Dental hiring is quite the process and it forces you to go through piles of resumés so you can find the right person for the job. The issue is that people are not always honest and it can catch you off guard. Resumés are easy to embellish and some people even falsify them entirely. It’s pretty common for people to stretch the truth to make themselves look better on paper. But you know what they say… If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Because you are aware that people often lie about their qualifications, you must learn to identify the red flags. TempStars can save you a world of trouble and we can keep you from hiring the wrong person. To help you, here’s a list of the most common red flags of dental hiring you should be aware of.
4 Common Red Flags of Dental Hiring
#1 Employment Gaps and/or Too Many Jobs in a Short Time
When you’re reading a candidate’s resumé, you want to keep an eye out for employment gaps and/or an array of jobs in a short period. If you find gaps in their employment, you should ask about that. If they are honest about it and they explain that they took a break for a reason, that is a good sign. Sure, their skills will be a bit rusty, but that can be fixed with practice. However, if they avoid providing an explanation or they don’t have a good reason for those gaps, that’s a red flag. If they had multiple jobs in a short period, you have to wonder why they couldn’t make any of those jobs stick.
#2 They Stretch Their Abilities
It’s not uncommon for people to stretch their abilities in their resumé by being vague. For example, they can claim to be “dental software proficient” but that can mean they can make appointments but wouldn’t be able to enter a treatment plan or create insurance claims. When you hire someone that doesn’t have the right set of skills for the position, you have to spend more time and resources training them. Even then, you don’t have the certainty that they will perform at the required level. To avoid that, test the skills of the candidates on your shortlist before making an offer.
#3 They Embellish Their Education
Another common practice is education embellishment. Applicants may claim to have a Bachelor’s degree, but they didn’t actually complete more than 30 units of coursework. They may claim they majored in something, but the truth is that they didn’t complete their degree. When you’re checking the resumés of your candidates, you need to check official school records. If you don’t go through your due diligence, you are risking hiring someone who has inflated their education, so they may not be right for the job.
#4 Check References and Backgrounds
This is something that dental practices easily overlook, but checking a candidate’s references and background will allow you to avoid a bad hire very easily. Checking their references will help you determine if the applicant is telling the truth about the positions they’ve held in the past and you’ll get an idea of their performance in the workplace. Checking their background will help you keep your team and your patients safe, so it’s definitely a must. You can only trust your instincts to a certain extent, which is why you need to go the extra mile if you want to avoid a bad hire and everything that can mean for your dental practice.
The Importance of Avoiding Dental Hiring Mistakes
A bad hire can be incredibly draining for a dental practice. It can affect the existing team and create a bad environment in the workplace. When a new hire can’t deliver and do what’s expected of them efficiently, it will affect your entire practice and it will become a big issue.
Resumé fraud is very common, so you need to be aware of it and learn to identify it so you can avoid it. Often, dental practice owners consider outsourcing the entire process to a dental employment agency. However, they charge hefty fees for things you can do yourself. Not to mention that their pool of applicants can be limited.
If you do decide to go with a dental employment agency because you risk losing patients or you don’t want them to wait for care, make sure you read the agreement thoroughly. Another option that will allow you to avoid all the risks of the hiring process is to use job-matching platforms, which provide great advantages.
Don’t make dental hiring complicated. TempStars – dental temping an hiring service can help you avoid the listed red flags of dental hiring. Our revolutionary TempStars Job Board and Temping Board makes great matches for an exceptional dental match experience.
