First Impressions Matter: How to Shine in Your Veterinary Interview - ep 212

In this episode of Veterinary Voices, host Julie South delivers invaluable insights for new veterinary graduates (vets and nurses) preparing for their first job interviews. 

With career expo season in full swing across New Zealand, this timely discussion provides practical, actionable strategies to help fresh graduates stand out in the competitive veterinary job market.

Key takeaways include:

• How to craft standout applications that catch employers' attention
• Essential pre-interview research techniques
• The STAR framework for answering behavioural questions
• Professional presentation tips that make a lasting impression
• Strategic questions to ask during interviews

Whether you're a recent graduate or preparing for a career transition, this episode offers concrete steps to help level the playing field in veterinary job interviews. 

Julie's experienced perspective and practical advice make this a must-listen for anyone looking to launch their veterinary career with confidence.

Perfect for:

• New veterinary graduates
• Veterinary students preparing for the job market
• Career changers within the veterinary industry
• Hiring managers wanting to understand candidate perspectives

Listen now to gain the competitive edge you need in your next veterinary job interview.

Links mentioned today:

Episode 075 - 11 Job Interview Questions to Ask
Episode 041 - Massey University Job Interview Q&A

Contemplating your next career move?
Tania Bruce - VetStaff's passionate kiwi recruiter - would welcome the opportunity to have a 100% confidential chat with you. Tania's a former Ortho Head Vet Nurse so speaks your language!

How to get more bang for your recruitment advertising buck
This is what VetStaff is really good at so if you'd like to stretch your recruitment dollar, please get in touch with Julie because this is something VetStaff can help you with.

Committed to DIY-ing your own recruitment?
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

Revive Your Drive - daily 2-minute videos for veterinary employers and employees to help revive their drives at work and at home.

Chapters

• 0:06 Preparing for Your First Job Interview
• 9:07 Post-Interview Thank You Email Importance

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

attending any job interview is stressful enough, let alone your first one as a new grad, because you've got nothing to compare the interview with. You don't know what to expect. Here in new zealand, it's that time of the year again when polytechs and universities are organizing career expos to help their new grads get ready for interviews and entering the workforce as freshly minted grads One of the first steps in making the dream come true after years of study to start their dream of becoming a veterinary professional. Welcome to Veterinary Voices. This is episode 212, and I'm your show host, julie South. With listeners tuning in from over 1400 cities worldwide, veterinary Voices celebrates all that's great about working in New Zealand's veterinary industry. I'd love to hear where you're listening from right now, so please feel free to share your location with me at veterinaryvoicesnz and it's also at veterinaryvoicesnz where you'll find back copies as well. Veterinary Voices is brought to you by VetStaff, new Zealand's only recruitment agency specialising in helping veterinary professionals find jobs that they're excited about.

Speaker 1: 1:26

Going to on Monday mornings in Kiwi vet clinics, job interviews and acing your job interview. Firstly, you're unlikely to get an interview if your first impression doesn't impress, so make sure you put together a great application, which means that your CV and cover letter have been proofread and you've gone through to make sure that there's no typos or errors or slow. You'll be in a much better position if you tailor every single application. Yes, I know it's a pain, but you tailor every single application. Yes, I know it's a pain, but you tailor every single application to the job advertisement. Not only will it help you stand out against the other grads who are also applying, it means that you'll have done some research and you'll know more about the clinic when you get to the interview. And let's face it, most people would agree that a job interview usually has an unequal balance of power going on. But when you're a new grad, that balance of power is somewhat weighted more in favour of the interviewer than the interviewee than if this was your second or your third job that you're applying for.

Speaker 1: 2:42

Let's find out how you can tailor and what you can do. The first thing you can do is tailor your CV and your cover letter to the job advertisement. Make sure that you let the reader know the reader who's receiving your application know that you've got the skills and the attitude they're looking for. Clues that you are looking for with this are hidden in the job advertisement. So be specific with what you are saying and how you are letting the person know that you are the person right for the job.

