Veterinary Voices – Episode 261

 Why DIY Job Ad Tactics Won't Get You More Applicants 

Julie South [00:00:06]

Welcome to Veterinary Voices, culture storytelling conversations for forward-thinking vet clinics. I'm Julie South, and this is episode 261.

Veterinary Voices is brought to you by VetClinicJobs – helping forward-thinking vet clinics build recognition so they attract vets and nurses, not just post job ads and pray someone will apply.

Last week we talked about why spending more money doesn't work, why premium placement creates expensive noise, not recognition, and we introduced culture story centre infrastructure – the alternative to the job board treadmill.

This week we're talking about month 4 in the recruitment cycle. About 14 weeks in, when posting everywhere hasn't worked, rewriting hasn't worked, spending more hasn't worked, and you start trying random things. And maybe – just maybe – you don't even wait until month 4. Maybe you've done this earlier.

Julie South [00:01:12]

Social media posts, asking staff to share, updating your website careers page – the DIY tactics you try when you feel like you're running out of options.

Stay with me to the end, please, because I've got a question about how many random things you've tried that felt like pushing water uphill.

So hypothetically, you're 14 weeks into advertising – nearly three and a half months. The number doesn't really matter. The fact is you've spent significantly on job boards – thousands. You've rewritten the ad multiple times, you've upgraded to premium features, and you're still not getting suitable applications.

Your team is exhausted. Everyone's been covering. The mood in the clinic is shifting from "we'll figure this out" to "this is just how it is now."

And you start thinking – maybe I need to do something myself. Maybe I can't just rely on job boards.

Julie South [00:02:19]

Maybe if I try some other things as well, something will work, something will stick.

So you start trying random tactics – things you've heard work for other people, things that sound like they should help.

You post something on your clinic's Facebook page. We're hiring! Great team, supportive environment, apply now! And you ask your team to share it. A few of them do. It gets a handful of likes, maybe. Maybe one comment from someone's mum saying good luck.

Nothing happens.

Julie South [00:02:53]

So maybe you boost it. You spend $50, $100 to reach more people in your area. The platform tells you it reached 3,000 accounts – and yet still nothing happens.

So you update your website careers page. You add more information about your benefits, include photos of your team, write about your culture, make it look professional, modern, appealing.

And then you remember – like we talked about back in episode 243 – that your website is actually designed for pet owners. Your careers page is buried 3 clicks deep, and even when someone finds it, it's static. One page, a few paragraphs, maybe some stock photos.

It doesn't build the "this is my kind of clinic" recognition that vets and nurses need before they apply. And that's correct, because it's not meant to. Your website is the infrastructure for pet owners.

Julie South [00:03:58]

Not for building recognition with vets and nurses who are looking for jobs.

So you try asking your team to help. Can you share the job ad on your social media? Can you tell your friends we're hiring? Can you ask around?

And this actually matters. Your team's networks reach people you can't reach. Their vet school friends, their previous colleagues, people who trust their judgment. That reach is valuable. That connection is real.

But when your team shares your job ad, they're sharing a job ad – the same claims, the same format, just coming through a different channel.

Julie South [00:04:44]

If those people don't already recognise your clinic, they're still seeing an unknown clinic making familiar claims. Your team's endorsement helps, but it can't create the months of recognition you need in a single share.

And the other thing – all of these tactics are episodic, reactive, sometimes desperate. You do them when you need to fill a role. You do them hoping something will stick. But they all disappear.

Social media posts get buried in feeds within hours. Your Facebook post from last week? Buried.

Julie South [00:05:29]

Maybe never to be found again.

Your website update? No one sees it unless they're actively searching for it right now.

You're creating random bursts of visibility that disappear. That's not culture story centre infrastructure. That's scattered content that goes nowhere, because you're trying to build recognition with tools that weren't designed for recognition building.

Social media was designed for engagement, not continuous recognition. Your website was designed for pet owners, not recruitment. Your team's networks are valuable, but sharing a job ad once can't create the months of watching and following that builds real recognition.

Julie South [00:06:20]

You're using the wrong tools for the job you're trying to do.

Meanwhile, another clinic isn't trying random tactics. They're not posting on social media hoping someone sees it. They're not updating their website careers page every few weeks. They're not asking their team to share job ads – because they built culture story centre infrastructure months ago.

A permanent place where their team stories live. Where vets and nurses can find them when they start looking. Where recognition builds continuously, not episodically.

And yes, they share content on social media – but they're sharing from that permanent place. So when someone clicks through, they don't find a single post that disappears.

Julie South [00:07:15]

They find a centre. A place with depth, with multiple stories, with evidence, with proof.

When these clinics need to advertise, they're not starting from scratch. They're not unknown. They're simply announcing a vacancy to the vets and nurses who already recognise them for all the right reasons – like we talked about last week.

Now, if you are in month 4 of advertising right now, it's not too late. You can start building culture story centre infrastructure even while you're still advertising.

When vets and nurses see your current job ad and start googling your clinic, where do they go? If you start building now, your current ad will work better – and you won't start from scratch next time.

Julie South [00:08:15]

Month 4 doesn't have to be the beginning of month 5's expensive surrender. It can be the moment you decide to build different infrastructure.

I promised you a question, so here it is.

How many random things have you tried that felt like pushing water uphill? Social media posts that just disappeared. Website updates that no one saw. Asking your team to share things that went nowhere.

What if instead of trying more random tactics, you built permanent infrastructure that worked continuously – even when you're not advertising, even when you're fully staffed, even while you're doing everything else you need to do?

And if you're listening to this thinking, yeah, Julie, sure, okay, fine – then please get in touch. I'd love to have a chat to see where you're at and what you can do next that will make a difference.

Julie South [00:09:28]

Email me: julie@vetclinicjobs.com.

Next week we'll talk about month 5 – the expensive surrender. What happens when everything else has failed and you finally call the agency, or when you don't call them and instead stay understaffed while your team burns out, and why neither of those options had to be your only choice.

This is Julie South signing off and inviting you to go out there and be your most fantabulous self.

And please remember, when vets and nurses can see that you are their kind of people, you stop hiring strangers because you're welcoming people who already feel that they belong at your place.