Banfield Pet Hospital Interview Questions & Reviews

Interview Details – I've applied to Banfield in the past , was interviewed by phone and in person, but never secured a position. I re-uploaded my resume for a specific position to the new Mars HR site as their HR site has changed. I began filling in the standard info material, (which I despise bc everything is on my resume and cover letter) and then got really annoyed over the waste of time it was. So I signed out and meant to go back and finish the app. Well, 4 days later I received an email requesting a phone interview. Yea! Didn't have to fill out that dumb app AND I got an interview even so. Phone interview was pretty smooth except my cell signal dropped a cpl times and I have to repeat a cpl answers. My interviewer was THE NICEST talent acquisition person I've spoken to in comparison to other interviews in the past. Other phone interviewers acted as if the interview was an imposition to their day. The questions were standard questions, a cpl were sneaky questions that gauged your commitment to the Corporation and making profit versus privately owned Vet practices that want to make a profit but their 1st priority is excellence in patient care. Banfield's goal is to make a huge profit by offering Veterinary Care which is markedly different than offering Veterinary Medical care and hopefully making a profit. My Vet Med peeps out there should understand the difference. :-)

Questions asked were: Why did I want to make a change? Are you familiar with Banfield; tell me what you know about the Corp (I am very familiar with Banfield so I shared my knowledge but requested to know more bc of the take-over by Mars, INC. My interviewer seemed pleased that I wanted to know more)? When can I start? I was asked to describe my Leadership approach. What did I expect for compensation? (In my last position, I earned significantly more than what Banfield would pay, so I mentioned what my last yearly income was but that I was fully aware of Banfield's pay scale and would like to earn "this much, plus benefits, and CE". The pay was explained to me and the interviewer seemed relieved that I was willing to take a HUGE pay cut. But I explained I knew that the benefits should be counted as compensation and he then went on to explain their bonus system. Certainly gives one incentive to work hard and assist others in working at an efficient yet high quality manner. I was then told how the hiring process goes and that my interview results would then move up to be considered by the Regional Mgr along with other candidates they were considering.

Interview Details – Interview process focused on them asking a myriad of questions to discern how you interact with people, your ability to multitask, problem solving skills, and tolerance for stress using the STAR approach. Tell me about a situation when....
Company culture is focused on exceeding client expectations
Benefits provided to the employees are great
Upward mobility is possible, however, relocation may prove necessary.

Negotiation Details – There was no negotiation as I worked as a locum doctor (independent contractor)

Interview Details – Interviews included a total of 1 recruiter, 2 with RVP, 1 Regional Director and 5 corporate executives including Senior level.

Negotiation Details – Offer was strong and more than I requested.

Interview Details – Banfield has a ton of listings for Vet Assistant jobs in my area. I have a Vet Assistant certificate, and almost four years of customer service experience. I applied for three different hospitals online Parker, Aurora, and Stapleton. Taleo is a little bit glitchy and hard to manage, so the online application process is not very easy. Anyway, about a week after I completed my online applications I recieved an email asking me to schedule a phone interview. The phone interview was really messy. Basically they asked a lot of situational questions, and you were supposed to talk about a specific time that you demonstrated a specific quality. It lasted about 15 minutes. When it was finished I was informed that my answers would be sent to the hiring managers for each location and that if they were interested they would reach out to me. A week after that I got a call from a hiring manager named Tory that was calling in regards to the Stapleton position. We scheduled a face-to-face interview and I got a confirmation email of the appointment, except instead of being a full time Vet Assistant interview it said it was for a part time client service coordinator. Very messy. She called me back the next day and said the Vet Assistant position had been filled and if I would be interested in the CSC position. I told her I would be. The day of my interview I arrived on time, and dressed business casual. The hospital manager greeted me and we went into an exam room. She asked a lot of questions, about my current job and more situational questions. She was very nice and seemed like she was liking all my answers. After we were finished, she gave me a tour of the hospital and told me that I could shadow the current CSC and see what the job was about. The CSC was amazingly nice and helpful, she showed me their POS system and told me about what a typical day at Banfield is like. Next I talked to the nurses and technicians, and they were also quite nice. The doctors were pretty busy, so both of them didn't really pay much attention to me which I could understand. I stayed about 30 minutes shadowing, and then I talked to the manager before leaving and she seemed a little more distant this time. A week and a half after my interview I recieved an email saying they went a different direction. Honestly for some reason I feel like the fact that I am hispanic played a negative role in the hiring decision. The whole company doesn't seem like a very diverse place... But I guess the whole veterinary industry is that way, which is why I gave up on my dream to have an animal related career.

