Market Yourself: A Guide for Veterinary Students
You may think that your job search will start with a CV or resume, a cover letter or video, or an interview. But there’s a step before that—and it’s an important one!
The first step is defining for yourself who you are and who you want to be. You need to develop a plan and a vision of yourself in the future. These may seem like abstract and difficult concepts, but, the better you can answer questions about yourself, the easier it will be for others to understand who you are and whether you’re the right person for the position you’re seeking—whether that’s club officer, employee, or volunteer.
Is defining yourself an easy process? No way. Mapping out your plan and vision is a comprehensive and thoughtful journey that doesn’t happen overnight. Think about it for a moment—this is BIG stuff. It’s the way you want to be perceived by others and also how you want to live your professional and personal life.
But one thing is certain: organizing your thoughts and creating your personal vision today will pay you dividends later. Start today by following this guide. And don't rush!
Define Your Vision and Plan
It’s often said that if you don’t know where you're going, then any road will work—but you also won’t know when you’ve arrived! That's why the first step to marketing yourself is to create a vision.
Answer these questions to start building your vision’s foundation:
- Who do you want to be?
- What do you want to be doing?
- Where do you want to be doing it?
- When do you want to get there?
Defining a vision, and creating a plan to achieve it, will help you organize your time, focus your efforts, and give you a sense of accomplishment to keep you motivated. As you answer these questions, begin writing a draft of your formal vision statement.
SWOT Analysis and SMART Goal Setting
To get where you want to go, it’s important to know exactly where you are now. Conduct a SWOT analysis, outlining your strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities you see ahead, and the threats you face. This will help you develop a career plan and achieve your vision. Remember to take your time. Be like your patients and ruminate.
The next step is to create SMART goals—goals that are crafted to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. Check out this step-by-step guide on creating SMART goals from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Next Steps
What comes next? As you’re working to achieve your SMART goals, and especially as you’re getting close to graduation and looking for your first job as a veterinarian, you’ll find a wide range of resources on the AVMA’s Veterinary Career Center to help you. These include more tips for marketing yourself, plus tools that will help you develop and polish your resume, cover letter, and other essentials.
Scheduled Maintenance
Think of your car for a moment. Everyone agrees that performing scheduled maintenance is more efficient than waiting until your car needs repair. The same thing goes for your career. Career plans have to include scheduled maintenance. Mark dates on your calendar for when you will perform your “career audit.” On those days, explore what is working and what is not, and adjust the plan. Be flexible and re-evaluate your plan to ensure it continues to keep you on the path to achieve your career goals.