Dental School Graduates - How to Find a Job Coming Out of Dental School

Congratulations! Now it is time to start putting all that education to use, but finding a job is a lot different than applying to programs. Do you know how to get started?

What To Have

A Plan.
Do you know where you want to be in five years? Do you want your first job to put you on the path to partnership or ownership? Are you more concerned with gaining experience than paying down student loans? You need to know where you want to go before you can decide how to get there. Obviously location is important, but don't waste the crucial first years of your career in order to live in the heart of the city. 

The best jobs are often outside the primary markets where there is less competition for patients. Here is great blog outlining the best areas in which to work: Where are the Jobs?’. 

If you are considering a cross-country move, you may want to consider the income potential offered in different regions. This blog article breaks dentist income down by area: What Can an Associate Dentist Earn. 

If you absolutely have to live and work in a saturated market, here are some strategies to help you land a job: Saturated or Difficult Markets.

Be sure to set realistic income expectations. There are several good sources covering realistic dentist earnings. Here is our overview: How Much do Dentists Make?

The Levin Group publishes an annual survey in Dental Economics. The 2013 version can be downloaded here: Levin Group Survey.


A CV and Cover Letter.
Most applicants do not get an interview. Your CV and Cover Letter may be your only platform to distinguish yourself from the competition. It is hard to stand out from the crowd without experience but the way you highlight your strengths can set you apart. Did you take any electives or win any awards to recognition? Did you graduate in the top quarter of your class, attend CE outside of school, volunteer in a community clinical or on a dental mission trip? Be sure to highlight those experiences.

Here is an example of a well-written cover letter: Cover Letter Sample.

And here are instructions on writing your CV/resume: Resume for Dentists.

The Right Clothes
It is better to overdress than underdress. Your future boss will want to know that you take your career seriously. Does your interview outfit make you look like a doctor? This is not the time to go for personality. That can come through later. If your clothes give the wrong first impression, it will take a major effort to regain credibility

What To Do

Finding Openings.
Networking has always been the most effective method for finding open positions, but it is not always practical to meet with every dentist in the area and attend every dental meeting. The internet can be a great tool for finding position. Your dental school and local association may have classifieds, but you will likely find that the listings are limited. Here are several comprehensive sources for dentist jobs:

·         ETS Dental Job Listings

·         Indeed.com Job Listing Aggregator

·         DentalTown Classifieds

Interviewing.

The Telephone Interview

• Return your phone messages and emails promptly. It speaks to your motivation, interest, and courtesy. Don't let returning phone calls or emails become an issue or an obstacle to getting an interview. Even if you don't think you will be interested in an opportunity, return the call. On more than one occasion we have seen a candidate get a call from Practice B when he was already talking with Practice A. The candidate puts off returning the call to Practice B. Two or three weeks later, the opportunity with Practice A does not work out and now Practice B will not consider the candidate because no calls have been returned.
• Your main goal in a telephone interview is to get a face-to-face interview.
• Ask for the interview. Take the initiative to set a time. Say something like, "From what you have told me, I would be very interested in meeting with you and coming to see your practice. When would be good for you?"
• Smile- even on the phone. You really can tell when someone is smiling.

·         Here is some additional reading on phone interviews: Tips for Phone Interviews.

The In-Person Interview:
Don't go in blindly. Be sure to prepare in advance. Look over this article the night before: Preparing for the Interview.

• Treat the staff with courtesy and respect. A practice owner often feels like his or her staff is like a family and will listen to their opinions, especially if they are negative. On more than one occasion, we have seen excellent candidates not offered an opportunity because they treated a staff member poorly.
• Smile and show some enthusiasm. More candidates are hired because of their personalities and positive attitudes than because specific clinical skills. One high-end cosmetic practice told us they had interviewed six different dentists. They hired the candidate who smiled and appeared to truly enjoy being a dentist, passing on more experienced candidates with less personality and enthusiasm.
• Show sincere interest in the hiring dentist's situation. Understand that the dentist needs to solve a problem. Maybe the practice just lost a key associate or partner. Maybe the practice is growing and cannot keep up with patient demand. Maybe the dentist needs someone to take over the practice when he or she retires. You need to get a clear understanding of the dentist's true motivation for adding an associate. Once you truly understand the needs of the hiring dentist, you can mutually determine if you are the solution.
• Send a thank you note after the meeting. Here is a great example of a post-interview thank you: Thank You Note.

Still nervous? Here is a full blog post on interviewing: Interview Tips.

Reviewing Contracts.
A good overview of contracts may be found here (the most relevant information is on the last page of the article): Compensation Considerations.

Do you have all the information you will need in order to make an informed decision? What to Know Before You Accept an Associate Position 

Not satisfied with the offer? Don't be afraid to ask for more. Here are some tips on Negotiating Your Offer.


Finding a job can be an intimidating process. I hope these resources will help make the process easier. Please feel free to call us should you have any questions. We are always happy to help. For more updates, tips, and helpful information, follow us on our Facebook fan page, Twitter, LinkedIn or on our blog.

