Hiring the Right Person 

What’s the best way to find the right team member for your dental practice? What are some of the most important things to keep in mind when you’re hiring a new employee?

"I think that patience is the key - knowing what you want, and patience," says practice co-ordinator Jamie Macica, who works at a general dental practice that concentrates on aesthetics in Saratoga Springs, New York.

While their dental team works very well together, it wasn’t always that way. "For five years, we had a revolving door of someone leaving," Macica recalls. "We had some pretty bad experiences before we ended up with a dynamite group of people."

What they kept coming up against, Macica says, was being too quick to hire - hiring before they really got to know someone, and before all of the team members had a chance to interview the person.

Now, the office takes a very different approach to hiring. The dentist does the formal interviews, while the staff also interview prospective employees, but on an informal basis. This is an approach that works well for the entire team. As one patient commented, everyone in the office gets along. People are really friendly, and there is no back biting. If there is any talking going on, it’s low key and focused on professional matters.

According to Macica, what really helps, is knowing the kind of person you want on your team – the kind of person who would fit in well. "We have a very special work environment because of the people we work with," Macica says. "There is mutual respect across the board."

Suzanne Black, vice-president of coaching and consulting services for Planned Marketing Associates International, based in Dallas, Texas, believes that one of the biggest hiring mistakes is being stuck in survival mode and hiring the first person who seems like he or she might work out. "They get afraid they won’t be able to find somebody, instead of realizing they are panning for gold," says Black, stressing that you are looking for a team member, and that it may take interviews with several candidates before you find the right person for your office. "Resolve with your team to not settle for less than what you really want for the practice. Remember – what you are looking for, is also looking for you."

No matter who you are interviewing, Black stresses, always check references, and the earlier you do so, the better. "It will save you time in the long run," she explains. If Black is speaking with a candidate on the telephone, for example, she will sometimes ask for references after their conversation, and ask the person if it’s OK to call the references to help speed the process along. If the references are good and Black likes the candidate after meeting them in person, she will probably be ready to suggest a working interview. That is, having the candidate come in to work on a temporary basis and receiving a certain amount of pay, before the employer makes a permanent offer.

During a working interview, Black recommends leaving the person on their own to do their tasks, so you can see how resourceful they are. (Make sure that you or one of your team members is always listening around the corner). And, Black adds, a working interview will also benefit the prospective employee, who will be able to see how the office works.

Black also gets the dental team heavily involved in the interview process. In addition to having the team meet the people who are applying for a position, Black encourages the team to have lunch with the candidate. Take them out for lunch or bring in sandwiches - without the dentist being around. "The team will find out things the doctor can’t ask. The team has pretty good intuition about these things," Black says. Dentists are going to hire the person they want to, she adds, but when you are working on building a team, the team members need buy into the selection as well.

During the hiring process, Black also gives personality tests. She does a lot of work with DiSC Behavioral Style indicator, a personality and behavioral style assessment tool. She also gives intelligence tests. If someone is being considered for a clinical position, she might ask them to read some X-rays as part of the interview process, or ask them to add a series of numbers – posing a variety of questions to see if the person is on the ball.

Certified Management Consultant Sally McKenzie, a nationally-known lecturer, author and Consultant to the Council on Dental Practice of the ADA, also thinks that assessment testing is a must before hiring. Test prospective employees for personality aptitude and ability - for all the skills they will need to do their job, including math, language and spelling, says McKenzie, CEO of The McKenzie Company, Inc., which has provided management systems to dentistry since 1980. "The whole thing is about testing," says McKenzie, who has written a book on hiring practices, How To Hire The Best Dental Employee.

She also stresses it’s important to describe the position, and what you have to offer an employee. All too often, she notes, employers tend to write help wanted ads based on what they want, rather than what they have to give. "The employee is looking to find a job and wants to know, ‘What are you going to give me as the employee?’ McKenzie says. "Why don’t you brag about your office and what you have?" For example, if you provide free parking and great benefits, say so. "And I always encourage them to put a yearly salary range right under the title of the ad," she adds, noting that highlighting the yearly salary range will grab a prospective employee’s attention immediately.

Another point to consider with a help wanted ad, is how you word the title. Since most ads are placed alphabetically, write your ad so it will appear as close to the top as possible. For example, ‘clinical dental assistant’ would be listed before ‘dental assistant,’ and ‘administrative business co-ordinator’ would appear before ‘dental receptionist.’ "You want your ad to be read first," McKenzie stresses. "The whole idea is that somebody will answer your ad if it appears first, and not at the bottom of the list."

Planned Marketing Associates International can be contacted at 1-800-266-8526.

McKenzie is founder of The Center for Dental Career Development, which provides advanced education to the dental profession online at www.dentalcareerdevelop.com or in La Jolla, CA. The McKenzie Company offers a full line of educational management products, including an employee assessment test, at www.mckenziemgmt.com. To receive Sally McKenzie’s weekly e-Management newsletter, which provides targeted management tips, call toll-free 1-877-777-6151, or e-mail sallymck@mckenziemgmt.com.