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7 Important 2016 Dental Hygiene Job Hunting Trends

January 4, 2016 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

Last Spring, Microsoft published an interesting report on attention spans. The results shouldn’t surprise – our focus is shrinking.

In 2000, research showed that the average human attention span was at about 12 seconds, but in 2013 that has dropped to a mere eight seconds (one second longer than a goldfish).

Keep this in mind as you try to grab the attention of potential employers. This weeks tips will help you do just that and give you an advantege over dental hygiene job seekers who don’t recognize and respond to these trends in 2016.

Keep Your Materials Brief

For clinical dental hygiene resumes, one page is plenty. Last year I wrote a couple hundred dental hygiene resumes for clients and only two or three of them were longer than a page. The feedback I get from clients and employers interviewing them is that the one page for a clinical resume is ideal. For those seeking academic positions or who have extensive types of experience, more can be necessary.

As for cover letters, testimonial sheets, and post-interview sheets, same rule applies: One page, and keep them succinct and to the point.

In general use an active style of writing and be stingy with your words.

Mobile-Ready

It’s also no secret that employers are increasingly using mobile devices for everything – that includes to read your resume and other materials. Make sure you are sending them your information in a format that looks good and is readable on iPhones and Android devices.

To me, the solution to that begins and ends with PDF files. If you don’t know how to save or create your resume and cover letter in a PDF format, then it’s important to learn. Most other file formats are going to present a potential problem for someone trying to open them on any computer and smartphone.

White Space

It might seem obvious, but white space is the space between the text and graphics on your document. There’s a little bit of an art to knowing how much is the right amount, but more is better because it appears cleaner and more organized, and it increases the likelihood someone will read all of your resume.

So instead of large, single-spaced blocks of text, give them 1.15 to 1.5 inches between. Pull your margins out to about .5 inches around the document to give yourself more room to work.

Grab Attention by Acknowledging their Problem

Every dental employer has a problem when they need to hire someone. They want or need something (usually several somethings) specific in a hygienist. They will often spell one or more of those out in their job posting.

Grab their attention by immediately acknowledging it it in your cover letter or e-mail message to them (if you are applying by email). In fact, try posing it as a question in your opening paragraph or e-mail for extra affect:

“Do you need a hygienist that treats your patients like family?”

You are the Solution to their Problem

Once you highlight their problem – offer yourself up as the solution:

“I have developed a great family-like relationship with my patients. And I believe I can do the same for you utilizing my gentle and personable nature that quickly wins them over.”

Show Them Organization

Dental employers want new hires who don’t just say they are organized, but show it. And they are beginning to connect the dots between what you give them in your resume and other materials as evidence of your organizational skills. By creating a neat and organized set of materials, you give a very strong indication that you will be this way on the job as well.

It’s one thing to say it, but quite different when your organization skills are on full display. So, don’t just create a resume, create a suite of materials that match or look similar to one another.

Confidence and Asking

One thing I have noticed is that many dental hygienists are timid or afraid to ask for things. That includes interviews and even the job itself. But employers are increasingly looking for confident employees to represent the practice. You don’t have to be arrogant, just self-assured.

To do that, remove words of doubt in your documents and in your interviews with them. That includes these words: kind of, maybe, sorta, possibly. Those words simply set the bar too low for you and employers will always gravitate to the potential employee that doesn’t use them.

In your cover letter, email messages, and postcards (if you create those), make sure you finish them with a confident and straight-forward call to action.

Something as simple as this:

Call me at 503-895-4340 for your next temping assignment, or

I look forward to discussing my qualifications with you further – you can reach me at 503-895-4340

Summary

2016 looks to be a great year as the economy continues to improve. But the dental hygiene job market is still saturated and so it’s important to keep up with the best tips when trying to land a great dental hygiene job.

Guaranteed Dental Hygiene Job Interviews

November 23, 2015 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

There is, of course, no way to guarantee a dental hygiene job interview. But, using this week’s tips will probably bring you as close as anything else out there.

I’ve written a lot about the specifics of creating job-seeking materials such as resumes, cover letters and so forth so they really stand out for you. Believe it or not you can do one more thing with those documents that gives you a leg up.

Most dental hygiene job seekers create a basic resume, send it off to job openings and cross their fingers. When everyone else is doing the same thing, it’s hard to stand out. So going the extra mile with your documents and then putting them all together to create an organized and creative package will almost guarantee you get an interview.

I call this a resume kit – a suite of documents (resume, cover letter, testimonial sheet, CAR sheet and business card) encased in a professional and even creative-looking package such as a folder or eye-catching clip.

Extra work? Extra time? Extra expense? Yes. Yes. And yes.

Employers believe the extra work, time and expense translates into an employee that will do more and be more on the job.

