Interviews, pt 4: decision time
Image © Marek / Adobe Stock
After your exhaustive preparation, the nerve wracking interview stage and the stress of negotiating your salary and remuneration package, comes the most important stage – deciding whether or not to accept the position.
However, whatever you do, don’t panic and accept the first job you are offered. No doubt you’ll be over the moon that they want to hire you but if it didn’t feel right, don’t take it.
Put on the spot
Also, don’t be pressured into making a decision on the day – some practices will offer you the job on the spot, at interview, which can mean either they’re really desperate or they really liked you.
Even if you loved the practice and you’re 99% sure it’s the right job, don’t accept there and then – go home, have a sleep and then decide.
Fools rush in
Everyone always says there are lots of jobs out there and you shouldn’t feel pressured into making a rash decision, but the reality is that when faced with having to turn something down, it can be incredibly hard.
I turned down a job I thought sounded fantastic – and probably would have been perfect for me at a later stage in life, but it wasn’t quite right for now. I felt awful about it for weeks afterwards, and often found myself on the verge of calling back and asking if the position was still available.
In the end, it was worth it because, shortly afterwards the right job did come up.
To give you some perspective, on my second round of job hunting, I attended six interviews and was offered five of the jobs. You have nothing to worry about!
Trust your instincts
If you get a gut feeling, listen to it. One job I applied for seemed perfect on paper – the ideal location, the perfect proportion of different species, and had come recommended by a friend who had done EMS there – and yet the interview was awful.
The bosses were uninterested, the job description they had advertised turned out not to actually match the job... Not surprisingly, I wasn’t offered the job, but if I had been, I wouldn’t have taken it anyway!
Take your time
Don’t be pressured into starting work earlier than you had intended – if the practice likes you, they’ll be prepared to wait.
Make sure you take a break between university and your first job – you’ll need it!
Enjoy some freedom before you enter the working world as a newly qualified vet. It’ll be tough going to start with, but if you’ve found the right practice, you’ll love it.