Do you like working with quality or successful co-workers and employers? Who wouldn’t, right? I mean the opposite has no appeal. But how do you find and align yourself with them?

First, you have to identify them. And as many of you know, that can be the hardest part. But that means you have to accept that not every job opening is worth pursuing. You need a good filter.

This might seem like we’re getting picky about who we work for. I recognize not everyone is in that position, but I hope everyone gets there. Because we spend a huge chunk of time working and it’s important to work in places you are happy.

Today, let’s talk about the ways to filter out crappy jobs or employers.

Questions

If you aren’t satisfied with your current employer, then ask yourself what an ideal employer is. Is it an office that’s five minutes from your house? Is it a certain pay range? What about benefits? What are the boss or co-worker dynamics like? What’s your ideal approach to serving customers? Do you need to be challenged in some way?

You should also ask yourself if there are things you are willing to compromise on from that list. Ranking them from most to least important to help with that.

Discovery

Now that you have a good list of what you want from an employer, let’s find them. I would begin by listing out all the companies you are aware of or have some experience with. Maybe you have used them, or maybe you have a friend that works there. Or maybe they just have a great reputation.

With that list of offices, how do each one of them stack up in terms of your ideal office – those questions you prioritized earlier? Where are they strongest and/or where might they be lacking? You may get the sense that no office is perfect. And that’s okay, it shouldn’t discourage you. Businesses morph over time, dynamics change.

The next part of this phase is for you to determine how you can begin to connect with that company. The most obvious way is to see what job openings they have and send a resume. But you are in this for the long haul. So, develop some strategies for connecting with the people who work there.

There are lots of ways to do this but I will list a few here to get you going:

• Use LinkedIn and Facebook to connect with key personnel
• Buy their products and create a written or video testimonial that you post publicly and tag them in to see
• Go to conferences where they are exhibiting or speaking and connect with them there
• Send out a postcard to key personnel marketing yourself as their next new hire
• Connect with a friend who is friends with key personnel there, and ask for an introduction

This is just a short list. There are lots of other ways to do it. But the point is that quality jobs require proactive measures. You can’t wait for them to call on you.

As you establish connections, keep a list of the companies up to date in a file. Who you know from there or have met. What proactive steps you have taken, and where do they rank in terms of dream jobs.

Marketing

It’s time to execute on the strategy. Because you have put in that upfront work and have an actual list of companies and people you want to target, you have saved yourself lots of time.

Be strategic in how you connect, when you connect, and who you connect with. You will find it hard to make solid connections with some over social media, or that perhaps one company is going through a hiring freeze. That will slow your progress on those fronts but you have others you are working on, too.  So it’s important to keep your plans nimble and flexible.

Now you can begin to unleash your marketing strategy. Some of the ideas mentioned in the Discovery section above are a great start. But think outside the box of what might work for you. Get creative. Have fun with it. Involve others.

One More Tip

One final tip to help you align yourself with successful or quality dental offices. This is going to seem kind of strange at first, but hang in there with me.

It’s called GRATITUDE!

What does gratitude have to do with making yourself more attractive to quality employers?

Recently, Templeton Foundation published a study indicating that 94% of women and 96% of men agree that “a grateful boss is more likely to be successful.”

Gratitude is overwhelmingly a characteristic we all view as a measure of success. It’s a trigger, a strength. So what does that mean for you? It means, that if you can clearly demonstrate your own “skill” of gratitude you will be viewed as successful, and thus an attractive candidate.

Obviously, there are other qualities you need to demonstrate, but this one seems to be pretty universal.

How do you clearly show gratitude? Hopefully, it’s instinctive, but if it isn’t it’s important to clearly show it to drive home the point. Here are a few instances and ways.

• When you first meet for your interview – thank them.“You probably have many candidates to consider, so thank you for including me.”
• When you talk about your experiences, give people kudos or credit (not just all you). “I owe a lot of my success to the hard work the front office, assistants, and boss put in.”
• When you talk about your career. “I’ve been very fortunate to associate with great customers and employers. They’ve made my career a wonderful experience.”
• When you leave the interview, thank them again. “It was great to meet you – thank you for giving me the chance to share with you my experiences.”
• After the interview, send a thank you letter. “I appreciate the opportunity it was to learn more about your office and the great work you do.”

These kinds of statements, even though they have nothing to do with your skills, create a positive buzz or energy about you that is hard to miss. If you leave an employer with that kind of feeling, it will be very difficult to dismiss your candidacy or not want to help you succeed in landing a job.

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Doug Perry is an expert resume writer and job search coach. He and his wife, Tracie, who is a dental hygienist, created GetHiredRDH in response to the challenging dental hygiene job market and have helped thousands of dental hygienists through tips and individual services. If you need individual, click here to contact Doug.