So let me share with you four key tips for creating a great resume kit.

Consistency

Make sure the design, fonts, colors, and paper are all in agreement with one another. The entire kit should look intentional – as though you carefully planned it all out. It should look like a family of documents.

Don’t Skimp

If your kit looks like you took the easiest path (cheapest paper, no color, standard font(s), little or no design) it won’t have the affect it could. Granted, it will be good, but not great.

So spend a little bit on paper, consider having your documents printed with a laser printer (either one you own or at an office supply store). And most important, invest some time or money into the design of your documents.

In-Person Delivery

There’s only one thing better than thoughtful resume kit and that’s a thoughtful resume kit that is hand-delivered to an office. Whether you are applying for a job or just sharing your materials without an opening, there’s no replacement for getting the chance to see the great person you are live and in the flesh.

Being able to meet the front office person and possibly others when handing them the resume kit completes the package so they can put your materials with your face and personality. It helps create and build on connections that are critical to you getting hired.

Holding it Together

Some will either paperclip or staple these documents together. That certainly works, but take it a step further and finish your resume kit with professional looking folder or some other binding that grabs attention and makes you look like you are organized. You can get a black (or other color) folder for about dollar each at any office supply store or online.

Summing it up

Again, this yet one more way to stand out and differentiate yourself from other job applicants. Going the extra mile requires a little bit of extra time, expense, and effort, but it’s what all but guarantees lots of job interviews and opportunities to land a great dental hygiene job.

Dental Hygiene Solution to an Employer Problem

July 8, 2015 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

Have you ever thought of yourself (a dental hygienist) as a solution to an employer’s problem – don’t be modest! You really are!

Every employer looking to hire someone has a big problem on their hands. Not only do they need to find a warm body, they need a good warm body. Someone that represents them well with patients and someone who can get along great with the existing staff and office culture.

You may think that because the dental hygiene job market is saturated that this is an easy problem to solve. And maybe in some areas and situations it is, but they can usually only hire one hygienist. So it still has to be a good decision or it may end up costing them lots of money. And they do leave little clues as to what kind of a solution they are looking for

So let’s put the ball back into your court and show you how to find those clues and communicate back to them the solution called YOU.

Where are the clues?

The best place to find what an employer needs in a good hygienist is in the job announcement itself. Read it very carefully because what they write as qualifiers is some of what they either really liked or disliked about the previous hygienist. There are two kinds of qualifiers “technical qualifiers” and “soft qualifiers.”

The technical qualifiers are things like “two years of experience” or “working knowledge of Dentrix.” Those are important, but often times are negotiable if the soft qualifiers are more significant. For example if you have two hygienists apply for the same job, one has experience with Dentrix, but is a little bit quiet or reserved and the other has no experience with Dentrix and is very personable and friendly, an employer will often overlook the lack of Dentrix experience feeling that they can train that, but can’t train someone to be “friendly.”

Separate out the technical and soft qualifiers into two different lists. Next, go to their social media pages and website to see what kind of feel you can get from reading their posts and information. How do they strike you? Are they all business or kind of a fun bunch? Write all of that down. Finally, think about any kind of personal connections you may have with the office – do you have friends who go there? Do you know someone who worked there at one time? If so, then chat with them about the office atmosphere and culture. They may even be a great reference for you – employers trust recommendations from someone they know many times over someone they don’t know.

Now that you have all this information, it’s time to sprinkle it into your materials and interview prep.

Resume
It’s okay to start with a generic dental hygiene resume you have created. Then for each new job you apply for, do a “save-as” and customize and file it for that specific job you are applying for.

Ensure your resume addresses the office’s problem. This may mean swapping out some lines in favor of different information or re-ordering how it displays to ensure they see it. Pay specific attention to the “About Me” section (sometimes called “Summary” or “Objective”). This may be a good place to insert some keywords they use in their job announcement or that you see in other places that seem to be unique to that office. But there are other places throughout the resume where you can make unique.

You may even want to omit some information from your resume if you feel it either doesn’t apply to the specific job or may be detrimental.

Cover Letter
Your cover letter is probably the main document you will want to customize. I recommend a sentence that acknowledges what they are looking for, using the same words they use and then using the sentences/paragraphs beneath it to talk about how you are the solution to that and more. I wrote about cover letters here.

For example, “From your advertisement, I see you are seeking someone who is detail-oriented, flexible, and can handle stressful situations.” And then further down is something like “Co-workers have applauded me for my organizational skills and how I am able to adjust and handle all different kinds of personalities and situations.”

