Episodes

If you've ever looked at your job ad dashboard and wondered why the views are high and the applications aren't — this episode is about one of the reasons. And it's likely not the one Seek (or other job boards) will tell you about. In the second episode of The Elephant In The Room, Julie South looks at the gap between believing a job ad and trusting it enough to act on it — and why spending more for more exposure doesn't close that gap. It just means more people landing on the wrong side of it...

There's a clinic not too far from you right now that everyone in the profession knows about. The vets know. The nurses know. The locums know. You can see it in the turnover — always hiring, always starting over. And nobody says publicly why. In the first episode of a new series — The Elephant In The Room — Julie South talks about the reputation that travels through private chats and late-night conference conversations, but never makes it into the one place it might actually do some good. And ...

Most clinics have their most honest conversation about culture when someone's leaving. The vet or nurse is in their last week, and suddenly — they talk. They say what they loved about the team. They describe what made this clinic different. They name the specific things that kept them there as long as they did. Honest. Warm. Specific. Exactly the kind of thing that would make the right person read it and think: that sounds like my kind of place. And the job ad? It might still be running. Stil...

You have a great culture. Your team would back that up. So why is it sooooo! hard to find vets and nurses who want to work there? The answer probably isn't your job ad. It's everything that didn't happen before your job ad ran. In this fifth episode of What Job Ads Were Never Built To Do , Julie South unpacks the hidden cost of episodic recruitment — the off/on/off, stop/start/stop cycle that most vet clinics have normalised without ever questioning. The ad goes up. The ad comes down. The clinic...

Your job ad has a requirements list. Must be a team player. Must thrive in a fast-paced environment. Must do one weekend in four. And you're hoping the right vets and nurses will read it, recognise themselves, and apply. Here's the problem. So does every other clinic's job ad. Word for word, in some cases. In this fourth episode of What Job Ads Were Never Built To Do , Julie South unpacks why requirements lists don't filter — and why vanilla clinics get vanilla applications . When every clinic l...

Your clinic values are genuine. The team really is supportive. You really do care about animal welfare. So why is stating that in your job ad doing absolutely nothing for your recruitment? In this third episode of What Job Ads Were Never Built To Do , Julie South unpacks why values listed in a job ad are indistinguishable from values listed in every other job ad — and why that makes them wallpaper, however sincerely they're meant. The problem isn't your values. It's the tool you're using to carr...

There's a glowing quote from a team member on your careers site or in your job ad. It's positive, it's genuine — and it's doing almost nothing for your recruitment. This episode explains why, and what actually works instead. In this second episode of What Job Ads Were Never Built To Do, Julie South unpacks one of the heaviest loads clinics are asking their job ads and careers pages to carry: social proof. Specifically — the difference between a testimonial and a review. They look similar. The...

If you've ever posted a job ad and wondered why the right vets and nurses aren't applying — this episode is for you. Something has shifted in how vets and nurses research clinics before they apply. They're not just Googling anymore. They're asking AI. And AI isn't reading your job ad to build its answer. It's reading everything else — third-party platforms, independent reviews, social media posts from your staff, podcast episodes featuring your team. This is AEO — Ask Engine Optimisation. And...

“We’ve tried social media. It didn’t work.” It’s something Julie South hears often from clinics that have already put time and effort into posting, sharing, and trying to build some form of presence online. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, she continues the Where Vet Clinics Get Stuck series by looking at why social media so often disappoints — even when clinics are doing what they’ve been told to do. Posting regularly. Sharing updates. Trying to show a bit of team life. Because the issu...

"Julie - That’s not how we do things around here.” It’s one of the most honest responses Julie South hears from clinics when new ideas are introduced. In this final episode of the Where Vet Clinics Get Stuck with Their Recruitment series, she looks at why this particular response is different from the others. Because it’s not about time. Or budget. Or platform. It’s about identity. Knowing who you are as a clinic — how you operate, what you stand for — is a strength. It’s the foundation of a ...

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements? If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic. The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

“But isn’t this just employer branding, Julie…?” It’s a question that comes up when clinics start looking beyond job ads and into how they’re seen as a place to work. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South answers that question directly. Because while employer brand marketing and what she’s describing can sound similar, they’re designed for different situations. Employer brand marketing comes from large organisations — built to manage perception across multiple locations, roles, an...

