Why Veterinary Practices Struggle to Recruit Top Talent
- Dr Dave Nicol
- Sep 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 25
Hiring right now is brutal.
Too many jobs, not enough vets, and a constant merry-go-round of people jumping ship.
Most leaders throw up their hands and blame “the market.” But when you do that, you give up control.
The truth? Most practices aren’t giving anyone a compelling reason to choose them.
If your job ad looks just like every other one out there – full of the same old buzzwords – then vets are going to make their choice based on two things: pay and location. That’s a race you can’t win unless you’ve got bottomless pockets.
So how do you actually stand out? That’s where employer branding comes in.
Contents
What Employer Branding Really Means
Employer branding isn’t about saying you’re “a family” or promising “work-life balance.”
Everyone says that. Candidates see right through it.
Employer branding is about telling your story, the real story of who you are and why you exist. To do so, you need three things:
Purpose – Why you get out of bed in the morning and do this work.
Mission – What you’re actually going to achieve.
Values – The non-negotiables you live by every single day, with every decision.
Our Leadership Actions Study found that 58.5% of leaders say they can’t find the clinical talent they need. That’s more than half of leaders stuck in the same struggle.
The practices that escape the constant hiring struggle are the ones that move beyond buzzwords and share a compelling story, one that makes people want to be part of it. That is employer branding working.
If you want to dive deeper into employer branding, I'd recommend listening to episode 121 of our Veterinary Leadership Success Show, down below.
The Employer Brand Equation
Think of it like this:
Employer Brand = Employee Experience + Local Market Awareness
Employee Experience = culture + quality of work + rewards.
Local Market Awareness = how well you tell that story to the world.
If your culture is poor, the rest doesn’t matter. Weak culture undermines everything else. But if you’ve built a positive environment, provide good medicine, and offer fair rewards, the next step is to share that story. Consistently. Across every channel.
The practices doing this aren’t struggling with empty inboxes. They’re receiving CVs even without advertising, because candidates already understand what they stand for, and they want to be part of it.
Stop Blaming the Market
Yes, there’s a shortage. Yes, it’s competitive. But putting all the blame on the market overlooks the areas you can influence. There are levers you can pull – six of them, in fact – to strengthen your employee experience and communicate it more effectively. I talk about all six in this podcast episode.
A good starting point is to ask your own team. A simple Net Promoter Score survey will give you insight into how they experience working in your practice. Use the feedback to make improvements where needed, and then share that progress more widely.
If you’re not measuring employee experience, you’re relying on assumptions. And when you rely on assumptions, it becomes harder to stay competitive.
Be Unapologetically You
The biggest card smaller practices have to play is authenticity. Corporate chains can throw cash around, but they can’t copy your vibe.
So lean into it. Be clear about what makes you different. Live it, show it, and share it.
Because when you do, you don’t just fill jobs. You build a team that sticks, thrives, and grows with you.
At the end of the day, your vibe defines your tribe.
Join Our Employer Branding Webinar
Not sure how to tell your story in a way that stands out? You’re not alone. In this free masterclass, I’ll show you how to cut through the noise, share what makes your practice different, and attract the people who actually want to work with you.
