dental hygienist Archives - Page 20 of 21 - RDH Resumes and Career Guidance

Good and Bad Dental Hygiene Resume Filler

September 18, 2014 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

Keeping your dental hygiene resume to one page means you have to really narrow down what it is you are going to include. There’s for sure some bad dental hygiene resume filler, but there’s also some good, too.

Aside from your name and contact information there are four main sections to a one-page functional resume: About Me, Skills/Expertise, Work History, and Education History.

Still have some space you can fill up? That’s okay – if you have a short work you may have plenty of extra space.

Here’s eight things you can fill in with that extra space that can be useful to include

Licensure/Certifications
It wouldn’t be out of line to include the current licenses you hold, including the number. This would allow an employer to verify your information.

Component/Association Participation
If you have served in any type of committee or leadership role at your local component this is nice information to include in that it signals you deep commitment to the profession.

Volunteer Service
I would stick mostly with just relevant volunteer service. While other kinds of service are great and even interesting to know, a resume is designed to showcase your professional life and unless your volunteer service has complimented or is related to dentistry it’s really not the right place for it.

If you really want to include that kind of information, consider creating a website for yourself so you can add more indepth information about you.

Articles You Have Written
Again, things that show a deep commitment to your profession are great to showcase. Articles you have written about dentistry-related topics would be a great example of that.

Non-Clinical Work Experience
A lot of hygienists ask about including prior dental assisting experience. I think that’s a great thing to include.

Recognizing that the tasks and skill sets are not the same, there’s a lot to be said about a hygienist who has prior assisting experience as an employer might correctly assume you can better relate to assistants you work with or around.

Relatable Education
Another common question I get is about non-dental hygiene education. I guess I can go either way on if you got a degree in English, for example, prior to dental hygiene. There’s sometimes lots of cross-over in professions, particularly if it’s health-related. I worked with a hygienist that was also a nutritionist – that’s very complimentary to dental hygiene and so I highly recommended she included it.

I would even go so far as to say, additional education or training can give you an advantage. You have that value-add to offer a practice. In your interview, you could say something to the affect, “Along with my background in dental hygiene, I’m also a licensed family therapist which I have found really helps me communicate effectively with patients.”

Awards/Recognition
Finally, if you have received any kind of dental industry recognition (either while in school or after) that’s a great thing to include. By contrast, “Outstanding PTA Mom of the Year,” while really cool, probably wouldn’t mean much on your resume.

What Not to Include
Here’s a few things not to include to fill in space – all of these would be fine on a resume website, however:

Most things un-related or non-transferrable to dentistry
References or even a line “References available upon request”
Hobbies
A list of all the CE classes you have taken
High school you graduated from
High school activities or recognition

Dental Hygiene Job Searching is Small Stuff

September 16, 2014 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

Fact: There are more dental hygienists than there are dental hygiene jobs today. That often means dental hygiene job searching is all about the small stuff.

Let’s review small areas that can have a big impact for you.

Digital Presence

Yep, employers are checking you out on the internet. They are looking for you on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter… wherever your name pops up. Question is what are they finding?

One could use this as an excuse to unplug your digital presence but that doesn’t necessarily give someone a positive impression about you either. They might falsely assume you are not up with technology or social trends.

You want employers to feel satisfied they found you and you want to make sure that what they see is what you want them to see

Tip: “Google” your name and see what they are seeing then do some “housekeeping” or updating where you see potential problems. Consider getting a website or really strong LinkedIn page to direct their attention to. Having a place to send them to will often satisfy their need to Google your name.

Accessibility

Be extremely intentional about your contact information. Leave no doubt how they can get a hold of you. I’m not saying give three phone numbers, two e-mails, social messaging options, a website, a fax number, a pager… wait (do pagers still exist?) – in fact, limit your communications options to one e-mail and one phone number. But, plaster them everywhere – once on all your materials and also within your e-mail signature line.

Know Employers

Want to really impress an employer? Show them this isn’t just another job application for you and that it isn’t the same thing you send everyone else. Make your potential employer feel special.

When they have the option of hiring four or five really good candidates out of 50-60 applications, they want to see something extra. They want to know you are truly interested in them.

Spend 15-30 minutes getting up to speed on them – visit their website, the social media pages, ask people who might know them about them, and check out their customer ratings and feedback (often easy to find online). Then call attention to one or two things so they can see you’ve done your homework – that you went that extra mile just for them.

Resume

There are lots of little things you can do with your resume. You don’t even have to do them all. You just need to look like you have done more than the average applicant.

I’ve read and written hundreds of dental hygiene resumes and doing just a few small things will really make you shine above most.

Consider the following: A nicer design/layout, a great functional style/format, succinct writing, a little color, and adding your photo.

Interview

This is your first impression I wrote about recently. Make it count by doing all the little things mentioned there.

But also know ahead of time how you will respond to challenging questions. And then a few other things such as, arrive a little early, send a thank you note after, know the number of the office you are going to in case you are going to be late, dress appropriately, and then of course interview etiquette of pacing, eye contact, and firm handshakes.

Dental Hygiene Resumes – One Page or Two?

September 12, 2014 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

One of the most common questions dental hygienists have about their resume is whether it should be one page or two.

For most professions, not just dental hygiene, the advice is the same: keep it to one page, with one exception. I’ll share that below.

Why only one page? Three reasons:

More likely to get read – It’s really simple. One-page resumes are much more likely to get read because they are not as long. In a saturated job environment, offices will get dozens of great applicants and so there simply isn’t time to get through two pages of that many resumes.
Not necessary – I’ve written hundreds of dental hygiene resumes and very very few of them needed that second page. No one ever got an interview because of what was on page two of their resume.
The type of resume – The most effective style of resume for dental hygienists is in a functional format, which is easier to keep shorter.

