Dental Assistant Jobs

Times are tough, there is no question about it.  Everyone is feeling the pinch.  Dentistry is one of the least affected professions, yet still, overhead needs to be controlled and the business needs to be profitable.  So, you wonder, is my job secure?  Maybe…

The person who keeps their job is the one that the dentist/office can’t function without.  You need to make yourself “special”.  Do you sell the big cases?  Do you build relationships with all the patients and make them referr new ones?  Are you the happy smiley face that everyone loves to see everyday?

This is not the time to expect anything.  Be reasonable.  Ask what you can do to help the dentist get through this tough time.  Bend over backwards, don’t just go with the flow.  Every patient that comes to the office now is essential, treat them that way. 

If you had issues that need to be resolved, do it quickly.  In other words, has the dentist talked to you about things they wanted you to work on?  You better be on top of that.  Dress sharp, smile, build relationships with the patients and be a team player.  Those who sit around, play on the internet, don’t talk to patients, dress poorly and have a poor attitude will be asked to leave.  Dentists are people as well.  We do not want to let people go, but if we have to, then we always keep the core team that we love to see each day.

This too will pass, as someone in my youth used to always tell me…

It has taken a while, but soon the manual I am writing will be completed!  Over the last year I have researched what is available for someone looking to be the best dental assistant they can be, and I found nothing.  You can buy all sorts of books on the subject of salary, interviews, you name it, but nothing specifically helps dental assistants.  If you are like me then you want a short to-the-point how to manual rather than a novel.  If you are looking for the spelling of a specific word, do you need to know how all the other words are spelled?  This manual specifically addresses dental assistants and helps them get a better salary or/and job. 

• Increase your salary
• get the job you want
• get an interview
• get more benefits

Check back for a link to the manual soon!

There are so many websites out there just copying and pasting articles, information and advice.  So I wanted my readers to know that there is a real live dentist behind this site! Yes, I am Dr. Christian Hahn and I have written everything you read about dental assistant salaries, jobs, and any other advice you get from this site. Everything is based on my experience working with some of the best dental assistants in the field. So, all the information is new and specifically geared towards your profession!

You can read more about me on my personal website in the blogroll on the right. Yes, I have a real job and practice dentistry daily! I have hired and interviewed countless assistants. But more importantly, I have taken the time to talk to many of my successful collegues about this subject and have put together a plan for dental assistants to succeed at their profession.

You may ask why would you do this? Well, it is simple. Good dental assistants are very hard to come by. And I am not talking just good at assisting. There is a huge market for dental assistants that want to be different, and I only hire those assistants that fit into that category. As it turns out, most of my dentist friends do the same, and they are mostly the highly successful kind that have offices you want to work in. So, how do you work with one of those dentists? Well, that is what this site is all about. 

So, look around, follow the blog, see what you can learn. I even try to answer questions! Soon I will post the manual I have been talking about which will put all this information and much more into a simple format.

It will be a while until my Dental Assistant specific job interview and salary   guide is completed - I want it to be perfect!  Interviewing dentists and creating the mastermind document may take a while.  So, you don’t want to wait until this resource is done.  What do you do to get the salary or pay raise you want NOW?  Or, your job interview is next week, you can’t wait, where do you turn? I have found a few guides that I used in the past that work great and listed them below:

Here are the resources you can use for now that will most certainly give you an edge in the market.  You are more than welcome to contact me with any questions, comments, or suggestions regarding these - heck, even better, leave a comment here on the blog for everyone else, I have opened the comment section now!.  The information is wonderful and applies to many different occupations!

• Amazing Cover Letters - This is a very good resource.  I learned A LOT from this guide!  Worth its weight in gold.
• How to Ask for a Pay Raise - Another good resource, but here the focus is on pay raises.  

The information in the two above resources in invaluable!  I have learned a long time ago that nothing comes from nothing.  If you do nothing, then nothing changes.  You have to educate yourself and that can only be done by learning from others.  I would not be where I am today if I had not attended hundreds of continued education hours and seminars. I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on my education which has paid dividends way above that. Spend a little money to make a lot…it only makes sense.

Alright, I am going to give you 5 of the most important things you need to know BEFORE you go to your job interview.  You can get all kind of information on the internet, but information overload is a killer.  Before you go to your job interview there are a few things you must be prepared for or you may be better staying home. These are my 5 favorites, as a cosmetic dentist, not necessarily what you would read in some standarized article.

