Hiring in the Dental Industry
The job market has been somewhat unpredictable since 2020, and many of our clients are telling us that they’ve been having difficulties finding and hiring qualified people, especially in the last year. Hiring is a time-consuming process, even when it goes smoothly, and when you encounter problems, it can become quite frustrating. If you post a job and find that you’re not getting any qualified applicants or you’re having a hard time managing the overall process, perhaps it’s time to rethink your practice’s approach to finding talent.
As a marketing agency, hiring is not really our area of expertise, but there are some things that might come more naturally to us given what we do on a daily basis, also because when you’re trying to hire someone, you are essentially “marketing” your practice to qualified candidates with the goal of getting the attention of the perfect person for the job.
Get Creative
When you’re looking for new talent, consider what you can do to set your practice apart in a sea of other job postings. A recruiter might advise a candidate to think outside of the box to create a resume that stands out to the right potential employer. Your practice can take a page out of that same book. For instance, making a quick introduction video about the practice could go a long way towards encouraging the right candidates to apply. The video might include some basic information about the practice, a few words from the doctor about the practice’s values and philosophy, and some statements from team members about how much they enjoy working there. A nice, friendly introduction to the practice could make a qualified candidate feel much more comfortable applying for the job.
Another way to approach the hiring process is not sticking to the same old process. Think about how you market your practice to potential patients using multiple channels. Marketing your practice to new talent can also be done the same way. Try to find social media groups that are specific to the dental field and post in them. Consider using your own social media to advertise that your practice is hiring. In other words, don’t just rely on the traditional hiring method of just posting the position on the major hiring websites and hoping for the best. Being a bit more proactive and looking for specialized places to “advertise” that your practice is hiring will likely net better results.
Call in an Expert
Just as your practice may outsource marketing and payroll services to professionals — since neither of those areas are exactly in your wheelhouse and they also require a lot of time away from seeing patients — you may want to outsource hiring as well. A professional recruiter can really streamline the hiring process. Not only will the recruiter be able to give you expert advice on how and where to post the position for the best results, but they will also screen applicants to make sure that you are only spending time interviewing truly qualified candidates. Allowing an expert to manage the bulk of the hiring process for your practice is going to be far less time consuming and stressful than attempting to do it all on your own.
If your practice has been having trouble recruiting talent, you’re not alone. In general, the market is pretty competitive right now, and dentistry is also a highly specialized field, which makes hiring that much more difficult. Making sure your job posting is reaching the right candidates is important, which is why you should reconsider how and where you post an open position. Bringing in an expert can also save you time and frustration. If you are looking for some professional advice on the matter, I recommend Meg Daly. She has really helped MDA’s hiring process and has been an invaluable resource. Click here for more information about Meg.