New graduate? Looking to change your office? Whatever situation you’re in, it doesn’t matter because it all starts with a job interview. Eww, the dreaded interview!
Before I talk about key points in interviews, we have to start with how to get an interview. Nowadays, there are many ways to find a job: networking, asking people you know, job search websites, emailing local offices, advertisements, and even social media.
To get an interview, you also need a solid resume. The key components of a good resume are making it clear and organized. The most common divisions to a resume are your contact information, your objective or a goal statement (which is further explained in a cover letter), education, and experiences.
Further points to include are awards, skills – including all your licenses (the states you can practice in) and certifications (CPR, local anesthesia), other languages you speak, and possibly references (per request).
For new graduates, you must be thinking you have nothing to put on a resume, as you were in school and just got your license. You don’t have any dental office experience. Wrong! You can put any job experience you have had; it doesn’t have to be dental. You could also include any community service, public health projects or programs you have created, awards/scholarships you have earned, and any clinical rotations you went on. For myself, I added that as a student in my second-year clinical rotation, I visited a local nursing home and cared for that population.
Don’t forget to add all the important skills you have learned in school and clinic or ADHA and local component memberships. Do not ever lie on a resume. If you aren’t proficient in Excel, don’t put that down! In a resume and interview, you are selling yourself to practices. Why should they choose you?
Okay, now you have perfected your resume and have an interview, there are a few steps before you shake hands with your possible future boss. You must prepare, prepare, prepare!
Here are a few ways you can… say it with me… PREPARE!
- Research the office where you are going to interview. How many dentists and hygienists are in the practice? Where are they located? Are they a specialty office, pedo, or general?
- Practice what you will speak about. Tell them about yourself as a person and a professional. What are your goals, and how can they be achieved at their office? What do you bring to the table? What are the details of the position? Do you have any examples of questions for them? They always ask if you have any questions for them, so surprise them with a question or two.
- Drive by the office’s location. A few days before your interview, take a trip to the office so you know exactly where it is and how long it takes you. Don’t be late! In fact, show up a few minutes early to make a good impression.
- Dress professionally; don’t wear your clinical scrubs. Be prepared with copies of your resume and licenses. First impressions are important.
- Always end your interviews with a thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you (thank you letter or email).
- Be confident! They would be lucky to have you as a dental hygienist.
With every interview, you gain experience for the next one. You will learn from your mistakes, and it will all work out. Be open to learning from each office and absorb as much as you can. The office doesn’t have to be your forever home, but it can be a building block towards your future success.
