Finding the right person for practice openings is always hard, and as we move into a post-pandemic environment there appears to be more competition than ever to hire the best. At a recent Mastery Circle webinar, we discussed some ideas to help practices with recruiting:

• Expand your outreach. In addition to all the usual places you would post a job, don’t forget Facebook, Craigslist, the doctor’s personal Linked In page and on your practice’s social media.
• Develop relationships with local dental assisting and dental administration schools. Offer to be a guest speaker and create opportunities to mix with potential candidates to discover who might be a good fit for your practice.
• Ask your referring doctors if they know anyone who they wish they could hire but don’t have an opening for.
• Be clear about the qualities you are hiring for. Focus first on the right mindset: good personality for dental, and a hard worker.
• Advertise what training that you will provide. Are you willing to train the right person completely? What are the minimum qualifications you are looking for?
• Many practices have a legacy mindset of female team members. Don’t hesitate to consider male candidates.
• Create a recruitment bonus for your team referrals. For example, a $500 bonus paid half at the time of hiring and half after 90 days.
• Similarly, offer a sign-on incentive for new team members: $500 to $1000 dollars with half up front and half after a 90-day probation period.
• Hire a recruiter for professional assistance.

One final tip: Don’t hire from your key referring offices without talking to the referring doctor first. It’s important to know if the candidate has their doctor’s blessing to move on and, if so, for what reason.