Speaker 1: 3:26

Number two research the clinic. Understand what it's about. What does it look like? Where is it located? What are their, google and their other reviews saying about them? Is this a clinic that you'd like to work for? What this does is shows that your interest and helps you tailor your responses to the questions that you're going to get when you're interviewed, especially if you're asked that dreaded question what do you know about us? You'll be able to answer no interviewer likes to hear that the job applicant hasn't even gotten off their tush to find out some basic information about their clinic. You'll lose points, maybe not straight away, but definitely if you're up against someone who has done their research and who lets the person know that they've done it. So go online and start digging. Go to their website and their socials, check out their reviews what do you see? What do you like, and make sure that you mention this in the interview.

Speaker 1: 4:31

The third thing to do is practice common interview questions. Prepare your answers for typical interview questions, such as your strengths and your weaknesses and why you want the job. We all have weaknesses, weaknesses, so make sure that you know yours and let the interviewer know what you're doing to address these Number four. Use the STAR framework to answer those questions, those behavioral type questions. Those are the. Tell me about a time when you type questions, learning how the STAR framework works, which means that you'll be able to answer any behavioral based question anyone throws at you. So STAR S-T-A-R stands for Situation Task Action Result. That's the framework Situation Task Action Result. Go and check out episode 73 of this podcast. I'll put the links in the show notes for you. Episode 73 goes into specific ways that you can answer the behavior based questions. So episode 73, show notes links will be in the show notes for you for that.

Speaker 1: 5:46

I just want to interrupt this chat for a very brief moment to share something important for clinics that are doing their own recruitment and for job applicants who want to do their own recruitment as well. So, in other words, you want to connect direct and you don't want an agency involved. That's vetclinicjobscom. Clinics probably already know and agree that traditional recruitment methods just aren't cutting it anymore, which means that a different approach is necessary If you're an employer who wants to work direct with job applicants. And if you're a job applicant who wants to work direct with the employer in other words, like I just said, no recruitment agencies involved then your job advertisement needs to be listed on vetclinicjobscom. Vetclinicjobscom shows employers how to boost their clinic's employer brand, which is just what job seekers want to know about. It's completely different to the clinic client brand and at just $99 New Zealand dollars per vacancy listing, you can't go wrong. So visit vetclinicjobscom. It's totally, absolutely 100% affordable. So give your job listings the oomph that they need at vetclinicjobscom.

Speaker 1: 7:08

Now let's get back to today's show Point. Number five consideration number five at the job interview is to dress appropriately. Please make sure that anything you wear that needs to have gotten up close and personal with a hot iron has done it has done so. Make sure that you are clean and well presented. You don't have to be flash, you don't have to wear the latest fashion, but you do need to be tidy and as professional looking as you can be. Most hiring managers will cut new grads some slack because they know what it's like trying to survive as a poor vet student themselves, but don't let that be an excuse for looking unkempt and or dirty or untidy.

Speaker 1: 7:59

Number six prepare your questions. Have thoughtful questions ready to ask the interviewer about the role and about the clinic. Check out episode 75 of this show 11 examples of questions that you can ask. Also, again, show notes will be in the link. Sorry, links will be in the show notes. Also, check out episode 41. And this was a show I did a couple of years back specifically for questions that Massey grads asked me to answer. So that's episode 41. These questions still stand today, so go and listen to that.

Speaker 1: 8:41

Point. Number seven body language. This means all the invisible stuff. Maintain, make sure you make and you hold eye contact. Give a firm handshake and I know I probably sound like your mother here Sit up straight so that you can convey confidence. And lastly, follow up.

Speaker 1: 9:07

Send a thank you email after the interview to show your appreciation and thank them for their time. And if you're still interested in the job, then definitely let them know that. I hope you found this helpful. If you are looking for a job and you want to totally DIY your own application, then please check out vetclinicjobscom. If you are looking for a job and you want coaching before and after your job and support every step along the way, then please get in touch with Tanya Bruce at VetStaff and that is vetstaffconz Links for both of those will be in the show notes along with all the others for you Until next week. This is Julie South signing off and inviting you to go out there and be the most fantabulous version of you you can be, and thank you for getting to the end of this podcast. Really appreciate it. Ka kite anō.