1. EVERYTHING about the position you are applying for.  In other words, be prepared to answer questions about your duties as a dental assistant.  Now, to impress the dentist, always drop some other talents you have into the mix when given the opportunity.  I really like to hear assistants tell me they are well versed in marketing (both traditional and web 2.0). [click to continue...]

This is the blog post that helps you find a better paying dental assistant job than the one you currently have.  It is more simple than you think.  If you do not enjoy what you are doing, feel unappreciated, not part of the team, and not to forget, are not making enough money, what can you do?  Well, first you need to figure out a few things.  I can not discuss all scenarios, but here is a common one that I encounter:

You have been working for an office for quite some time.  Everything seems to work fine, but there really are no systems in the office that help you know what you need to be doing.  You have not had a review, ever, and it feels that if you don’t say or do something, nothing will ever change.  So, let me help you.  Yes, most of the time, if you do nothing, then nothing will change! 

Most dental practices lack the following:

• Clear system telling you what happens when (such as raises, benefits, reviews)
• A strong leader (no, not a monarchy or tyrany, a strong leader is something completely different)
• Someone that makes sure that the systems are followed (most offices will have an OSHA person, someone that orders, someone that answers the phone - but who makes sure the office systems that are designed to protect the employee and further their growth are followed?)
• Someone strong enough to say something

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Thank you all for your responses, I have received too many questions about salary and job related issues to answer here.  I wish I could answer everyone, but hopefully my answers to some of who will help others as well.  I will create a FAQ in the material that I am working on that should answer all the questions I can think of!

First, I think it is almost funny that since I launched this post, MSN decides to run an article “Five Surprising Salaries” (by Anthony Balderrama), which kind of shows the difference in salary in real life.  I think paramedics should definitely be paid more, they save lives on a daily basis…  Regardless, dental assistant salaries can vary significantly depending on many (most under you control) variables, and it can be quite a surprise how little and how much a dental assistant can make!

Now, here are some guidelines for some of the e-mail I have received:

1.  Jennifer:  If your back and hands are hurting, then you need to strongly consider the fact that dental assisting is hard on your neck, shoulders and back.  Orthodontic assistants do not always have as much strain, but it still can wear you down.

[click to continue...]

So you want to get a new dental assistant job… maybe you just graduated from the dental assistant clinic, or you are working in an office that you just don’t like.  Regardless, the process is usually the same - scan the classified section of your local newspapers for a job listing or, if you are technologically inclinded, you may even check the internet.

This week a dentist friend of mine decided to hire a new assistant.  Adding an assistant is different than replacing one, so for this article we are going to discuss a little on both.  This is the typical approach dentists take to find a new assistant:

• Place an advertisement in the local newspaper classified section.  This costs a lot of money for just a single ad.  My dentist friend placed a simple ad for one sunday and paid just over $800!  This is rediculous, but reality for us dentists.
• Some dentists will then let their supply representatives know they are looking for a new dental assistant.  This is actually a good thing and can be very successful.  Cost is zero!

Now after the ad has run, usually a dentist will receive dozens of resumes!  This always is a complete surprise to me as I never thought there were that many dental assistants looking for jobs!  Most have to be currently working and looking for a better position.

My friend quickly went through the resumes and eliminated most (this is critical, you need to know how to get your resume into the keepers pile)!  Now the fun part begins - calling the assistants and scheduling face to face interviews.  When I hire an assistant, I usually know within the first 60 seconds if they have what it takes to work with me (actually, it may even be less then that).  And no, it is not entirely based on looks!  If you know what it takes to get the job in 60 seconds or less, then you are golden.

Now if you are lucky, you will get a call-back on your resume, and a call-back after your interview, and then you get to see what the “offer” is…

There is a better way.  This is what this site is all about.  Here is a quick tip to get you started: 

Quick tip #1:  You hold all the cards.  Once you know what most dentists are looking for in a dental assistant, then the interview is really there for you to see if you want to work for the dentist, rather than the other way around!  Getting a dental assistant job and the salary plus benefits you like is easier than you think.  How you approach the interview is one of the most important parts of the whole process!

To learn more about Dr. Hahn, please check the ABOUT page above.  There is a link to a youtube video of Dr. Hahn performing a smile makeover.  Please help spread the word by linking to this page if you feel the information is helpful!  Thank you