Like many dental practitioners out there, you undoubtedly realize the importance of having a skilled team in place. From assistant to office manager, the knowledge, dedication and engagement of your team has a significant impact on patient care and productivity. If, however, you don’t currently have the“ideal” team or you’re still working towards that ideal, you may be asking yourself “How do I find the right team members?” and “How do I attract a candidate to my team and avoid losing promising applicants to another practice?”
There are numerous recruiting strategies that can help with finding the right candidate: networking, campus recruiting, advertising, employee referrals, Internet-based tools, etc. Regardless of which sourcing tactics you use, there are a couple of key things you need to do to make your open position stand out from the competition:
1) Create a compelling message
With the increasing accessibility and quantity of information on the Internet, job seekers have more choices when it comes to job openings; yours is only one of them. To get noticed, you need to tailor your message to the audience you are targeting and provide the answer to their question, “Why would I work for you?” Paint a picture of things about your practice, your team and the experience of the culture in your office.
2) Engage with your applicant pool
Job seekers today literally have information at their fingertips. This gives them immediate access to hundreds of job opportunities.Because there are so many accessible opportunities out there, the window of time you have to keep a candidate interested after they apply is short. Be PROACTIVE and reach out to the top candidates (before your competition does). Whether it’s through email, social media, or a phone call, the sooner you make that personal connection the better.
3) Help the candidate to “select” you
Hiring managers can sometimes overlook the fact that selection is a two-way process. You are choosing the right talent for your team just as much as that candidate is choosing the right team for their skill-set and personality. Providing information throughout the process about the position (skills, knowledge, pace, tasks, other demands) and your practice (team environment, day-to-day experience, management style) will increase the likelihood of both parties finding the right fit. Conducting phone pre-screens, introducing the candidate to staff/team, or simply allowing the candidateenough time in an interview to ask questions can mean the difference between selecting the “right” and “wrong” person.
Building a successful team takes thoughtful planning and effort − the payoff can be huge. So how are you going to improve your own strategy in order to attract and engage the best talent available?
The 3rd tip is very useful. The candidate has to identify the right employer too.