When a job ad doesn’t deliver suitable applicants, most clinics assume the problem is the wording.

So they rewrite it.
Add more detail.
Highlight mentoring.
Emphasise work-life balance.
Polish the benefits.

And wait.

In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South explores what’s really happening in month two of the recruitment cycle—when “posting everywhere” hasn’t worked, and rewriting feels like the logical next step.

But vets and nurses aren’t analysing your headline. They’re pattern-matching. And when your clinic is unfamiliar, even the best-written ad becomes just another unknown name making familiar claims.

This episode unpacks why better copy doesn’t fix a recognition problem—and why some clinics fill roles without obsessing over wording at all.

Stay to the end for a question that may change how you think about every job ad you’ve rewritten.

In This Episode

00:00 – Introduction: Month two of the recruitment cycle
01:14 – The rewrite instinct and why it feels productive
03:03 – Pattern matching: how vets and nurses actually scroll
04:41 – Why even professional copywriters can’t solve this
07:45 – What job ads are really designed to do
08:52 – Two clinics, two very different outcomes
09:44 – The question about how many times you’ve rewritten the same ad
10:55 – What happens in month three

About Julie South

Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices.

She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to stop relying on reactive job advertising and instead build recognition over time—so when they do need to hire, they’re not starting from cold.

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

Energy Vets | What Makes the Job Work Long-Term (Part 2)

Settling into a role is one thing.
Staying in it — sustainably — is another.

In this episode, Julie South continues her conversation with Dr Sam Armstrong, a mixed animal vet at Energy Vets in Taranaki, looking at what work feels like once the initial settling-in period has passed.

Sam talks candidly about after-hours, workload, seasonal pressure points, and how the structure around him makes the job feel manageable over time. He also reflects on commuting, working across clinics, and what overseas vets benefit from knowing before making the move to New Zealand.

This is Part Two of a two-part conversation with Energy Vets, offering a grounded look at how support, systems, and everyday decisions shape whether people stay — not just how they start.

In This Episode

00:00 – Introduction and context for Part Two
01:01 – Life after the settling-in period
02:04 – After-hours work and how it’s managed
03:59 – Recovery time, sleep, and safety
04:51 – Using a regional after-hours clinic
05:43 – Commuting, call-outs, and New Zealand roads
07:49 – What overseas vets benefit from knowing
09:22 – Visas, residency, and practical logistics
11:27 – Team culture and why people stay
12:08 – Closing reflections on sustainability and support
14:04 – Final sign-off

If you’re an experienced small animal vet exploring your next step, you can find out more about current opportunities at Energy Vets at:
vetclinicjobs.com/energyvets

About Julie South

Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices.

She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to show what working there is really like — not just list job requirements. Through VetClinicJobs, Julie helps clinics make their culture recognisable and familiar, so vets and nurses can tell whether a clinic is Their Kind of Clinic long before a vacancy appears.

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

This episode begins a new series looking at why the familiar recruitment playbook keeps failing veterinary clinics. Julie South starts with the first and most common response to a vacancy: posting job ads everywhere and hoping one platform will finally deliver a different outcome.

Using current data from across Australia and New Zealand, Julie explains how rotating job boards and increasing spend doesn’t change what vets and nurses experience when they scroll. The problem isn’t effort or intent — it’s that clinics are trying to solve a recognition problem with reach.

This episode addresses a moment many clinic owners and managers recognise: doing what’s expected, paying for multiple platforms, and still waiting. Julie unpacks how pattern-matching and familiarity shape attention, and why exposure without recognition simply adds to the noise.

In This Episode

00:00 – Framing the series and why “posting everywhere” is the first strategy clinics try
01:02 – The scale of job advertising across Australia and New Zealand
02:40 – Why rotating platforms isn’t trying something new — it just creates noise
05:22 – How vets and nurses pattern-match job ads and filter out unknown clinics
07:56 – The wrong question clinics ask — and the reframing that actually matters
09:32 – The closing question about job boards, cost, and results

About Julie South

Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices.

She works with forward-thinking veterinary clinics that want to show what working there is really like — not just list job requirements. Through VetClinicJobs, Julie helps clinics make their culture recognisable and familiar, so vets and nurses can tell whether a clinic is Their Kind of Clinic long before a vacancy appears.

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