You’re approaching the end of your training and you have decided, yep, academia is for you. Congratulations! I think it’s a terrific career choice. So how do you find a job?
- University websites. Look, there are only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the US, 4 in Canada, 4 in Australia, 1 in New Zealand, 1 in Ireland, etc. It’s a relatively small, finite number. Just look up the list of AVMA-accredited veterinary schools, go to the school website, and find the HR page. Alternatively, you can search in Google, for example, “UGA faculty jobs”.
- Specialty college websites. Many of the specialty colleges maintain job boards or postings on their websites. Just go to yours (if you’re a clinician) and see what’s available. These may not always be the most up-to-date, though. Don’t forget to check out the European equivalent if you are open to working outside the US.
- Job search websites. There are sites like Indeed.com and Monster.com, but the one you want is Higheredjobs.com. Trying to find a veterinary faculty job on the first two is like finding a needle in a haystack. Even Higherdjobs.com has a terrible search algorithm. Your best bet is to use keyword “veterinary” and then just page through the offerings. It’s a bit tedious, but there are listings at Higheredjobs.com that are otherwise hard to find, or require you going to the university’s HR website to find.
There are other resources, like the AVMA’s job board, or other organizations like VECCS but, in general, your best bet is with the three options listed above. You can also ask your colleagues or supervisor, but they may not have the most up-to-date information. It can be a little tedious (particularly searching the HR site of every veterinary college), but it is well worth it. Remember, you want to find the best fit for you, and that position may not be the best-advertised position.