How to Recruit and Hire Great Dental Employees
An ongoing challenge is the small pool of clinical talent available for dental practices. If you’re experiencing this, we’ve compiled some effective ways to overcome this shortage.
First, your practice needs to be competitive with other practices in your area. You’ll need to go one step further than your competition in a number of areas to help your practice stand out. As you review this list, consider your current dental team as well. Think about not only how to attract new talent but also how to keep those you have. Remember, happier employees can be talent magnets for your practice.
How Do You Measure Up?
- Safe and secure workplace – It is on the mind of your patients and never far from thought for team members. Ensure any ads you run, and any discussions you have, emphasize the safety measures you’ve taken in your practice. Outstanding candidates may have left practices where this was a chief concern.
- Competitive pay and a robust benefits plan – What are you offering for health insurance, a retirement plan, and wellness? How does your time-off policy measure up? These factors will weigh even more heavily now.
- Strong online presence – How attractive is your website? Does it mirror what you are sharing in interviews about your practice? Consider posting a video highlighting your team and practice on social media. Potential employees will review several online platforms when considering where they want to work.
- Spotlight your culture – You need to talk about and demonstrate your culture. Let your employees talk about why they love working in your office. Encourage them to post reviews on job sites such as Glassdoor or Indeed. If you’re not sure your practice environment and culture is where it needs to be – now is the time to start working on that! It will help you attract new team members and retain the ones you have.
- Part-time work – Many candidates will be looking for more work-life balance. After time at home, due to practice closures and furloughs, priorities may have shifted. Practices that can offer flexibility, will have an advantage. If you’ve expanded your practice hours after the crisis, it’s time to reconsider how you staff the practice into the future.
- Pay employees for referrals – Help your team members leverage who they already know. Your current employees know who will be successful on the team. Establish an incentive bonus – $100 for each referred hire, with a $200 bonus when the new team member hits 90 days.
- Get the word out – Use our suggestions to create an ad to help support your recruitment efforts and let everyone know you are hiring. Post your need on social media platforms, on your website, on several job search platforms, with your local study club, staffing agencies, dental associations, and schools.
- Have a solid interview process – Don’t let the process fall apart here! A poor interview results in lost opportunities. Showcase why someone would want to walk through the practice door every day, to work for you. Ensure you can comfortably talk about benefits offered. Ask thoughtful questions that help determine if the candidate is a good fit for your practice. You may feel desperate, but don’t make that known to the candidate or shortchange the interview process.
When you find the candidate who is right for the practice, don’t forget to check references! This crucial step can be overlooked in a tight job market and can lead to challenges in your practice, with your existing team, AND put you back into recruiting mode again.