So, how do you keep it to just one page:

Use a Functional style of resume – That’s where you post your accomplishments, skills, and expertise in a section near the top just under the About Me section. That way you can avoid some redundancies of posting some of the same things under each job. Then for your work experience you only need to list each job and how long you worked there.
Only need to include the basics – You really only need to include four sections: About Me; Skills & Accomplishments; Work Experience; and Education.
Bullets and not paragraphs – The only place you should have a paragraph is in that opening About Me section. The rest of the resume is basically in list format (bullets and such).

So when are two pages justified?

Most dental hygienists spend their career working in a clinical setting, but some will get very involved on the component leadership level or to the point of contributing thought papers, articles, or research to the profession. For those, a second page can be justified to include all the “additional” contributions they make on top of their clinical experience.

Others might include experiences on the education or corporate side of dental hygiene, serving as instructors or sales reps. These types of experiences require some additional explanation and thus the second page may also be necessary. However, even hygienists in these situations should consider creating a second resume that focuses on this different part of their career.

Three Common Dental Hygiene Resume Errors

September 9, 2014 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

Nobody’s perfect, right? But your dental hygiene resume should be and and there are three common errors you should watch for when writing or editing your resume. Remember, employers look for any little difference in a tight job market and if you say in your cover letter you are “detail-oriented” and they see you made some basic errors on your resume, you could be toast!

So here’s the top three most common resume errors we see at GetHiredRDH, plus a really good tip for editing resumes.

1. Misspelled words

Spell check is a great invention, so pay attention to words and phrases that get flagged. But that’s not all – sometimes spell check won’t catch words that are misspelled for what you intend them for. These are called homonyms and homophones (example: sea and see; or meat and meet; or too and to).

2. Inconsistencies

Your resume should be consistent to look professional. Are your bullets all matching? Do you use the same typeface (font) and size throughout? How about at the end of bullet statements – do you use a bullet on some and others not? What about spacing between lines? How it all looks will say volumes about you – make sure what you say is completely consistent throughout your dental hygiene resume and other materials.

3. Properly Placed Tenses

We tend to keep our resumes for many years and as such when we come back to it after a period of time, sometimes tenses can be an issue if you are using a chronological resume. Chronological are the kind where you list your accomplishments and tasks below each job instead of in one section at the the top. Sometimes hygienists will get a new job, but their previous job makes it sound as though they still work there.

For example, you might still have a line that says something like “Oversee hygiene department of four dental hygienists” for a job you no longer work at. Change it to past tense, “Oversaw” to make it correct.

[Note: At GetHiredRDH we strongly recommend a Functional style of resume instead of Chronological as it saves space and is better suited for dental hygiene.]

Quick Editing Tip

A great editing tip for resumes (and writing in general) is the read your resume backward. Our brains tend to trick us into thinking words look okay (which is often why we make mistakes). When you read a resume backward you aren’t focused on the wording and flow and can more easily spot errors.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Dental Hygiene Job Seekers

September 3, 2014 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

Raise your virtual hand if you’ve read the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey? So what would the seven habits of highly effective dental hygiene job seekers be?

I read Covey’s book many years ago and it amazes me how the seven habits fit almost everything – including landing a dental hygiene job.

So, let’s talk about them from a dental hygiene job hunting perspective.

Habit 1: Be Proactive

Don’t let your job search happen to you – you should to happen to it. Don’t wait for job openings. Send postcards, drop in on offices so they can meet you, go to conferences and meetings, ask friends to help you out (almost everyone knows a dentist).

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

Define your dream job. Where is it? How many co-workers would you have? Thirty or sixty minute appointments? Full or part-time? Know what you want so you can avoid chasing what you don’t want. Don’t apply for jobs that are problematic – too many hours, too far away, too many bad reviews, etc.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

Look after your overall wellness. If you are compromised in your personal life – emotionally or physically – focus on you first. Landing a dental hygiene job takes time, preparation, patience, and focus. If you lack any of that your chances of success are diminished and you risk further health decline. Everyone goes through tough times – maybe all you need is a week or a few months away from the search – but recognize and take care of it, then return.

Habit 4: Think Win-Win

Too often job seekers forget that employers have specific needs, too. Offer yourself up as a win or solution to their problem. Acknowledge their problem (in your resume, cover letter, testimonial sheet, CAR sheet and other materials you use to market yourself) that you are a great solution.

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

The only way you are going to understand what their “problem” is (see habit four) is to do some homework. The answer to their problem isn’t to fill a job opening – they want a specific personality, a unique skill set or identifiable traits. Study the job announcement carefully, visit their website and social media pages, talk to people that know their office. Gather this information so you can speak their language and show you truly understand what they need.

Habit 6: Synergize

Read articles, talk to mentors, hire a job hunting coach, get help with your resume or other materials. Sure, you can go it alone if you want, but studies show those that get outside help have a better experience and find work faster.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Realize that each day is filled with ups and downs. Similar to Habit 3 you need to continually do things to help you get through the low points. Could be physical exercise, shopping with a friend, going to Church – anything that will help renew and refresh your overall outlook. That will project in how you interact with employers – they will see your optimism, confidence, and determination and seek to have you join their team.

Good and Bad Dental Hygiene Resume Filler

Dental Hygiene Job Searching is Small Stuff

Dental Hygiene Resumes – One Page or Two?

Three Common Dental Hygiene Resume Errors

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Dental Hygiene Job Seekers

Creating a Transitional Resume for a Dental Hygienist

Contact GetHiredRDH Now

Positive Resume Action Words

Passive vs. Active Writing

Positive Personality Adjectives

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