Hiring the best Dental Assistants.

You've just placed your job post, and you're anxiously awaiting the results. It took you over an hour to write, and you think it was just the right stuff to get the assistant you want. Some content was the truth, and some was what you thought the best dental assistant would simply want to hear. As we're all aware, times are tight right now. The talent pool has shrunk. The market is very competitive, and great dental assistants have their choice of offices of jobs. The tides have turned. At least for now.

Finding the right help can be challenging.

If your job post doesn't produce much fruit, you'll have to ask yourself some questions? Who viewed the post? Did they read what it said? Was the language was not enticing enough? Or does this job board not have enough traffic? Are there better job offers out there? Different people may have different opinions on the answers. In general, keep your job description short and precise. Dental Assistants don't have time to read a book when applying to numerous jobs on multiple job boards. Be sure to use keywords repetitively, especially since most job boards engines use keywords to match job postings to candidates. Is your offer competitive? Do you offer benefits, bonuses, flexible hours? People also want to know how much you're paying. Check out some of the other job posts being displayed by local offices and make sure you are paying well if you want the best talent. Once you've got great job description content, you may want to post it to several different job boards. Be wary of some of the bigger, "one size fits all" monsters. Although they get good traffic, expect a lot of bartenders, cashiers and retail sales applicants. They don't screen too well, and you'll have to do all the legwork yourself. Plus, they tend to charge a pretty penny with no guarantees.

Dental job boards

With the evolution of the internet, more and more niche boards are coming into play. Not only for dentistry, but for all fields. They tend to be more focused, allow better control for you as the user, and you'll avoid all of the "non-dental" applicants. They may also be a bargain. Consider using more than one, which will widen your reach. For local recruitment, we find our best candidates using local dental job sites. When you receive an applicant resume that seems like a winner, call them immediately. You may not be the only one that thinks they're a good prospect. Set up an interview as soon as they are available. If the interview goes well, set up a working interview. If the interview goes really well, consider hiring them on the spot (I can't believe I'm saying this). If you don't, the next interviewer might. That's the kind of market we're in right now. Be sure that when it's time to make an offer, you understand the going rates. The applicant may already have an offer, and may simply be shopping the filed. Be sure to follow best business practices, which typically include a 90 day introductory period. A properly constructed office manual should cover all of the company rules and expectations. If there are some bad signs early on, consider continuing your search for a better match. A wise man once told me "hire slowly, fire quickly". I think he knew what he was talking about. Good luck.