Veterinary practice websites five biggest mistakes - a hub for recruitment
YOUR WEBSITE CAN BE YOUR BEST FRIEND
Life in practice is busy. It’s chaotic. There’s so many things you want to do to grow your business, but the clinical strain means you just don’t have the time.
Well I’m here to tell you that a top notch website can do the work for you.
But only if you get it right.
I’ve been writing about the five biggest mistakes I commonly see with veterinary practice websites.
If you’d like to recap on the first edition in this series, you can read about websites that don’t do stuff here.
Let’s get cracking
For Strand Vets we optimised their careers page to sell the island lifestyle as well as the support offered within the practice.
MISTAKE NUMBER TWO: WHERE'S THE RECRUITMENT?
We are all acutely aware that we’re in the midst of a recruitment crisis in our industry, and it’s scary to think where it might go and how long it may last.
It’s ironic – for so long we’ve been chasing clients, but right now clients and pets are everywhere, banging our doors down to get into our practice.
The problem is retaining good people, and finding more of them to join our teams, to take off the pressure and spread the load.
Right now more than ever your website has to work really hard to attract the best possible talent to your practice.
NO VACANCIES? NO CHANCE!
All too often I look at a website and it has my dreaded phrase: “We have no vacancies.” ☠
Nine out of ten practices always have space for more vets and nurses. Just because you’re not actively recruiting for a specific position – or because you haven’t had a chance to put together an ad yet – there’s no reason not to make your website work to draw in speculative enquiries.
You need to optimise your website to shout from the rooftops about all the amazing things you do, why vets and nurses should choose you to further their career.
Because the competition out there is fierce. Everybody is fighting to attract candidates from the same small pool. Your website really needs to suck in those leads, whether somebody wants to work with you right now, or in the months or years to come.
We’ve recently worked with Pennard Vets to build them a rather fine microsite dedicated to recruitment – their search for the right people is constant and ongoing.
In order to avoid being stuck with no staff, yours should be too.
What can you do for the applicant – not what can they do for you
Your careers page should be all about showcasing what you can bring to an applicant’s career and their life.
It isn’t about what a vet or nurse can do for you. That isn’t the way that the market is working right now.
If so many practices are after the same workers, just think of the breadth of choice they can choose from. Big practices and small ones, independent or corporate, in beauty hotspots and city centres, with modern equipment and historical community roots.
So, why should they choose you?
Often, your website will be the only chance you have to persuade them. So you need to get it right.
If that sounds like a lot of pressure, it’s also an exciting opportunity to tell your story.
Every practice has something that sets them apart, that makes them special. That is just as important to potential team members as it is to clients. Describe your vision for the future of your practice and how you want new members of the team to fit into that.
Tell them about what you will do for them as well. Showcase your facilities and highlight your career development opportunities.
Recruitment may be getting harder and harder. But your best friend in this battle can be your website – as long as you use it in the right way.
