The following is a guest post by Deb Roberge of Our Dental Team. If you are interested in guest posting for Dental Heroes, please sign up here.

Creating effective ads to attract the “right” candidates for your specific practice is something that will not only assist you in locating more appropriate potential employees, but will also streamline the process, reducing the time you invest and the unnecessary stress associated with this often frustrating exercise. Keep in mind that one ad does not fit all!

I have frequently been asked by dentists to provide them with an ad I’ve used for a clinical dental assistant position or for a hygienist or business administrator. When I’m asked I always respond with “I have many I have constructed over the years, but they were not for your practice, with your specific dynamics, practice culture, or practice style.” It is a known fact that no two practices are alike, so how can we possibly expect that generic verbiage will work for different practice requirements?

6 Great Tips

Here are some suggestions to “personalize” your advertising to narrow your field and attract the best qualified candidates for your practice:

Communicate Practice Standard of Care/Specific Style of Practice

1. Give as much information up front regarding your particular practice standard of care and your specific style of practice.

Examples:
- “Our hygienists treat our patients for a minimum of one hour.”
- “Our clinical team is encouraged to handle all hands-on treatment that is permitted by the board in our state.”

Never List Perks

2. Never list “perks” or any extras. You will find that the majority of the responses to your ad are more interested in what they are going to “get” rather than what your practice is all about or what they are willing to contribute.

Never Mention Salary

3. Never mention salary offerings. You should have a salary “range” in mind, but never determine what the individual will be eligible for until you see them in action.

Communicate Welcoming Attitude

4. Whenever possible, make mention of the fact that the team will be “welcoming” a new incoming team member. Often job candidates are reluctant to respond to an ad thinking that the team will NOT accept the new incoming employee. Making mention of the fact that they will be welcomed makes a huge difference.

Create the Ad with Your Team

5. Try to create the ad with the entire team whenever possible, having them participate in the process really helps them to feel a part of things and be more likely to help with the integration of the new team member.

Always Utilize Skill Assessments

6. Never hire without a Skill Assessment Day(s). What is a Skill Assessment? It is a structured well disciplined way of evaluating a perspective hire. Guidelines on this process to be discussed in future articles.

Please get into the habit of hiring slowly and dismissing rapidly! The longer you take to evaluate the new incoming team members and slowly integrate them (properly) into your practice, the better off you will be.

So please take the time to craft an ad that is specifically designed for your practice, culture and goals and follow it up with a well structured hiring protocol. Taking your time and paying attention on the front end will assure you of hiring the right person, slowly guiding them into the group with a purpose and making sure you continue to appreciate having them on board will give you great long-term paybacks!

Your Tips

Do you have additional tips for advertising an open position within your practice? What has worked especially well for you in the past?

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