Testimonial Sheet
I’ve written a lot about my recommendation that you keep short (1-5 sentences) testimonials from patients, co-workers, and employers and then place them on a Testimonial Sheet. If you have lots of these then you have the luxury of hand-selecting the ones you give to the employer, based on the specific things they are looking for. If they want someone who “goes the extra mile” then give them a quote from a former patient who said you “go the extra mile.”

Make it a routine habit to gather these throughout your career – you can’t have too many. Then, when you are seeking new employment, you can choose the ones that best fit each job opening.

CAR Sheet
I’ve also written about CAR Sheets – CAR stands for Challenge – Action – Resolution. Think of it is a micro case study, where in just 3-5 sentences you write about a problem, the action you took, and how it was resolved. You can read more about CAR Sheets here.

Similar to Testimonial Sheets you can pick and choose the best examples of your work and assemble a CAR Sheet that addresses the specific solutions a potential employer needs.

Interview
Finally, if you get an interview, this is your opportunity to really hammer home the key problems that office needs to address in a hygienist. First, empathize with them about it and then reinforce you as the solution through a great example from your experience.

For example: “It’s tough to lose a great hygienist as they become almost like family. It’s been hard for me to leave jobs over the years as I really miss working with my co-workers and the synergy we created, but the upside is you get the opportunity to still hire a great new hygienist and have new experiences together.”

I know I sound like a broken record when I say it every week – but standing out, doing things different than other job applicants is what gets you hired. Doing this kind of work to create a more customized response to employers is truly what makes you stand out and appear different. It’s worth taking the time so that your job search is over and done in a matter of weeks as opposed to months and even years.

How Others Will Help You Land a Dental Hygiene Job + Free Download

March 18, 2015 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

Question: What’s better than a dental hygiene resume and cover letter that talk about how great you are?

Answer: Information you can give employers from others talking about how great you are as a dental hygienist.

Consider the following research on consumer behavior toward products:

78% of consumers trust peer recommendations
81% of customers reach out to friends and family members on social networking sites for advice before purchasing products.
59% of consumers say user-generated product reviews have a significant impact on their buying behavior.

These examples apply to the job market as well. Simply put, employers put greater value in what others say about you. In psychology it’s called third-party validation, and it’s a powerful influencing tool – you probably use it to help educate your patients as well.

Third-party validation for job seekers can come in three forms that you create. However, keep in mind, employers are seeking third-party validations more and more from acquaintances they share with you and the Internet – finding information from others about you without you knowing. But let’s just focus today on the three ways you create:

The traditional letter of reference
Information for a “live” reference
A third sheet you give to employers that we have called a “Testimonial Sheet”

All of these are really important, and fairly easy to get over the course of your career.

So, let’s talk about each one of them, including how to get them, and then at the end I want to give you today a FREE template to get started on a Testimonial Sheet.

[Resume Service]

Letters of Reference

Letters of reference are a typed letter – usually from an employer, but could also be from a co-worker, patient, or someone else who knows about your professional performance.
The letter will first talk about how the person came to know you, then be filled with some sentences and paragraphs about the work you did and how well you performed.
They often are “glowing” and hopefully give an indication of what a new employer could expect when they hire you.
Like any other letter, there are some mechanical things such as being printed on the company letterhead, dated, and signed.
Letters of reference are typically only given to an employer upon request.
Don’t be shy about asking employers for them, because you can use them for a variety of things (not just job changes).
Some employers will ask you to write it. Take them up on that offer – they still have to agree to it and sign at the bottom (so it’s no unethical).
If you have a professional website (we create those for hygienists), post them on it.

Live References

A live reference is a person an employer could call and talk to about you.
You should always be prepared to offer up two or three individuals who are familiar with your work as live references.
The best candidates for this would be an employer or supervisor, but also acceptable are co-workers and possibly others familiar with your work (possibly a sales rep or person you volunteered with). Friends and family, though easier to obtain, are usually not acceptable. I would even avoid submitting a friend or family member you work with.
You absolutely must talk to your live references ahead of time so they aren’t caught off guard when they get a call. Even if they know you really well, they won’t feel or sound prepared to talk about it and I have seen them turn into disasters.
Not only should you give them advance warning, it’s also a good idea to get your ducks in a row – meaning prep them about what you both agree would be some key points to touch on.
Some hygienists will put a line on their resume that says “References Available Upon Request,” which could mean either live or paper references. Some will even actually list them (name and phone number). That’s okay if you need to fill up space, but it’s otherwise unnecessary.

