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The job hunting thread


GivenToFly

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I graduate from vet school on the 4th of July, so I'm currently looking for my first graduate job.

I've already applied to a specialist hospital in Surrey for an internship which I'm waiting to hear back from. My ultimate goal is to end up in the States, so I have been in contact with a recruiter for a big chain of hospitals over there who is waiting to hear if I passed my US licensing exam (result should come in the next week or so), and then we can take it from there. Visas and things take an age to arrange though so I probably can't go over there until next year, so if I don't get that internship in Surrey I really need a job here in the UK in the meantime.

And that's hard. I don't know where I'd want to go except that I do not want to stay in Glasgow. My boyfriend is keen for me to stay in Scotland at least, but good vet job openings here seem to be few and far between compared to England. He's not overly keen to move far within the UK if we're going to be leaving within the next 18 months anyway, as he has his own business set up here, so unless he's able to work more remotely than he currently does that complicates things a bit. It's also super hard to tell by looking at job adverts which practices will actually offer good support and career development for new grad vets. I've heard many horror stories about people being left totally in charge weeks after starting with no support from senior staff, or conversely being a year into their job without getting to do much more than vaccinations, and people have even quit the profession entirely because of bad experiences early on. It's all a bit daunting :unsure:

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I've heard many horror stories about people being left totally in charge weeks after starting with no support from senior staff, or conversely being a year into their job without getting to do much more than vaccinations

I'm glad I'm not a pet owner in the UK. That is unheard of and unspeakable. We don't even leave inexperienced people in charge of fitting someone's wedding dress where I work, let alone in charge of someone's pet's life. That is some seriously fucked up shit. Especially when you take into account the cost of veterinary care. I think it's a good move that you look at getting experience elsewhere.

I guess it says something about a culture when they give a shit about Bridezillas seams being straight, but don't give a fuck about some little dogs or cats life. :shrugs:

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I've heard many horror stories about people being left totally in charge weeks after starting with no support from senior staff, or conversely being a year into their job without getting to do much more than vaccinations

I'm glad I'm not a pet owner in the UK. That is unheard of and unspeakable. We don't even leave inexperienced people in charge of fitting someone's wedding dress where I work, let alone in charge of someone's pet's life. That is some seriously fucked up shit. Especially when you take into account the cost of veterinary care. I think it's a good move that you look at getting experience elsewhere.

Must be fun in your dream world :lol:

Believe me, it more than likely happens there too, whether you're aware of it or not. Not all workplaces are created equal, in every career path and country good and bad exist.

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I've heard many horror stories about people being left totally in charge weeks after starting with no support from senior staff, or conversely being a year into their job without getting to do much more than vaccinations

I'm glad I'm not a pet owner in the UK. That is unheard of and unspeakable. We don't even leave inexperienced people in charge of fitting someone's wedding dress where I work, let alone in charge of someone's pet's life. That is some seriously fucked up shit. Especially when you take into account the cost of veterinary care. I think it's a good move that you look at getting experience elsewhere.

Must be fun in your dream world :lol:

Believe me, it more than likely happens there too, whether you're aware of it or not. Not all workplaces are created equal, in every career path and country good and bad exist.

So you're presuming to tell me what it's like where I live on the other side of the world? :huh:

That is exactly what I mean about new grads thinking they know it all. :lol:

I've used several vets for more than 8 years here. My last dog had epilepsy and required frequent vet visits. NEVER have I had anyone other than a qualified and experienced vet attend to my pet. Yes it must indeed be fun in my dream world. A dream world with epilepsy. Awesome!

Again, get over yourself and stop making judgments of others.

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I've heard many horror stories about people being left totally in charge weeks after starting with no support from senior staff, or conversely being a year into their job without getting to do much more than vaccinations

I'm glad I'm not a pet owner in the UK. That is unheard of and unspeakable. We don't even leave inexperienced people in charge of fitting someone's wedding dress where I work, let alone in charge of someone's pet's life. That is some seriously fucked up shit. Especially when you take into account the cost of veterinary care. I think it's a good move that you look at getting experience elsewhere.

Must be fun in your dream world :lol:

Believe me, it more than likely happens there too, whether you're aware of it or not. Not all workplaces are created equal, in every career path and country good and bad exist.

So you're presuming to tell me what it's like where I live on the other side of the world? :huh:

That is exactly what I mean about new grads thinking they know it all. :lol:

I've used several vets for more than 8 years here. My last dog had epilepsy and required frequent vet visits. NEVER have I had anyone other than a qualified and experienced vet attend to my pet. Yes it must indeed be fun in my dream world. A dream world with epilepsy. Awesome!

Again, get over yourself and stop making judgments of others.

