Q&A: Why choosing a veterinary job is like choosing a relationship

Job hunting in veterinary medicine can feel transactional. Job searchers submit a resume, sit through an interview, accept an offer, but Theresa Cosper-Roberts, MA, RVT, CVPM, ACVE(DE), CVBL, sees it differently. Finding a veterinary position, Cosper-Roberts argues, is not only about accepting a job offer. Instead, veterinary professionals should approach it like choosing a long-term relationship.

In this Q&A adapted from an earlier interview with dvm360, Cosper-Roberts explains that choosing a job should warrant the same scrutiny, patience, and self-reflection as choosing a relationship. From researching potential employers to viewing interviews as a two-way evaluation, she encourages veterinary professionals to be more deliberate about where they choose to build their careers.

Editor’s note: This dvm360 Q&A has been edited and consolidated from a verbal interview to better fit a written format while retaining the substance of the original conversation.

From a job seeker's perspective, what are one or two recruitment basics to keep in mind?

Making sure that you are qualified for the position, but also making sure that the position is one where you have opportunities for advancement or continued engagement and not necessarily picking something that you know you're going to be bored with in 6 months or a year. Pick something where you can grow and learn and thrive.

How does the interview process serve as a metric for evaluating a potential workplace?

The interview is one of the most stressful parts of job searching. It's nerve-wracking. You can have a one-on-one interview that's super formal, where you're sitting behind a desk with this huge power dynamic. You can have panel interviews where you're getting grilled by 5 to 10 people, or behavioral interviews, or situational interviews. They're just so stressful, and we really don't spend that much time in school talking about how to conduct ourselves in interviews. So a significant portion of the conversation around job searching covers common interview questions, the different types of interviews, and how best to answer those questions, but also how to use that experience to assess whether the workplace is actually right for you.

What overall advice do you have for veterinary technicians seeking a job?

Do your homework and do your research. Remember that when you are looking for a job, the whole process is sort of like looking for the right relationship. You would never marry somebody based on a one-hour conversation, but when you think about it, we spend more time at work than we do with our families. So the relationship that you have with your employer needs to be important. We need to put a lot of time and effort into making sure that we're picking the right position.

Theresa Cosper-Roberts, MA, RVT, CVPM, ACVE(DE), CVBL, is the chief veterinary technician at The Bridge Club. She holds a master's degree in educational technology and online learning, with a focus on the use of artificial intelligence in instructional design. She previously served as surgical training center manager at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, where she became the first veterinary technician named to the dean's merit honor roll as an instructor. A Distinguished Expert of the Academy of Veterinary Educators and Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, she has been a featured speaker and contributor across veterinary publications.