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The interview process can be a two-headed monster in the dental practice. It is at the
same time extremely important to the success of your business and potentially quite annoying in
the face of a busy clinical day. Of course, being able to assign the responsibility to a trusted
office manager is ideal in terms of freeing up the doctor to be more productive but it does come
with its limitations. The doctor should be ultimately responsible for the decision of whom to hire
in the practice, so it would behoove us to have a firm understanding of the path of questioning
involved in our interviews. To assist with this in our practice, we have prepared a list of
questions to put forth in the hygienist, dental assistant and front office management position
interviews. We also utilize a pre-established list of questions in which to ask a candidate’s
references.
When we come armed with standardized questions for our interviewees, we not only ensure that we are well prepared and resistant to omissions but also capable of matching data
from candidate to candidate. Taking the guesswork out of the interview process yields more
reliable hiring and reduced stress in the office during a taxing day of dentistry. Many dentists
would agree that staff hiring, training and management are the greatest sources of challenge in
our profession. We can go a long way to help our businesses run smoothly and efficiently by
hiring right the first time. Employing an objective routine during staff interviews is imperative to
this end.
Our Dental Employee Interview and Reference Questions list is available for immediate download purchase. This list is also available on our Dental Practice Management Tools CD along with many other great resources.
Great article, Dr. Logan! I would like to add, as I have conducted countless interviews for dental staff, that a list of questions is a good start but it is only the tip of the iceberg. Clients for whom I provided business services for years, and who I now coach, still ask me to come and perform job interviews for them. With my coach’s ear I ask questions specifically designed to ascertain attitude, initiative, desire to learn, openness to ideas, ability to get along with others, whether they want a career vs. just a job, and respect for their (your) profession. These questions separate the wheat from the chaff very quickly. I am a firm believer that listening with a skilled ear to ANSWERS is far more valuable to every dentist than the questions they ask!