Testimonial Sheet

A testimonial sheet is a series of quotes from employers, co-workers, patients, or others familiar with your work.
The testimonial sheet should be submitted with your cover letter and resume as a third one-page document when applying for a job.
It’s best if you can combine a mixture of quotes from people in different roles. In other words, not have quotes from only co-workers or only patients – mix it up.
These quotes would ideally be between one and three sentences (shorter means an employer is more likely to read them).
Quotes should include at least the first name of the person you are quoting, and a date when they said or wrote it would be great to include also.
The sheet is one page and one side and includes your contact information at the top.
Include quotes that say different things about you, not just the same basic thing.
Gather as many quotes from people as you possibly can, and pull them from your letters of reference. The more you have to choose from the better the testimonial sheet you can craft.
Collect them through out your career. Make it a point to ask for them anytime someone seems really pleased with your work. I have a personal goal to get at least four new ones per year.
Like letters of reference, you should also include quotes on your personal website. You can see a website I built for a client and her testimonials here.

Get Started

Even if you are 15, 25 or 35 years into your career as a hygienist, it’s not too late to start gathering third-party validation. Trust me, it will come in very handy if you should find yourself looking for work.

To help you out, I am going to include a FREE download here of a testimonial sheet template you can use that is formatted for Microsoft Word on a PC: Testimonial Sheet Template (Word). Here’s a PDF version that is not editable, but at least allows you to see what it looks like: Testimonial Sheet Template (PDF)

Getting Dental Hygiene Employers to Know Like and Trust YOU

January 7, 2015 By Doug Perry, Dental Hygiene Resume Coach

Getting a potential employer to decide to hire you may seem daunting. But it’s really just a matter of helping them begin to know, like and trust you.

Credibility is one of the key forces behind the know-like-trust factor so it’s worth doing a few extra things in your job search to strengthen your credibility.

Here’s five suggestions, above and beyond your resume and job interviews, to create and build credibility with potential employers (as well as peers).

[Website Service]

1. Testimonials

If you only do one of these five things, let it be this. Over the course of your career gather letters of reference and testimonials from employers, co-workers and patients. You don’t have to ask everyone, but as you receive pats on the back, be they verbal or in writing, save them!

Keep a file of them and add them to a testimonial sheet that can accompany your resume whenever you apply for a job. Also, very seriously consider launching a website for yourself (a real .com address you can keep updated and ready for a new job hunt). We provide this service pretty inexpensively and can even show you how to keep it updated, including adding testimonials as the occur.

2. CAR Information

I’ve written previously about also keeping a CAR (Challenge Action Result) Sheet. This is documentation that you have experienced real-life, challenging situations, knew what action to take, and ended up with a positive result. Stories are powerful persuasion tools and the cool thing is you can use them in writing (on a CAR Sheet or website) or during a job interview – both are great platforms for establishing credibility.

3. Social Media (your own site and others)
There are several social media platforms you can use to build professional credibility.

Two great ones are Facebook and LinkedIn, but there are also ways to do it on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and others. I’ll suggest the former two as they are the ones I am most familiar and comfortable with.

Both platforms allow you to create a professional profile for yourself (basically your resume information). Even if you prefer not to expose the world to your personal Facebook page you can a professional page that is separate and only shows your dental hygiene self. LinkedIn is well established as the career social media site.

And both platforms allow you to join professional groups where you can co-mingle with other hygienists, dentists, assistants, front office personnel, and others in the dental field. But don’t just create a profile and abandon it, participate – share articles, share opinions, share your expertise. This is how you build your reputation, by simply showing up and participating.

When people see who you are behind the comments (your profile), that’s when the credibility-building (and networking) becomes magical. If you approach your networking with genuine-ness and helpfulness, and avoid complaining or gossiping, your credibility will soar.

I had a client tell me today she used LinkedIn to reach out and contact dentists in her area and actually landed an interview that way.

4. Association or Component Participation
A great way to get to know people is by serving them, and serving with them. Your local chapter of ADHA or CDHA, or even ADA are an incredible way to do this. Don’t just join the organization, get involved. If you only have an hour a week to put into it, that’s okay – offer it up to chapter leadership and see where that takes you.

Most associations would love to have someone come forward offering a little bit of their time. And in that process you will meet peers and other professionals that will see you as more than the average hygienist.

5. Written Contributions
There are numerous dental hygiene trade publications and blogs you may already be a subscriber to. Not only should you consume their information/articles you should participate in their comment section (assuming their publication is offered online). This too can offer you some big-time professional exposure.

And if you have an interest in research and writing, request an opportunity to submit an article of your work. Not only will you gain some exposure with your peers, you will also have some great content to share on your resume, profile page, or professional website that will make you shine like the tip of a new 11/12 scaler (okay, lame metaphor, but you get the point :-).

7 Important 2016 Dental Hygiene Job Hunting Trends

Guaranteed Dental Hygiene Job Interviews

Dental Hygiene Solution to an Employer Problem

How Others Will Help You Land a Dental Hygiene Job + Free Download

Getting Dental Hygiene Employers to Know Like and Trust YOU

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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