Whether you are fresh out of school and are searching for your first career in the dental field, or if you have been in the dental industry and are looking for a new experience, you will need a quality resume to land your new job. 

But did you know that hiring managers only look at your resume for an average of 6 seconds?

That’s crazy!

This is why it is important to have a properly constructed resume, so that you can grab the attention of the hiring manager quickly, and let them know that you are the right fit for the role.

The demand for dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dental front office staff is on the rise, so there is a lot of competition when it comes to hiring.

Here are some tips for writing your dental resume, that will help you stand out against other candidates during the hiring process.

What Is a Resume?

Before we begin discussing dental resume tips, it is important that you fully understand what a resume is and what it is used for.

A resume is created and used by a person to present and describe their background of experience, education, skills, and accomplishments. 

Resumes also typically include an objective summary or statement that provides a brief overview at the top of the page that states their relevant job experience, education, and accomplishments. 

4 Dental Resume Tips You Need to Know 

Now that you know exactly what a resume is and what it is used for, it is time to go over beneficial dental resume tips. 

4 dental resume tips that you need to know include:

Utilize Numbers

A great way to have your dental resume stand out from other candidate resumes is to utilize numbers in your descriptions.

Numbers can provide an instant frame of reference for the hiring manager when they are reading through your resume, which makes your resume more understandable and trustworthy. 

For example, instead of saying that you processed patient x-rays, you could say the number of patient x-rays you processed on a daily or weekly basis. 

Stating the amount of something lets the hiring manager know exactly how much work you were able to handle in the past, and what you can handle in your next role.

Keep It Short and Sweet

One of the most frustrating things for hiring managers during the hiring process is looking at a resume, and seeing that it is filled with long and difficult to read paragraphs. 

When you are describing your past work experience, education, skills, and accomplishments on your resume, make sure that you use bullet points instead of sentences beneath each listing.

Also be sure that you use about 3-6 bullet points for each listing, so that you do not write too much for each one. Be descriptive and precise on each bullet point so that they know exactly what you did. 

Writing too much will lose the attention of the hiring manager quickly causing them to not really read any of it, which means they will not be able to understand what you’ve done in the past.

This will lessen your chances of being chosen for an interview, so keep your resume short and sweet!

Include Keywords

Including keywords in your resume is a great way to grab the attention of the hiring manager, and to prove your understanding of the job you are applying for.

It is beneficial to grab keywords from the job description in the job posting and from research that you have done on the company, and to use those keywords throughout your resume when you are describing your past experiences and accomplishments. 

If you incorporate an objective summary at the top of your resume, make sure that you include keywords from the job description and research you did as well, to further show your understanding of the position at hand. 

Emphasize Your Skills

The dental field is strongly focused on skills, especially hard skills.

Soft skills are important to have in the dental industry, such as communication and interpersonal skills, which are beneficial to include on your resume.

Even though soft skills are good to include, hard skills are what will set you apart from other candidates during the hiring process. 

Technical skills that you have acquired throughout your experience and education are crucial to emphasize on your resume. 

List any specific tools, instruments, equipment, and software that you have experience with. If you have any hard skills that are on the rare side, be sure to keep those front and center so that your resume will stand out.