UF CVM Careers February Newsletter

 Welcome to the February edition of the UF CVM Careers Monthly newsletter.

We encourage you to keep up-to-date by following our Facebook page and watching for emails about dinners, workshops, and more!  

Student Tip - The Quest for Veterinary Mentorship

Keys to a great mentorship

If you want a mentor, try these four steps to find and keep one:

1. Take the initiative. Waiting for a mentor to offer to invest time in your development is the fastest — and most common — way to fail in this endeavor. Establishing a mentor-mentee relationship is mostly driven by the mentee. If you're not willing to expend the effort to find a mentor, then you won't be willing to expend the effort to maintain a mentor-mentee relationship. Put simply, if you want mentorship, it's up to you to find the right mentor and make the relationship happen.

2. Aim high. Don't be afraid to approach great people. I find time and again that successful people are often people who received help along the way. Most are eager to pay it forward if the right opportunity presents itself. Identify people who can help you, be respectful of their time, and don't be intimidated by their success or stature. The fact that you see great value in their advice and experience will mean a lot to them, and we all enjoy meeting others who share our interests.

3. Bring value to the relationship. The more you can offer a mentor, the better off you'll be. Travel to them or to a conference they're attending.  Share information or contacts who might be beneficial to them. Publicly acknowledge the contributions they've made to your success. And, if all else fails, at least offer to pick up the tab for coffee. The value of mentorship is enormous, and while you'll probably never be able to repay your mentors, you should at least make an effort.

4. Have a goal or a project. I once met a mentor for breakfast. I asked him how I could take advantage of his knowledge and experience in the limited time we had together. He said, "Tell me what your goals are, and ask me specific questions."

Most of us don't have the luxury of spending lots of unstructured time with the best and brightest people we know. We need to have a clear understanding of where we want to go, so we can solicit useful advice in a limited amount of time. It's also important to have an active project or plan. You'll be able to discuss specific and real challenges you're facing. For example, if your goal is to buy a veterinary hospital in the next three years, your project might be conducting demographic research in the areas that are of greatest interest. Approaching a potential mentor with this project underway would provide you with a topic of conversation, specific questions to ask, and the means to start a mentoring relationship.

It's okay to be in the information-gathering phase of your plan when you approach a potential mentor, as long as you're trying to make progress. Talking through a project helps you recognize where you need guidance. It also shows mentors how you think, what your priorities are, and what sorts of advice or resources they can share to help. Soliciting advice when you don't have a plan or project can be difficult and frustrating for the mentor.

Final thought

Whether your interest is in surgery, exotic animals, practice management, public speaking or gourmet cooking, you can always benefit from a great mentor. If you know of someone who can help you, don't be shy. Introduce yourself, explain what your goal is, and ask for advice. Who knows where the conversation (or the relationship) might go? You could end up with your own Mr. Miyagi.

The tips in this section were adapted by dvm360.com. Please visit the original blog post for more complete references.

Looking Ahead to Events

Learn more by clicking the links and don't forget to RSVP for food events!

First Year Career Options Presentation- Thursday, February 21st, 12:20pm LHA First year students are invited to enjoy lunch and learn about career opportunities and what to expect during your next 3 years in veterinary medicine with Katelyn Jerles from UF CVM Career Services. Thank you to Purina for being our lunch sponsor for this event. Sign up for food here

Mentorship Workshop - Thursday, February 28th, 5:30 pm, New Auditorium       Come join us for our spring mentorship workshop! Following a brief presentation about mentoring, interact with veterinary professionals and potential employers through scenario based discussions. Moe's will be provided. Sign up for food by clicking here

NVA Beers and Careers Event - Wednesday February 27th

VCA Office Hours - Friday March 1st

VetCAN Virtual Career Fair - Thursday March 31st, 1-4pm, Online

Highlighted Gator CareerLink Job Postings

We have over 130 jobs currently listed on our job widget, below are the three most recent.  Click on the button below to view all of them.

Veterinarian Full-Time

Barry Animal Hospital (Miramar Beach, Florida)

Posting Date: Jan 29, 2019

Shelter and Spay/Neuter Veterinarian Full-Time, Part-time

Worcester County Humane Society (Berlin, Maryland)

Posting Date: Jan 24, 2019

Associate Veterinarian Full-Time, Part-time

Aztec Pet Hospital (Harker Heights, Texas)

Posting Date: Jan 23, 2019

For the full list of all current job postings, please click the link below

UF CVM Careers Facebook Page

Interested in staying up to date with career opportunities and other career related information that is accessible to you? Consider following us on our Facebook Page!  Check out the three most recent visitor posts below:

For requests to receive this newsletter or include information or events in this newsletter please contact Katelyn Jerles at jerles@ufl.edu