Hiring an Associate Dentist – What to Look for on a Candidate’s Resume/CV

While large corporations in other industries may rely on automated applicant tracking systems to sift through resumes and attempt to identify the best candidates for an open position through keywords and algorithms, most dental practices employ a much simpler approach of reading through candidate resumes and CV’s manually. As the doctor or office manager, it can often be a challenge to identify the best candidate for your open position based off of a single document.

As a dental recruiting firm, we know all too well what it’s like to read through giant stacks of resumes and CV’s. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, filtering out the best candidates can quickly turn into a very daunting and frustrating task. Over the years we’ve come to recognize several key areas to pay attention to that will most often indicate very quickly whether a candidate is a good fit for your practice. So what should a doctor or manager look for on a candidate’s resume/CV?
Here are some items on a candidate’s resume/CV to pay particular attention to:

1. Education (school and graduation date) – Knowing when and where a candidate received their degree is the first indicator of whether or not he or she is a good fit for your practice. How long ago did the candidate graduate? Did he or she graduate with honors? If a practice is looking to bring in a new grad as their next associate, this is the first place to look.
   
2. Notable CE/GPR/AEGD Programs – Continuing education courses can have a positive impact on a candidate’s ability to treat patients, grow the practice, and meet state licensure requirements. Making sure a candidate is licensed to work in your state before scheduling an interview can help avoid many unforeseen issues and prevent wasting time on unqualified candidates.
   
3. Quantifiable Accomplishments – It’s likely that almost every candidate will put an objective statement on his or her resume claiming to be great with patients and staff, exceptionally team oriented, very willing to learn, and so on. But what can the candidate do to better the practice’s bottom line? Good chairside manner is essential, but a friendly candidate with a terrible production average isn’t going to help grow your practice. Let the numbers do the talking on the candidate’s resume. You’ll have a chance to observe the candidate’s personality during the interview. For now, focus on the numbers in front of you and the value he or she can add to your practice.
   
4. Special Skills and Training - What special skills does the candidate have? Can he or she do molar endo, implants, or surgical extractions? Hiring a candidate with additional skills means keeping more cases in-house, which directly affects your practice’s bottom line.
   
5. References – Take a look at the references listed on the candidate’s resume/CV. If you’re in a smaller dental community, chances are you might already know the candidate or at least one of the references listed. If everything else on a candidate’s resume checks out, go ahead and reach out to their references. Sometimes doing so can provide incredibly valuable insight into a candidate’s character, professionalism, skillset, and personality before they ever sit down for an interview.
   

If you’re looking to hire a new associate or staff member for your dental practice, consider reaching out to us at ETS Dental! We’re regularly in touch with hundreds of dentists, specialists, and dental staff every day. Contact your local recruiter now and let us start searching for your next great team member!

Resumes That Give You the Edge

A resume or a curriculum vitae (CV) will serve as a vital and necessary tool in your career as a Dentist. I have seen thousands in my time as a Search Consultant of dentists across the U.S., and I would like to share some tips on what to do when preparing yours.

1. Know the difference: Resumes are a summary of your employment and educational background and experience. CV’s are meant to be very detailed, and should outline everything associated with your field of study including: education, research, publications, continuing education, employment, etc.
   
   
2. When to use Resume versus CV: Resumes are more appropriate for gaining employment in clinical practice. When practices are hiring for new Associate Dentists, they want to quickly review a candidate’s background. An easy to read-at-a-glace resume is what you want to provide. A lengthy CV would not be appropriate in these situations. CV’s are used primarily in the areas such as academia and research.
   
   
3. Resume content: Again, a resume is a summary. Keep it to two pages if possible, three at most. I advise all job applicants with lengthy resumes to cut back on the “fluff” such as hobbies, personal statements, family info, or other personal info not relevant to the job search. For a very simple yet effective layout visit our sample at http://etsdental.com/articles/curriculum-vitae.html
   
   Note to new graduates: one page is fine. Don’t create content that doesn’t really help you just to get a second page. Highlight your achievements in dental school.
   
   
4. Don’t include personal data such as marital status, age, national origin, social security number, etc. This information can lead to possible discrimination or worse, identity theft. In the United States, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sets rules for what information employers are allowed to use when making a hiring decision. Learn more at http://www.eeoc.gov/.
   
   
5. Make your resume readable and proof your grammar and spelling. I don’t recommend using complicated resume formats or layouts. Often times these layouts hurt you rather than help set you apart. Most employers and recruiters use databases and software that will scrub for information, and if the format is not straight forward it may not get seen as you would hope.
   
   Follow this order:
   
   1. Name and contact info
   2. Education
   3. Work History
   4. CE
      
      
6. Measurable achievement sets you apart. Share facts when possible. The questions I get from employers generally are: A) How well did he/she rank clinically in dental school? B) How much does this doctor produce monthly in his/her current role? C) How many molar root canals does this doctor perform weekly/monthly? D) Does the doctor speak Spanish?
   Success and ability are measurable. Make a point to know and share what you bring to the table.
   
   
7. Skip the fluff: As stated in point 6, measurable data is best. I will give you some insight into nearly every resume and interview I’ve seen or done: Every doctor is “great with patients and the staff”. They all say it. When I ask, what set’s you apart? They tell me their “patients want to follow them wherever they go.” If you’re a nice doctor, we’ll get that in the interview by meeting and speaking with you. The points that get you into an interview are the measurable ones.
   

The information I have shared above is very basic, but so often I see doctors overcomplicating what should be a very simple summary of their careers and education. You should know what employers are looking for when reviewing resumes. They are looking for work experience, education, and measurable achievement. Give them that information in order set you apart from other applicants.

Written by Carl Guthrie, Senior Account Executive/Dental Recruiter at ETS Dental. For more information, contact Carl directly at 540-491-9104 or cguthrie@etsdental.com.