write a job description
The world has changed. Your job posting needs to change with it.

With dental professionals in short supply and high demand, attracting candidates is critical to your practice running smoothly and getting back to business. Making sure your job description resonates with potential candidates in the current climate is paramount. 

Today’s job posting should be different from your Pre-Covid posting.
Here’s why:  

So much has changed since offices shut down and reopened during the pandemic that job descriptions need to change, too. Aside from the usual – qualifications, experience level, days/hours, and compensation – there is a new standard (or there should be anyway) that includes addressing the safety, operations, culture, and values of a practice group.

The transparency and ability to communicate your office culture to a potential employee cannot be understated or undervalued these days. 

Here are 3 key content ideas to consider as you revamp your standard job description:
1. Safety Measures

We all know that this is the #1 concern right now for dental professionals. Your ability to communicate new measures is key in breeding confidence and winning over potential candidates. 

  • Which equipment and physical changes have you made in your office to protect patients and team members? 
  • What schedule changes have you made to reduce risk? 
  • What is your PPE plan? Do you have one?
2. Team Member Communication 

During Shut Down: 

  • Did you stay in communication with your team doing virtual huddles, having weekly conference calls, a weekly email communicating what your plan was?
  • Did you check in with team members individually for a more personal approach? If you did, kudos to you! Let job seekers know how you stepped up as a leader – it will set you apart.

Today:

  • What are you doing now that you’re “back to business” to assure that your team is working efficiently and effectively? 
  • How are you empowering your team to provide input to help improve new processes and day-to-day operations?
3. Differentiators: what makes you different from other local practices?

DentalPost’s polling data shows that not all practices are equal when it comes to employee offerings. If your office culture and benefits stand out, now is the time to toot your own horn. 

Did you / do you…

  • Continue offering benefits or add new benefits?
  • Keep staff at their same pay levels during shutdown and after reopening? 
  • Maintain compensation and wages? Or maybe you were able to give folks more, or offer a bonus?
  • Have fun virtual huddles to keep the team connected and spirits high?
  • Make patients feel more comfortable and cared for than usual? 
  • Offer support or encourage continuing education (CE) in your office? 
  • Not have to ask team members to take their paid vacation during shutdown? 

Trust is the most important quality job seekers are looking for in an employer right now. Even if you didn’t do all the right things during the Covid-19 shutdown, showing that you learned and grew from the experience is almost as good as having done it right the first time. You get points for learning, growing, and being willing to continue to get better. Together, you can work out the details, but it starts with trust. 

Job Posting Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

  • Check DentalPost’s culture assessment for messaging ideas to add to your job descriptions to make them more reflective of your culture. 
  • Separate the text into sections, so that it’s skimmable and easy to read. 
  • Lead with the good new stuff – it will increase your readership. You can put the standard information (salary, hours, qualifications) at the bottom. 
  • Try to keep it brief. As long as you touch on what is important to candidates right now, you will earn respect and stand out in a sea of job postings. Save all the details for a phone or in person interview.  

Don’t:

  • Be overly simple. Add the details and be straightforward. This will save you time and energy, attract the right candidates, and repel the wrong ones.
Example of an updated job description that addresses the needs of the current dental job seeker: 

Are you looking to work for a practice that offers stability and operates with integrity? Would you like to work for a dentist with an excellent reputation in the community and among dental peers? 

Look no further. We are a COVID-19 proactive office that makes every effort to create and maintain an environment that is safe for our team and patients. We provide PPE that includes high-volume evacuation devices for intraoral use along with the usual gowns, shields, and gloves. Plus, we offer a wide variety of hand instruments. 

We can tell you why we’re great, but our long-standing team members are the real testament. Why do they stay? Because we invest in them and their continuing education and personal growth. And also because we like to have fun while working hard in a respectful environment. 

We are seeking a qualified RDH who: 

  • Puts both their head and heart into their work and patient care
  • Has strong communication skills and uses emotional intelligence to work through challenges and issues
  • Keeps a positive attitude (even in the midst of a pandemic) and is willing to do what it takes to make it work
  • Is passionate about helping the business grow 
  • Practices high standards of care, including a working knowledge of overall dentistry and dental hygiene procedures, dental patient screening

We are looking for a full-time hygienist with 3+ years of experience. Competitive salary, benefits, and paid vacation. If this is you, then come meet your forever dental home! 

This is just an example of a great job description. Do what is authentically yours. What can you honestly say about your practice that makes you stand out in the sea of job posting sameness? It will be noticed and appreciated and says a lot about who you are that you took the time to do so.

Better Job Postings Mean Better Candidates, Faster!

Reference more tips on writing the perfect job descriptions here

And remember, DentalPost has the tools and resources to help you get your practice restaffed and your patients back in your chairs! Download our FREE Ultimate Dental Hiring Toolkit, complete with worksheets, checklists, tips, and best practices to help you build a better team. 
Log in on desktop or mobile anytime to post a job, take free employer assessments, and more.

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