Interview Details – The interview was very smooth and easy. the questions were very appropriate to thed position. i found out that you may have to do over time but thats okay. the people were bery friendly.

Interview Details – Before getting started I know every hospital is different and that your experience might not be as ideal as mine happened to be. this is also a part time position.

I received a call on Feb 20th from the practice manager asking if I had time to do a quick intertwine. of course I said yes and I was asked questions about my work experience. i also want to add that I included a cover letter with my resume, which I think helped. any who i answered questions like what's your greatest strength and weakness, and describe a time you had to deal with a difficult customer. she seemed pleased and invited me to come in for a one on one with the head vet there.

I was asked alot of the same questions, just tweaked a little. they ask if you are comfortable handling animals etc... they also ask why you want to work there and if strong smells bother you. I also got to meet a few of the people working, they were very warm and I felt alot of positive energy. They then said to expect a call for a working interview, which i received a few days later.

At the working interview i was asked to come in at 845 am until 10 15 am.i was also nervous because i didnt know about practice interviews. i was placed with a vet tech who seemed very knowledgeable about the way things needed to go, fast paved but I loved it. i held animals, met with owners, got to see parasites in a microscope. i was asked to stay till noon, which seemed like a good sign. i learned what was expected of me in the position, of course. When it was time for me to leave the practice manager said that there were other candidates they were looking at and to expect a call either way by that next Monday.

I got the call and I was offered the position and I just went in today to fill out new hire paper work, and I go in on Tuesday. I sensed alot of positivity and the vets seemed great art their job and the practice manager seems very fair. everyone seemed to really get along.

Negotiation Details – None i took the pay happily because its the highest i have ever been offered.... remember part time

Interview Details – Applied online, and was contacted a few days post. They did not have very hard questions during the interview process just your standard "describe a difficult client and how you would deal with them" "what are you biggest strengths and weaknesses" etc. You will get an "observation" interview if they are interested. During the observation interview you will well observe as much as possible- you will not be allowed to touch any of the pets (make sure to get to know the surgery and exam room processes and ask any questions you have at that time to everyone you meet). You will then be called a few days later or know after the observation if you are hired. Once hired you will have general paper work to fill out and proceeded to take a drug test. After the drug test is complete and passed you will start work. After being hired you will be provided with 1 pair of scrubs if part-time and two for full-time that is usually all they will provided you with during however many years of service.

Negotiation Details – There was actually no time I had discussed my pay rate the only reason I knew what I was making was because I watched her right it down on a piece of paper and didn't say anything. So make sure to negotiate they will probably not budge but you should try anyways.

Interview Details – To even be considered, you must score a certain amount of points on your application via Taleo. You will be contacted for a group interview, then an individual interview. If you are applying as a Vet Asst or Tech come prepared to answer medical questions regarding your experience and prove your knowledge. Banfield uses behavior questions such as "Tell me about a time when you had to successfully resolve an angry customer's complaint".

Negotiation Details – Not too much room for counter offer of pay. They calculate pay base on experience and education, etc.

Interview Details – 5 years ago I interviewed with the director of pet nursing and the office manager. Easy typical questions such as: why you want to get into this field, if you ever had an altercation with a client and how you handled the situation, type of work experience, and etc. You have to pass a background check and drug test. I had to take a personality test as well. If you do not pass you will not get hired.