Recognizing those responses that represent the potentially “Ideal” candidates

Over the years I have created hundreds of job ads and never used the same one twice. I believe and live by the mantra that “no two practices are alike”, thus the team members that are being sought should have some variations too.

Of course there are always buzzwords that shouldn’t require mentioning such as “caring”, “hardworking”, “reliable”, and “efficient” to name a few. Yet I can certainly see why these words trickle into most ads that I see in all venues. I will admit, however, that I will allow one or two of these words to slip in on occasion.

There are some words and phrases that will never appear in any of my ads, and they are: “perks”, “ sick leave”, “benefits”, “profit sharing”, and “vacation time”.   This is not to say that some (or all) of these things are not eventually going to be discussed and possibly offered in time; I just stay clear of them in all of my ads. Why? Because there are people that seek out perks, sick leave, benefits, profit sharing, and vacation time prior to reading anything else pertaining to the qualifications that you are seeking and what the position entails.

With applicants who have this mindset, it’s more about “what am I going to get” than “what am I going to bring”, or “how do I align with the skills and culture that this practice is looking for”. We all talk about locating team members that are in it for the “passion” first. That’s to say that there are those that are more interested in a career than “just a job”. Aren’t the career-minded candidates the ones you would rather attract? They do exist and it’s just a matter of locating them based on how your ad is crafted and written, and what you include along with what you intentionally omit.

The smart, truly interested dental professionals will first and foremost be most interested in what you and your practice is all about, and how their ability fits with the environment and style that surrounds your office. Making mention of the culture and philosophy of the practice will be very important to those that take their careers seriously, whereas those that are either “kicking tires” or contemplating a move for more money (or some other of the wrong reasons) are going to gravitate to the ads that list compensation and “extras”.

All astute job seekers expect that the compensation offered will reflect the talent and track record of the job applicant first. When the responses and interest begins to occur start watching for these positive signs:

• The candidates that reference your advertising verbiage in their cover letter should never be overlooked. This is an indication that they not only took the time to customize their response, but that they read it carefully in order to make cogent comments
• The ones that appear to have a similar background to what you are hoping to find
• A clean, well-formatted resume that is preferably one page (yes, this is possible even with a lengthy work history)
• Well-written with no or very few grammatical/spelling errors

And the negative signs:

• Numerous spelling/grammatical errors
• Lots of movement from position to position (although a couple “might” be acceptable, especially if the candidate can provide a legitimate reason for the moves)
• Referencing what they “want” or “need” to make, as well as necessary “perks”
• Not thoroughly reading the job description. Although they may have some degree of dental experience, are they applying without the skills that were listed as “must haves” to successfully fill the position?

Giving some thought to the areas I have listed should prove to be helpful if and when you see the need to begin an employee search. Keeping information on applicants that didn’t make it through the process should be retained, although few if any practices do. Ourdentalteam.com Team Management Software has an area to document and maintain this valuable information. Check it out!

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