By Dr. Heather Gunn McQuillan
The leap from veterinary school into professional practice is one of the most exhilarating, and overwhelming, transitions in a veterinarian’s life. Between mastering medicine, refining communication, and finding your place in a clinic, it can feel like the learning curve never ends.
But there is one skill that shapes every part of your early career more than any credential, grade, or clinical rotation:
Connection.
Connection is the force that opens doors to jobs, builds supportive professional networks, strengthens client relationships, and fosters a sense of belonging – something every new veterinarian deserves.
And while connection may sound abstract or soft-skilled, its impact on professional growth is tangible, measurable, and career-defining.
Connection Begins With Knowing Yourself
You can’t connect authentically with others until you understand your why; your core values, mission, and purpose. In fact, these are the foundation of your Personal Marketing Portfolio in veterinary career development.
When a new graduate can articulate:
- what they care about,
- who they want to help,
- and how they intend to make a difference,
they stop looking “like just another new vet” and start standing out as a whole professional.
This is why the why is the most important part of a cover letter—and why employers remember candidates who communicate it clearly. Veterinary employers take roughly 15 seconds to scan a résumé or cover letter; connection, not credentials, is often what earns the interview.
To fully understand the importance of your why check out this short and funny video by Michael Jr. “When you know your why, your what becomes more impactful.”
To really explore your why, try the Core Values Exercises that you can download here. Start with your wheel of life (score each category from 1-10 (based on where you are right now, not where you want to be) with 1 being unfulfilled and 10 being very fulfilled). This gives a beautiful visual of where things are out of balance in your life and where you might want to take action.
After the wheel of life, try to get granular about your core values. These are the deepest, truest values that you live by in your personal or professional life (or both – you can do this exercise twice (for personal and professional). This is a great taking stock exercise and gives you a chance to get clear about what is important to you. Download the list of 500 core value nouns. Then take a pen and mercilessly cross out all those that do not connect with you. Circle those that do, and star the ones that are most important. After the first pass, you may have 20, 30 or even 50 words on your list. Your job is to whittle it down to your top 3-5 core values. It’s challenging, but worthwhile as it will tune you in deeply to your why.
Connection Is a Career Skill—Not a Personality Trait
Many early-career veterinarians assume connection is intuitive, extroverted, or accidental. But connection in the workplace is a strategy.
In every avenue of career development, connection plays a pivotal role:
| Career Milestone | Where Connection Shows Up |
|---|---|
| Résumé & cover letter | Tailoring your story to what the employer needs |
| Job search | Calling clinics, visiting in person, building rapport with teams |
| Negotiations | Asking questions, listening, collaborating—not getting emotional or resistant |
| Client communication | Asking open-ended questions, using reflective listening, monitoring paraverbal communication, and adapting to emotion & personality with empathy |
| Team integration | Utilizing emotional intelligence recognize what is happening in yourself and others and to manage and supporting others, while understanding team dynamics |
The veterinary workforce is competitive, and new grads often worry they need more certifications, more experience, or more accomplishments to be taken seriously.
But employers themselves report the top qualities they are searching for in young veterinarians include:
- self-confidence
- communication skills
- the ability to relate to team members
- honesty and integrity
- motivation and initiative
- work ethic and resiliency
- analytical skills
- flexibility and adaptability
- connection—not medical ability—is the differentiator
These are not innate traits. They are practiced, intentional behaviours.
Connection Is the Missing Ingredient in the Job Search
Many talented new graduates never get the job they want—not because they lack skill, but because they don’t understand the connection economy of the veterinary job market.
Consider these strategies that highly successful early-career veterinarians use:
✔ They reach out to clinics even when no job is posted
Cold calling, emailing, or visiting isn’t “desperate”—it’s how you become known.
✔ They don’t rely on a résumé alone
A résumé gets read.
A relationship gets remembered.
✔ They follow up—professionally and politely
Connection isn’t a single touch point; it’s progressive relationship building.
✔ They treat interviews as two-way conversations
Asking questions and getting curious is connection—not arrogance.
✔ They negotiate collaboratively rather than adversarially
Negotiation is not opposition. It’s communication.
The veterinary job market rewards visibility, authenticity, and initiative—exactly the traits that connection nurtures.
Connection Is What Makes Medicine Sustainable
Beyond the job search, connection is the antidote to professional isolation and early-career burnout.
When veterinarians build strong connections with:
- their team,
- mentors,
- colleagues at conferences,
- online professional communities,
- and even clients and patients,
they develop a career that is not only successful—but supportive.
Connection creates:
- psychological safety,
- spaces to ask questions without shame,
- mentorship,
- camaraderie,
- meaningful work,
- and belonging.
New graduates don’t burn out because they aren’t capable.
They burn out because they feel alone in their capability.
Connection protects passion.
How New Graduates Can Strengthen the Art of Connection Today
Try one of these this week:
🔹 Ask a colleague to teach you something they’re good at
(people love to feel valued)
🔹 After a shift, thank someone for something specific they did and explain the positive impact that this had on you
(authenticity builds trust)
🔹 Start your cover letter with why you’re drawn to that clinic
(not just why you need a job)
🔹 Call a clinic you admire—even if they’re not hiring
(the worst-case scenario is that you become known to them)
🔹 Join a veterinary group, mentorship circle, or niche interest community
(connection creates identity)
Small efforts compound into meaningful relationships.
The Bottom Line
Veterinary medicine is about animals—but veterinary careers are built on human connection.
As you transition from veterinary school into practice, remember:
- skills get you started,
- connection moves you forward.
By knowing your why, showing up with curiosity, and building genuine professional relationships, you’re not just seeking a job, you’re shaping a fulfilling, sustainable career in the profession you worked so hard to join.
And that is the true art of connection.
AwareVet 