How to Hire for Your Dental Practice

Good help can be hard to find these days, even in the dental industry. The pressure is on employers to make the right hires and fast to stay ahead of the hiring crisisWith dental practices finally recovering from the hit they took during the pandemic, the stress is now extending to the cost of rising expenses, salaries and wages with fewer employees to meet the needs of their patients. Here’s how to hire for your dental practice during these trying times.

Job boards

Beyond posting your open positions on job boards, search other listings as if you were a worthy candidate. What are other dental practices hiring for? What makes their listings stand out above others? What are they offering that your practice isn’t? Consider gearing your online listings toward a younger, more eager generation who would potentially work for less pay. Also upgrade any listings to a premium subscription for maximum exposure.

Referral bonus

Go straight to your employees to assess what they like about working at your practice, then put their testimonials to work by having them reach out to former classmates and colleagues. Then, take a poll of your employees to determine what an appropriate referral bonus would be, whether it’s monetary or otherwise. Along the same lines, if you interviewed a candidate in the past but the timing didn’t work out, consider reaching back out to the person to see if their situation has changed.

Interview process

By the time a candidate reaches the interview process, both parties have some sense if the person will be a good fit for the position. So why drag out the process with multiple interviews with various stakeholders? Be concise about what you are seeking and the benefits of joining your team. Chances are, candidates are also interviewing at other dental practices, so you don’t want to lose out on someone who may be a good fit because they are ahead of the game at another position.

The right fit

Just because you’re in a crunch to hire doesn’t mean you should hire to fill a short-term need and then worry about finding an ideal fit later. However, be flexible with what you’re offering if it means getting the right person for the job, meaning consider a part-time or temp option for a full-time position knowing the employee has the option to change their schedule when circumstances change. Otherwise, you might find yourself back at square one with less time and money on your hands.

Current status

Above all, make sure your current employees’ needs are being met because they will be your best resource and proof that your dental practice is worth working for. Check in with them on a team and individual basis to learn what you could be doing better to make your dental practice a more attractive place to work.

What’s next?

Contact the experts at Professional Transition Strategies to keep your dental practice on the right track.