What, but you can make a snap judgement that all UK vet practices are terrible? Not to mention that I'm some hussy little brat that wants life on a silver platter and only likes males, merely because I want to find a job that will serve as decent career development? :lol:

You're just embarrassing yourself now.

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I've heard many horror stories about people being left totally in charge weeks after starting with no support from senior staff, or conversely being a year into their job without getting to do much more than vaccinations

I'm glad I'm not a pet owner in the UK. That is unheard of and unspeakable. We don't even leave inexperienced people in charge of fitting someone's wedding dress where I work, let alone in charge of someone's pet's life. That is some seriously fucked up shit. Especially when you take into account the cost of veterinary care. I think it's a good move that you look at getting experience elsewhere.

Must be fun in your dream world :lol:

Believe me, it more than likely happens there too, whether you're aware of it or not. Not all workplaces are created equal, in every career path and country good and bad exist.

So you're presuming to tell me what it's like where I live on the other side of the world? :huh:

That is exactly what I mean about new grads thinking they know it all. :lol:

I've used several vets for more than 8 years here. My last dog had epilepsy and required frequent vet visits. NEVER have I had anyone other than a qualified and experienced vet attend to my pet. Yes it must indeed be fun in my dream world. A dream world with epilepsy. Awesome!

Again, get over yourself and stop making judgments of others.

What, but you can make a snap judgement that all UK vet practices are terrible? Not to mention that I'm some hussy little brat that wants life on a silver platter and only likes males, merely because I want to find a job that will serve as decent career development? :lol:

You're just embarrassing yourself now.

Hussy? Brat? Silver platter?

What the fuck are you talking about?

Just find a job. Any job. It can't be that bad ( even if you're just doing vaccinations). Yes, it's hard, but so is life when you're actually working. You haven't even got to that bit yet. :lol:

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So you're presuming to tell me what it's like where I live on the other side of the world? :huh:

Haha, that's funny. You have been lecturing us Europeans about Europe since the ifrst day you joined this place. You have been on holidays in France, you obviously know better than me. :rolleyes:

I assume ARQ knows more about the veterinary world than you do.

-------------

Luckily I have a job now but job hunting always made me feel like being on the death row. So good luck everyone who is on it.

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To be fair, you kinda imagined the 'hussy' bit :lol:

It was implied :P

Actually, it wasn't. This is what I mean about me not having testicles and how 'differently' my posts are 'interpreted'.

Yes, I was harsh, but no more so than many of the posters here are, yet you're so much more judgmental of me than anyone else (male) who has an opinion for or against you. :shrugs:

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You have been lecturing us Europeans about Europe since the ifrst day you joined this place. You have been on holidays in France, you obviously know better than me. :rolleyes:

Um.....WHAT?

I know you hate me TWD, but seriously you make up some funny shit, you do. :lol:

It's an endless source of amusement. :awesomeface:

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If I get a job where all I'm allowed to do is give vaccinations, what happens when I try to find another job in a year's time?

Just find a job. Any job. It can't be that bad ( even if you're just doing vaccinations). Yes, it's hard, but so is life when you're actually working. You haven't even got to that bit yet. :lol:

"So you're one year out, what experience have you gained in that time?"

"...well, I can give vaccinations. Other than that, my skills have kind of backslid since graduating."

Getting GOOD experience is so important for new vets, because it's so easy to let your skills slide and forget things if you're not getting exposure to different cases, operations, diagnostic procedures etc. It's like anything, if you don't keep practising regularly then you get rusty incredibly fast. Sometimes you're better doing work experience until you find a decent job that allows you to grow as a vet, than jumping into something that will stunt your development because 'any job will do'.

Hussy? Brat? Silver platter?

What the fuck are you talking about?

So what exactly was your point in saying "new grads think the world owes them...get over yourself" and the comment about posters' testicles (or lack thereof)?

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Actually, it wasn't. This is what I mean about me not having testicles and how 'differently' my posts are 'interpreted'.

Yes, I was harsh, but no more so than many of the posters here are, yet you're so much more judgmental of me than anyone else (male) who has an opinion for or against you. :shrugs:

post-23752-now-youre-just-embarrassing-y

For not caring what people think of you, you care a lot what people think of you.

Pack it in ladies.

:lol:

That's why we all love you.

