Try this approach if you want to reduce stress

The ongoing dialog on dental related social media pages regarding “Working Interviews” has gotten the best of me. I’m not sure how well-received I’ll be or if anyone will even pay attention, but I’m passionate about this and feel as though the banter and confusion regarding this event (or better yet, let’s refer to it as the extension of the interview process) is an area I’ve been involved in more than most.

I won’t bore anyone with the details, but it should suffice to say that I have been coaching and supporting dentists and the owners of my dental placement agency franchises for over 20 years. I did sell the original prototype and all rights to the franchise licenses many years ago, but continue to stay involved in this area of dental practice management.

For starters, I much prefer to call this segment of the hiring process “The Skills Assessment”. I did away with the term “Working Interview” over 15 years ago when I realized that it was not a term I felt comfortable using, nor did it describe that part of the process in the right light.

I would like to take this from the very beginning, and I mean “VERY”. Let’s first talk about the true purpose of a Skill Assessment and how it applies to both the perspective employer/owner and perspective employee.

The purpose of this event is for BOTH the potential employer and potential employee to assess whether or not both parties are compatible. This means it should be as equal an evaluation as possible. There should be structure in place and in writing for each position that is being evaluated.

The owner/employer should NOT ignore this individual during the time they are being evaluated. What good is it if the hiring person (always with owner/doctor) has not been able to effectively view the skill sets, temperament, professionalism and any other areas that need to be assessed.

As I begin to walk everyone through this segment of the hiring process as I have been coaching it for my client/dentists for years, I will start with the basics and also offer some food for thought.

Let me first be very clear that I do not endorse a traditional on-the-job “working interview”, as my hope is to eventually prove that what has been in place for years is simply not working. I felt I needed to address some of the questions and concerns that have been posted regarding “Working Interviews.” My intension is to slowly offer some road-tested and proven advice on changing this particular event. This will eliminate many of the challenges and legalities, along with offering some guidance to set the final decision for the job seeker in order to make a smart and educated decision to accept the position.

And for the employer, I am proposing a thorough, concise and less “vague” way of evaluating a particular position. Hence, with more structured processes in place the debiliatating turnover rate in our profession will hopefully be considerably reduced. I can tell you, I’ve witnessed it with my clients since I’ve been guiding them through my systems, but there are thousands that I never had the opportunity to reach.

Facts to Keep in Mind

The hiring process is “driven” and managed exclusively by the doctor/owner/employer seeking the employee to ultimately hire.

It is their responsibility to have everything spelled out and prepared to oversee the hiring process with a purpose, clarity, transparency and re-usable systems.

This means “they” should be prepared with a thorough definition of what the position entails (and not simply a title), a printout of skill sets that are required initially including a comprehensive Job Description Outline. Also, the days of the week and hours are required to fill this position, a pre-determined amount of compensation for the (onsite, in-person) Skill Assessment that is set at a fair wage for the particular position for which the candidate is being evaluated.