Going into interviews can be intimidating and, sometimes, it’s hard to know if you’re asking the ✨right✨ questions. To help you in your next interview, we asked a few of our community members (and added some of our own suggestions) what veterinary interview questions you should ask a veterinary practice before joining the team.

What types of questions should you ask a vet med employer?

Culture & employee experience questions:

The interview is a great place to dive deep into questions that matter specifically to you when it comes to the team’s culture. It’s important to know just how the practice treats its staff. Questions like these will lead you to the real experience of employees and their relationship with management.

1. What are your core values? (Hound team)
2. How would you describe the culture of your practice? (Sydney P.)
3. How do you show support to your employees? (Sydney P.)
4. Do you have programs in place for staff recognition & appreciation? (Hound team)
5. How does management handle conflict? (Rachel M.)
6. What do you do to protect your staff’s well-being? (Danielle A.)
7. How do you schedule your appointments? Do you prioritize team capacity over revenue? (Shena H.)
8. What is your turnover rate? If it’s high, why? (Shena H.)
9. How often do you have staff meetings? (Sydney P.)
10. How does the clinic encourage staff connection & team bonding? (Rachel M.)
11. How much CE reimbursement do you provide? (Rachel M.)
    

Extra tip: Find someone you know or feel comfortable reaching out to that currently works there to see what their impression of the workplace is! (Danielle A.)

Training & development questions:

These questions get to the heart of what you’ll be expected to know, what you can expect to learn, and how this practice will help front the bill for you.

1. What does onboarding and training look like? (Hound team)
2. What am I expected to know? Is there a specific knowledge base or skill set the clinic requires? (Rachel M.)
3. Is there room for professional growth? What does that look like in practice? (Jade V.)
4. On average, what percentage of your staff take advantage of professional development opportunities? (Rachel M.)
5. [For Pre-vets] Are you willing to train a pre-vet? Do you have a DVM on staff happy to mentor students and answer many questions? Do you offer support to prepare for veterinary school? (Gabriela M.)

Compensation (pay & benefits) questions:

We often think of compensation as just pay, but it encompasses so much more. The below questions help get to the heart of the total compensation you can expect.

1. What are you paying for this role? (Hound team)
2. Which benefits do you offer? (Hound team)
3. What is the employer contribution percentage toward benefits? (Hound team)
4. Do you offer mental health benefits? (Sydney P.)
5. Do you offer special leave for mental health reasons? What if a loved one or pet dies? (Rachel M.)
6. [for DVMs, mainly] Is part of production (pro-Sal/commission) offered in the salary? If so, is it negative accrual? Are there repercussions if this production isn’t met? (Rachel M.)

Client relationship questions:

Every practice handles client relationships a little differently, and it’s important to find a practice that makes sure to always put their people first.

1. How do you handle an angry client yelling at your staff? (Sydney P.)
2. Do you ever contact staff on their day off? (Danielle A.)
3. Do you ever “fire” clients? (Shena H.)
4. Are the clients always right? (Rachel M.)
5. Do you ever take extra appointments after you’re fully booked? (Danielle A.)
   

Now, go crush that interview! 😎‍

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