Front Desk, Full Team: Stacey Deacon on How Energy Vets Works Day to Day Stacey Deacon didn’t train as a veterinary nurse. She’s a dedicated receptionist — and part of a reception team that sits at the centre of how Energy Vets runs day to day. In this final episode of the Energy Vets REAL+STORY series, Stacey shares what working on the front desk actually looks like inside a busy mixed practice in Taranaki. The reception team works across both the Inglewood and Waitara clinics, coordinating ...

When veterinary clinics start looking at changing how they approach recruitment, certain phrases come up in conversation. They’re usually said under pressure. And they often stop things before they really get going. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South continues the Where Vet Clinics Get Stuck series by looking at one of the most common: “We don’t have time for this.” For clinics already stretched — covering vacancies, juggling rosters, and trying to run recruitment campaigns that a...

Leadership, Succession, and Coming Home: Kylie Lindsay on Growing People at Energy Vets Kylie Lindsay began her journey with Energy Vets answering after-hours phones. More than twenty years later, she’s Clinic Services Manager, shareholder, and now a director of the Taranaki practice. In this second half of Julie South’s conversation with Kylie, the focus shifts to leadership and the kind of veterinarian Energy Vets is looking for as the clinic grows its companion animal team. Kylie describes...

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements? If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic. The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs

From Client to Clinic Leader: Kylie Lindsay on Energy Vets’ Growth and Team Culture Kylie Lindsay didn’t originally join Energy Vets as a staff member — she joined as a client. Growing up in rural Inglewood with horses and other animals, the clinic (then Inglewood Veterinary Services) cared for the animals on her family’s lifestyle block. One day, while a vet was visiting one of her horses, Kylie asked whether there might be any work available at the clinic. Her timing was good. A role had ju...

When veterinary clinics begin recognising the reactive recruitment cycle, certain phrases often start appearing. They sound practical — but they’re often the cycle defending itself. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South begins a new series exploring the objections that surface when clinics start considering a different way to approach recruitment. The first phrase she hears most often is: “Julie, we need someone now — not in six months’ time.” When a clinic has been covering a vacanc...

Head Vet Nurse Nicky Smith on Team Support, Community, and Life in Taranaki In this REAL+STORY episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South speaks with Nicky Smith, Head Vet Nurse at Energy Vets in Taranaki. Nicky has worked in veterinary clinics in New Zealand and overseas, including time living in Auckland and abroad. But when the time came to settle and raise her family, she made the deliberate decision to return to Taranaki — the place she calls home. In this chat, Nicky shares with Julie wh...

By month five of job advertising, most vet clinics and their teams are exhausted. Posting everywhere didn’t work. Rewriting didn’t work. Spending more didn’t work. But the vacancy hasn’t just stayed a vacancy — it’s started affecting the people who are still there. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South explores what happens when a role has been open for four to six months and the pressure inside the clinic starts to build. Teams have been covering the extra work. The goodwill that...

Energy Vets, Taranaki | Starting Out as a New Grad In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with Dr Sieara Claytor, a 2025 graduate working in her very first full-time veterinary role at Energy Vets in Taranaki. Sieara moved from the United States to study in Australia and has now started her career in rural New Zealand. Six months in, she’s already managing emergencies, assisting in surgeries beyond routine desexings, handling after-hours responsibilities, and working across two clini...

By month four of advertising, most vet clinics and their teams are exhausted. Posting everywhere didn’t work. Rewriting didn’t work. Spending more didn’t work. So you start trying random things. A Facebook post. Asking your team to share. Updating your careers page. Boosting something for $50… maybe $100. Because something has to (read: needs to!) stick. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South unpacks what really happens around week fourteen of the re...

Energy Vets, Taranaki | Why Alana Came Back In this REAL+STORY episode, Julie South speaks with vet nurse Alana Howard about why she returned to Energy Vets after starting her nursing career there 20 years ago and then spending years working in Australia. Alana talks about what made coming back feel like the right decision — not just professionally, but personally. She compares different clinic environments and explains what stands out at Energy Vets: how nurses are trusted to use their skil...

Why Spending More on Job Ads Doesn’t Work By month three of advertising, most vet clinics assume the problem is reach. Not enough applications? Then not enough visibility. Not enough visibility? Spend more. Premium placement. Featured listings. Boosted posts. Maybe even a recruitment agency. But the real problem isn’t reach. It’s recognition. In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South unpacks what actually happens around week ten of the recruitment cycle—when rewriting ha...