, I’ve focused on problems & questions I’ve received from you + some interesting things I’ve learnt in the past week that has helped me, with the idea that it may help you too.

My interview advice

A number of you (vet students) have asked me for vet job interview advice. Yes, after what feels like 100 years of studying it can be really daunting to put yourself out there, ‘sell’ yourself to your future employer when you have zero experience (but you are qualified and capable! Don’t doubt yourself), to land your first job as a vet. I’ll link a useful interview guide & new graduate playlist down below, but here are the 3 main things I wished I knew before starting the job hunt:

• Don’t take anything for granted - I am embarrassed to admit this, but I really did buy into the ‘whole world vet staff shortage, therefore it should be dead easy to land a vet job’ mindset and ended up getting rejected from all 3 places I was applying for. Long story short, I did not prepare well (even though I thought I did) and without a solid plan, I failed. That was a necessary experience, as it helped me redirect my focus, learn from rejections and (thankfully) found myself at a really supportive clinic to start my career.

• Job visits and work experience - Getting a feel of the place, assessing the learning culture by being there in person is so important. The caveat is that things can change and staff can change anytime, so.. best thing is to make yourself as adaptable as possible if that happens :’)

• It is not a race to find the perfect job - I know the feeling of ‘feeling behind’ when everyone in your year has a plan, secured a job or internship, knows what they are doing.. I’ll let you in on a secret. No one has everything all figured out (although they might look like they do). They are probably just making the best decisions with what options they have at that time, and are taking things step-by-step. And you can too. When it comes to the ‘perfect’ job, it really depends on what you are looking for. Some jobs that come with lots of case exposure also come with working night shifts, OOH emergencies, whereas some jobs focus on day time preventive healthcare management, routine cases that give you a different pace to absorb your learnings. I discuss this in more detail in the video playlist below.

Useful interview guide here

New things at work

• Senvelgo - Velagliflozin, is a new revolutionary medication for feline diabetes mellitus. This is particularly exciting because it is not insulin, but it is a SGLT2 (sodium glucose co-transporter 2) inhibitor that acts on the kidney to stop glucose from being reabsorbed back into the body.. And, its an oral solution! This is not an ad, and obviously with all medications they need to be assessed for patient suitability and have proper monitoring measures. I just think how wonderful that the world of veterinary medicine is always changing, with new revolutionary treatments to better serve our patients, how awesome is that! More about it here.

Mental health things

• May is mental health awareness month and I am a BIG advocate on looking after our minds better (yes, vet school and vet job can be stressful, if you don’t already know!)

• Important links are Vetlife and MMI should you need to reach out for help and knowledge on mental health, wellbeing in the veterinary profession.

• My top tip is to seek professional help always. My second tip is to start working on it as a preventative, understanding your mind, healthy ways to cope with stress, going for therapy as a preventative to know yourself.

• Whats helped me recently (with job change & work stressors) is doing the 3M’s morning routine every day before work, giving me a sense of control and motivation. To put simply, I do

  • 5 minute movement (stretch or squats) when the kettle is boiling

  • meditate/ deep breaths for few minutes using the headspace app

  • mindset questions to focus on how I want to show up daily

If you’ve made it all the way to the end, thank you for your time, let me know if its too lengthy or if its ok, have the best week!

May xx