Recruiting and hiring is a process that, to be the most effective, requires a great deal of time and attention. In fact, for many people, it’s a full-time job. Unfortunately, the tasks of finding, interviewing, and selecting new talent are often heaped onto the already full plate of the office manager or practice owner. But as we all know, hiring the right people is important. Turnover is expensive and disruptive to your practice, and errors can be costly in the dental industry, especially because people’s health and well-being are at stake. Whether you are seeking temporary help or permanent employees, we have some ideas on how you can find and hire the right people the first time around.

Create and Maintain a Strong Referral Network

Research consistently points to the benefits of hiring employees referred by a reliable source. Your employees can be an excellent source for referrals, and it is in your best interest to have an employee referral reward program in place that generously rewards team members for referring talent that is ultimately hired. Develop relationships with the career placement teams at educational institutions, particularly in your area, and turn to them when you have a vacancy you’re trying to fill. Dental staffing services are another excellent source for finding quality talent. A quality service will have access to a broad network, including headhunter-level access to top candidates who may not actively be seeking employment.

Provide a Great Work Environment

If you want your employees to help you find great talent, give them a working environment to brag about! Are you offering a competitive salary and benefits package for your employees? Are temporary placements warmly welcomed and fairly compensated by your practice? Do you offer your staff opportunities for advancement and continued education and learning? Is there a lot of dental office drama in your practice, or is it generally a positive work environment with solid evidence of the leadership’s commitment to building a strong, effective team?

Look in the “Marketing Mirror”

Take a look at your marketing, particularly online. What kind of patient reviews exist for your practice? Does your practice have an active social media presence? Recent statistics show that 79% of job candidates use social media to research prospective employers during their job search. Does your online presence present your practice as a successful, professionally managed, enjoyable place to work? If not, you may have some online reputation management work to do.

Interview and Onboard Thoroughly

Both careful interview and onboarding processes are essential to successful dental office staffing. A job interview is a two-way process, but don’t be overly concerned about “selling” your practice to the candidate. Avoid yes/no questions, don’t be afraid to wait out periods of silence while candidates gather their thoughts, and give them enough time to talk to allow you to start to get a feel for who they are and how they may fit with your team. If you’ve retained dental staff placement services who will be assisting with interviews, make sure they take the time to gain a solid understanding of the dynamics of your practice and involve you in the interview process. Your onboarding process is how you will introduce new team members to “the way things run” in your practice. A structured system for onboarding new employees makes a good first impression and sets the stage for what you expect from your team.

Know When It’s Time for Outside Help

Recruiting and hiring is a full-time job, and so is running a busy dental practice. If you are finding you don’t have sufficient time to devote to your talent search, sometimes the best thing to do is acknowledge when it’s time to hire a professional dental placement service to help you build the strongest team possible.

Strategic Practice Solutions offers dental consulting, training, and staffing services. We manage the responsibility of recruiting and hiring qualified, dependable dental professionals for our clients so they can focus on what matters most: running their successful practices. If you need dental staffing assistance, please contact us for a free consultation.