Posted by Morgan Pace, Vice President and Senior Dental Recrutier with ETS Dental. To find out more, call Morgan at (540) 491-9102 or email at mpace@etsdental.com.

ETS Dental: Your Career and the Dental Job Market

ETS Dental would like to invite all current Dental Students and Dental Residents throughout the U.S. to join us on January 29th at 5:30pm EST (2:30pm PST) for a free webinar: Your Career and the Dental Job Market.

Register here: Your Career and the Dental Job Market
Date: Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Time: 5:30 PM EST (2:30 PM PST)
Length: One hour

This webinar is open to all current Dental Students and Dental Residents in the country. We will be covering the following topics in our one hour webinar:

• Current landscape of the U.S. dental job market
• CVs, resumes, cover letters, and interview tips
• Compensation and contracts
• Location of hot jobs
• Live Q&A with recruiters from ETS Dental

ETS Dental is an independent dental recruiting firm. We specialize in finding and placing Dentists, Dental Specialists, and Dental Staff with practices across the country. Our commitment is to match the best dental professionals with the right practices. At ETS Dental, we are not in the business of just filling dental jobs. Our focus is on fulfilling a long-term opportunity for the dentist and dental practice. Learn more about us at www.etsdental.com.

REGISTER TODAY: www.anymeeting.com/PIID=E951DB83894C3C.  Please, forward this to fellow classmates or any colleagues that may find this webinar helpful.. I look forward to having you join me and my colleagues on January 29th.

If you have any questions contact Carl Guthrie at cguthrie@etsdental.com.

CareerBuilder’s Annual College Job Forecast: New Grads Must Step it Up

Do you know someone graduating this spring (and no, watching the “Donna Martin Graduates” episode of old-school 90210 doesn’t count)? Chances are if you do, you’ve sensed or outright listened to them rant about heard their trepidation about entering the “real world” and throwing their hat into the current job market ring. Because, well, the environment right now is not exactly what it used to be for soon-to-be or recent grads. Things are a little tough out there.


The class of 2009 will face the most competitive job market in years, as companies continue to proceed with caution amid economic uncertainty, according to CareerBuilder’s newly released annual college job forecast.The percentage of employers planning to hire recent college grads is roughly half of what it was just two years ago. Only 43 percent of employers plan to hire recent college graduates in 2009, down from 56 percent in 2008 and 79 percent in 2007.


2009 Salaries


Along with the economy, entry-level salaries have taken a bit of a dive. Among those employers planning to hire recent college graduates, more than one in five (21 percent) said they will decrease starting salaries for recent college graduates in 2009 as compared to 2008. But there’s hope! A whopping 68 percent of employers plan to keep initial salary offers the same as last year, and 11 percent will increase them.

• Thirty-three percent of employers plan to offer recent college graduates starting salaries ranging between $30,000 and $40,000.


• An additional 17 percent will offer between $40,000 and $50,000


• Fourteen percent will offer more than $50,000


• Thirty-six percent will offer less than $30,000

“While recent college graduates are facing a highly competitive job market right now, there are still opportunities out there,” said Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America.

“The biggest challenge is showing relevant experience, which employers say is one of the most important factors they look for in applications from recent college graduates. This isn’t limited to professional work experience, so don’t get discouraged. Class work, school activities and volunteering also qualify as relevant experience and can be included in your resume as well.”

So how can new graduates differentiate themselves in the current job market, and what are the absolute faux pas that today’s candidates need to be aware of — and steer clear of? Employers who participated in the survey weighed in below.

Relevant work experience?

I’m pretty sure grads (and candidates in general) should leave that week-long stint with a cult or the Britney Fan Club honorary board member award off their credentials. But with that said, what activities qualify as pertinent work experience for recent college grads to include on their resumes?

• Internships


• Part-time jobs in another area or field


• Volunteer work


• Involvement in school organizations


• Class work


• Involvement in managing activities for sororities and fraternities


• Participation in sports

Hey new grads, don’t do this:

Employers also shared their opinions on the biggest mistakes new grads make when applying and interviewing. Wearers of Spandex unitards and lovers of keg stand Facebook profile pictures, take note:

• Acting bored or cocky - 63 percent


• Not dressing appropriately - 61 percent


• Coming to the interview with no knowledge of the company - 58 percent


• Not turning off cell phones or electronic devices - 50 percent


• Not asking good questions during the interview - 49 percent


• Asking what the pay is before the company considered them for the job - 38 percent


• Spamming employers with the same resume and/or cover letter - 21 percent


• Failure to remove unprofessional photos/content on social media such as social networking pages, Web pages, blogs - 19 percent


• Not sending a thank you note after the interview - 12 percent

CareerBuilder’s Annual College Job Forecast was conducted from February 20 to March 11, 2009 among 2,543 hiring managers and Human Resource professionals. Get the full press release here.