Your practice has been advertising for a veterinarian for 3 months. You’ve had 12 applications, but only 2 were worth interviewing, and neither accepted your offer. Meanwhile, that brilliant vet you met at the regional conference last year β the one with the progressive approach to pain management and natural communication style with clients β hasn’t even glanced at your job posting. She’s busy, content, and frankly, the last thing on her mind is scrolling through employment websites after a 12-hour surgery day.
This scenario plays out daily across veterinary practices in Brisbane, Birmingham, and Boston. The candidates you actually want β experienced, passionate professionals with strong clinical skills and emotional intelligence β remain invisible to traditional recruitment approaches. They’re not unemployed or desperately seeking change; they’re settled in roles that meet their basic needs, even if those roles aren’t perfect. The hidden truth? These passive candidates represent roughly 75-80% of the veterinary talent pool, and they require a completely different approach than posting jobs and hoping for the best…