In 2023, there’s a lot of competition in the field of dentistry, and there are also high standards to meet to ensure the health and satisfaction of your patients. That’s why you must find the best dentists, dental hygienists, and dental office managers for your practice. These four steps will put you on the right track to creating the ideal staff.
1. Make Sure You’re Getting The Best Dental Professional
During the 2022-23 academic year, there were 26,596 students enrolled in predoctoral dental programs, which is up from the year prior. With so many people interested in dentistry, you’re sure to get some applications in the door. However, you can spend a lot of time interviewing candidates but find that very few meet your standards. Hence, you need to ensure that you’re seeing the best people.
Start by writing high-quality and well-thought-out job postings that list the expectations and the details of the position in explicit detail. Your job posting should tell the top-tier candidates exactly why they should interview for the position. Many candidates are also interested in the benefits of the job, such as the insurance and wellness programs, so list some of the details.
Once you bring on a professional, you should determine the quality of your hire. Give the hire time to get a lay of the land at your office. Then look into the employee’s connection with your company by sending them an employment engagement surgery and ask how satisfied they are in their role.
You can also inquire with their team and ask for feedback about how the individual fits in with their dynamic. It’s also a good idea to check the retention rate of your new hires and determine how long they usually stay on the job. This data collection can give you insight into what to look for in future employees.
2. Collect Data At Job Fairs
If you’re not getting the candidates you’re looking for through job ads, then you may want to get out and about to search for the best people. A career or job fair is a good starting point. You can stand out at these events by being present and going out of the way to meet as many people as possible. Shake their hands, make eye contact, and ask them about their aspirations and what they want in a potential dental office. After the event, follow up with the candidates that impressed you the most and set up interviews in a timely fashion.
Try to provide pamphlets and handouts that the attendees can take with them so they can learn more about the position on their own time. The American Dental Association has pre-made fliers available that you can download and hand out. The fliers describe the different positions in a dental office so the folks you meet have a better idea of what to expect if they work with you.
Go to each career fair with the intention of collecting as much valuable data from the attendees as possible, starting with their email and phone number. Also, gather demographic information that may be useful, such as the college they attend, their job history, and their current position at an existing dental office, if applicable. You can gather this information during in-person meetings at the career fair or provide a link to an online survey they take after the fact, and if you like what you see, reach out to them.
3. Use Omnichannel Recruitment And Marketing
Omnichannel marketing is one of the best tools that you can use to market your dental practice to the masses and get more patients. Essentially, this is the practice of marketing across many channels, from social media and professional networks to your physical mailers. The idea is to put out similar content in numerous ways to reach the most people and provide the same message.
You can use a similar principle with omnichannel recruitment, where you utilize multiple channels to communicate with candidates to expand your reach. This process will require you to research the platforms your potential dental employees typically engage in and then share your job listing through them all. You can use the information that you gained from the job fairs to form your recruitment campaigns. This is a great way to cast a wide net to reach your candidates where they spend their time.
4. Make The Interview Count
It’s essential that you make the interviews count. Ask questions and let the candidate do most of the talking. Ask questions about specific scenarios they may face in a dental office and how they would overcome the challenges. Remember that it’s important to find a nice person in the office who’s nice to chat with. However, keep in mind that you’re not looking for a friend but, instead, a competent employee who will make the most of their time.
It’s important that you try to get the whole team involved in the recruitment and interview process. They don’t necessarily all need to interview the candidate, but you should ask everyone, from the dental assistant to the office manager, about the skills that they think a good teammate will possess. Then consider those thoughts as you craft the interview questions.
Look for a candidate whose knowledge and skills extend to practices that are beneficial to your dental office. For example, at least 4 million people in the U.S. have braces, and 45 million have had their teeth whitened, meaning cosmetic dentistry is a thriving part of the dental industry. Ask questions to ascertain the interviewee’s readiness to do cosmetic dentistry, including dental bonding and veneers.
These are four important steps that you absolutely must consider when recruiting the top talent for your dental office. The payoff could be well worth the effort and your dental practice could reach new heights.
About the Author:
Beau Peters is a creative professional with a background in service and management. He is also an avid researcher and a writer of “all the things.” He has a passion for purpose-driven content and bettering the human experience. In his free time, he enjoys having a good cup of coffee and seeing the world.
