How to Hire a Veterinarian

Why hire a veterinarian?

Your business can be taken to the next level with a quality veterinarian who creates repeat customers. A great veterinarian can help your company: 

• Increase the quality of care you provide to animals
• Increase the success rate of procedures
• Offer more services to customers

What are the types of veterinarians?

All veterinarians work with animals, but they often specialize in a particular type of animal or area of veterinary medicine. Here are some types of veterinarians:

• Companion animal veterinarians: Most vets care for companion animals, specifically cats and dogs. They might care for other common pets as well, such as hamsters or birds. They handle everything from routine exams to diagnosing and treating problems.
• Livestock and large animal veterinarians: This type of veterinarian works with livestock and other large animals. They have training to address the specific needs of larger animals. Many livestock veterinarians travel to farms or other locations to care for the animals on-site.
• Exotic animal veterinarians: These vets have experience in the special care needs of animals such as birds, amphibians and reptiles. They might also work at zoos or wildlife rehabilitation facilities.
• Specialist veterinarians: Specialist veterinarians focus on a medical specialty such as oncology, cardiology or neurology.
• Laboratory veterinarians: Some veterinarians focus more on research and testing, working in a lab rather than in a clinic with animal patients. 

Where to find veterinarians

To find the right veterinarian for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Partner with veterinarian programs. Find a college with a veterinarian program. Invite students to your facility, volunteer as a guest speaker or host a booth at career fairs.
• Attend veterinarian conferences. Participate in conferences and expos for veterinarians. Meet as many people as possible at the events to build relationships with potential hires.
• Join veterinarian organizations. Be an active member of veterinarian organizations to meet other vets. 
• Ask in your network. Tell everyone you know in the veterinary field, such as suppliers, that you need a new veterinarian.
• Post on your company’s social media pages. If a veterinarian or student already follows your office on social media, they might be more likely to apply if you post about an opening.
• Post your job online. Try posting your veterinarian job on Indeed to find and attract quality veterinarian candidates.

What are the types of veterinarians?

All veterinarians work with animals, but they often specialize in a particular type of animal or area of veterinary medicine. Here are some types of veterinarians:

• Companion animal veterinarians: Most vets care for companion animals, specifically cats and dogs. They might care for other common pets as well, such as hamsters or birds. They handle everything from routine exams to diagnosing and treating problems.
• Livestock and large animal veterinarians: This type of veterinarian works with livestock and other large animals. They have training to address the specific needs of larger animals. Many livestock veterinarians travel to farms or other locations to care for the animals on-site.
• Exotic animal veterinarians: These vets have experience in the special care needs of animals such as birds, amphibians and reptiles. They might also work at zoos or wildlife rehabilitation facilities.
• Specialist veterinarians: Specialist veterinarians focus on a medical specialty such as oncology, cardiology or neurology.
• Laboratory veterinarians: Some veterinarians focus more on research and testing, working in a lab rather than in a clinic with animal patients. 

Writing a veterinarian job description

A thoughtful description is important to finding qualified veterinarian candidates. A veterinarian job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your veterinarian job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on veterinarian jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Veterinarian
• Animal
• Veterinary
• Vet
• Animal shelter
• Animals
• Emergency veterinarian
• Shelter veterinarian
• Receptionist
• Associate veterinarian

Interviewing veterinarian candidates

Strong candidates for veterinarian positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• How long they’ve worked with animals
• Their certifications and licenses
• Specializations they may have 

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of veterinarian interview questions for examples (with sample answers).