Resources
After you have developed the job description, your next step is to spread the word about your job opening. There are a variety of choices in recruitment. Be sure to evaluate the costs and benefits of the different recruitment options.
Your applicant pool, and your dental office workforce, should be as diverse as your community. To avoid claims of discrimination based on your recruiting practices, use a wide variety of recruitment tactics. If your job ad does not reach a broad cross-section of the population, it could be construed as having a negative impact on protected classes of individuals, such as minorities, resulting in claims of “disparate impact.” Avoid relying exclusively on Internet or word-of-mouth advertising, or on publications or job boards that may not reach a broad cross-section of potential applicants.
Employment Agencies
Employment agencies can save you time, but not necessarily money. They typically charge 50 to 90 percent of the first month’s earnings for the selected employee. The agency may perform the initial screening of the applicant. To get your money’s worth, look for an agency that specializes in healthcare placements and will prove its track record by providing the names of satisfied clients. Always read the contract closely!
Ask such questions as:
• What if an employee sent by the agency does not work out?
• Under what conditions is the fee refundable?
• Will the agency find a replacement at no charge if an employee is found unsuitable?
• Does the agency run a background check? If so, how extensive is the background check?
• What if the employee quits 14 days after being hired?
Educational Institutions
Let local schools know that you are interested in recruiting new graduates. Or, if a recent graduate would lack the experience you seek, ask about past graduates looking for employment opportunities. Some hygiene and assisting departments keep listings of alumni who are available for employment. Typically, no fees or low fees are charged for this service.
Some schools may offer internship programs for current students. You may find this is a good way to get to know if a person is a good fit for your practice. Keep in mind that treating interns as unpaid employees can pose a legal risk to a dental practice. An internship experience should be for the benefit of the intern, and should be similar to training that would be given in an educational environment. An intern should not displace regular employees, but should work under close supervision of existing staff. The dental practice should derive no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern, and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded. Interns are not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship, and the employer and intern should understand that the intern is not entitled to wages.
Professional Associations
Dental, specialty, dental assisting or dental hygiene associations may have listings of individuals seeking employment and offices seeking staff. For instance, the ADA allows the placement of classified ads online at http://careercenter.ada.org or in print in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA). The American Dental Hygiene Association (http://careers.adha.org/jobseekers) offers a place to find a candidate or post a job opportunity. Specialty associations, such as the American Association of Pediatric Dentists (http://jobs.aapd.org), have similar services. If you are looking to hire a dental assistant, the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) at www.danb.org is a useful resource.
State and Local Dental Societies
State and local dental societies may have resources where recent graduates looking for opportunities can post their information, and dentists looking to fill positions can place classified ads. For example, the Illinois Dental Society (www.isds.org) offers a member-only benefit where fourth-year dental students can post a “student employment profile” to facilitate their job searches. Students complete an online profile, and members looking to hire can search the profiles based on specific criteria. As another example, the Chicago Dental Society (www.cds.org) also offers a classified ad service.
Dental Supply Representatives
This type of contact can be very beneficial. Sales representatives may know who is available — or who will be available — before the rest of the dental community.
Word of Mouth
This method of recruitment is easy, effective and free. Let your friends, neighbors and colleagues know about your open position and its requirements. Do not, however, mention open positions to all your patients. If a patient applies and is not hired, you may lose them from the practice. Also keep in mind that hiring relatives or friends can present challenges related to supervision, performance evaluation, and termination. Employment laws apply whether or not an employee is a relative or friend, and your dental office employment policies must apply equally to all employees, too. For example, if you ask your spouse to work in the office for “just a few months,” decide together on your spouse’s duties, compensation and discharge date before the first day of work.
Your applicant pool, and your dental office workforce, should be as diverse as your community.
Internet Recruiting
The number of job seekers using the Internet to find jobs continues to rise, as does the number of human resource professionals who use them to find candidates. In addition, Internet recruiting can be less costly than more traditional recruitment advertising and using recruiting agencies.
Here are some things to keep in mind when recruiting via the Internet:
• Consider dental-specific job sites to find candidates with specialized skills in dentistry, including both clinical and office staff. Today, there are numerous dental job boards, such as www.dentaljobs.net and www.dentalworkers.com that you can use to recruit your dental team.
• Use social media as a way to complement, but not replace, posting on traditional job boards. Keep in mind that a targeted tweet or Facebook post to your local dental society with a link to the full job posting may be more effective than a public posting on LinkedIn. Your goal should be to get a range of qualified candidates, not to be overwhelmed with resumes from any jobseeker with a pulse.
• Take a look at the initial responses to your post. Not seeing the types of candidates you