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What can I say? Life isn't PERFECT. It rarely is. Working ANYWHERE is better than NOWHERE. And this is where Gen Y falls down. It's not your fault. You were educated to believe that you can have what you want if you just work hard enough. If you want it enough. That's crap. Some people are lucky, some aren't. Life is really very random. Why is there no prospect after 1 year? I've been working at the same company for 7 years now. Sometimes I had progression, sometimes I didn't. In fact sometimes people were deliberately blocking me from opportunities. I didn't care. Now the hard work is paying off. I'm in a strong position of power now. It took 7 years. That's pretty good IMO. What are you talking about ONE YEAR? :lol:

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I start a new job in about 2.5 weeks. I have a finance internship at a marketing firm for the summer. I worked as a cook on a dude ranch last summer and alllmooostt went back to that, but I decided to try and find something more in line with my major. Fortunately, I was able to. Plus now I get to be in Maine for the summer :awesomeface:

edit: since when is that face no longer just called awesome? whatever

Edited by Mansin Humanity
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What can I say? Life isn't PERFECT. It rarely is. Working ANYWHERE is better than NOWHERE. And this is where Gen Y falls down. It's not your fault. You were educated to believe that you can have what you want if you just work hard enough. If you want it enough. That's crap. Some people are lucky, some aren't. Life is really very random. Why is there no prospect after 1 year? I've been working at the same company for 7 years now. Sometimes I had progression, sometimes I didn't. In fact sometimes people were deliberately blocking me from opportunities. I didn't care. Now the hard work is paying off. I'm in a strong position of power now. It took 7 years. That's pretty good IMO. What are you talking about ONE YEAR? :lol:

Just to reiterate again- we work in different industries.

The first year is when your knowledge is at its most fresh and you need to consolidate that knowledge with good practical experience. I cannot predict what will walk into my clinic on day 1 or any day, but what I can do is try my best to make sure that if something comes in that is beyond my skill level at the time, that I know I have the support and guidance in place to deal with it. As a first-opinion practice vet, any day a dog could come in with a twisted stomach requiring emergency surgery, it's a pretty common condition. Say my first one comes in when I'm the only vet in on a Saturday, if I have been performing neutering surgeries and other minor ops, I can absolutely deal with that situation by applying my skills, and I will feel more confident when presented with the next one.

If on the other hand, I haven't picked up a scalpel in 6 months, I would have to either call a senior vet in and wait for them to come do it or send the dog to a referral hospital, skyrocketing the bill. In a life or death situation, I'm not going to go attempting something I can't handle because my experience hasn't prepared me for it. And beyond new grad level, people do not want to employ a vet who can't handle basic diseases and emergencies.

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ARQ, does your school provide any job assistance / job placement programs / career fairs?

You don't really know what the environment is like and what kind of useful experience you will gain in a work place until you are actually there. They can tell you anything in an interview, but it doesn't always fit the reality. I assume professors , administrators, alumni, etc. could be a useful resource to point you in the right direction. A facility that focuses on teaching and hands on training is an absolute necessity as you start your new journey in this career path. Especially this particular career path, where you're dealing with life and death situations.

I don't know why you're getting shit from people for proceeding with this in the way you feel the most comfortable and is the most beneficial for you.

And does anyone want to explain what fucking testicles has to do with anything?? FFS

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ARQ, does your school provide any job assistance / job placement programs / career fairs?

You don't really know what the environment is like and what kind of useful experience you will gain in a work place until you are actually there. They can tell you anything in an interview, but it doesn't always fit the reality. I assume professors , administrators, alumni, etc. could be a useful resource to point you in the right direction. A facility that focuses on teaching and hands on training is an absolute necessity as you start your new journey in this career path. Especially this particular career path, where you're dealing with life and death situations.

I don't know why you're getting shit from people for proceeding with this in the way you feel the most comfortable and is the most beneficial for you.

And does anyone want to explain what fucking testicles has to do with anything?? FFS

P4A, I'm young and can't possibly know anything about life :rolleyes: and y'know, because you're a woman I'm secretly judging you as I write my response

Anyway...there is a lady who's a careers adviser for the vet school who might have some good tips on finding the first job, but we don't really have placement programs or anything like that. There was a student day at BSAVA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association) congress this year that apparently was very good, there were talks on finding the first job, CPD etc, but I couldn't afford to go...and the next event of its kind is on our graduation weekend and also expensive :(

A lot of it is down to networking, and of course with everyone having different opinions it's a bit of a minefield. Example being the internship in Surrey with the Bionic Vet- I've had everything from "you'd be insane to not go for it" to "don't go there, you'll be treated like shit" from all sorts of people in the profession. Some of the best people to speak to are the university clinicians or vets who have moved around a fair bit, but yeah...a lot of it is down to people's opinions and personal experience :shrugs:

The most common advice I get is:

- don't go for a less than 4-vet practice for first job

- ask if they've had new grads before and what CPD is in place

- avoid a more than 1:3 weekends or 1:5 out of hours rota

Other than that, there's not a whole lot of concrete advice/support :unsure:

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