Thank you all for keeping up with my posts on this blog. If you have questions please comment or email me and I will post the answer.

Thanks!

Christian

Yes, I said it, KEEPING your job now is as important as getting a job. I spoke to a highly qualified dental assistant TODAY that was let go because she was “overpaid”. The office was downsizing… In this economy the rules are changing!

So for all the VETERAN dental assistants out there getting paid what they are worth, you now have something to worry about….the new, underpaid dental assistant just trying to find a job!

You can no longer work idle and expect everything to stay the same. If YOUR practice is not growing, or even shrinking, then you need to make it clear you are part of the solution. Show your dedication to growth, selling dentistry, and turning this trend around. It is a business afterall, and the old saying “from nothing comes nothing” now is grounds for dismissal.

Learn all about what you can do to make yourself an essential part of your office and keep your job.

Keep smiling,

Dr. Chris

PS: Still the best value on the internet, The SUCCESSFUL DENTAL ASSISTING MANUAL gives you all the info needed to make a difference as a dental assistant and KEEP YOUR JOB!

Here is a recent resume posted on this site in the comment section. After everything I posted, how is this any different than all the other resumes sent out daily? Would you feel excited to meet this applicant? You need to make your resume stand out. This is a competitive environment and the traditional resume just does not make it to the top of the pile anymore.

Name deleted
Phone -xxx-xxx-6693
Email: name deleted@yahoo.com

Objective: Position at the Dental office with the opportunity to utilize training, expertise and experience to work as a Dental Assistant

Professional Experience:

Dental Assistant somewhere, VA Nov 2010 – Present
• Expose digital panoramic radiographs, FMS X-rays
• Electronic Periodontal charting, assisting in scaling
• Knowledge on Dentrix dental software

Dental Assistant internship somewhere, LLC, MD June 2010 – Nov 2010

• Prepare and arrange instruments, dental materials; cements, amalgam, composite, impression materials, etc
• Promptly follow all instructions from the Dentist dealing with patient comfort
• Expose, develop and process dental X-rays and maintain x-ray machinery
• Perform required laboratory procedures, i.e., take dental impressions, pour plaster modals, etc
• Maintain dental equipment and operatories in good, clean condition at all times and maintain the instruments and working areas in strict accordance with sterilization/disinfection protocols as per OSHA guidelines.
• Maintain personal protection per OSHA guidelines as it pertains to personnel safety, i.e., protective clothing, eyewear and gloves
• Excellent communication skills needed to follow verbal and written instructions, and great ability to understand technical and pharmaceutical terminology
• Deep sense of punctuality, accuracy, efficiency and professionalism

Education:

Diploma in Dental Assistant somewhere, Arlington, VA
2009 – 2010

General Courses somewhere, Takoma Park, MD
2008 – 2009

Microsoft Office somewhere, Silver Spring, MD
2007-2008

Diploma General Agriculture somewhere, somewhere, Ethiopia
1992-1993

Professional Affiliations:

C.P.R Certified
2010-2012

Work Experience:

Parking Attendant PENN Parking Attendant somewhere, MD January 2010 – Present Customer Service

References provided upon request

So, you are sending out resumes and interviewing but not getting any bites. You are getting frustrated as every dental office is either not hiring or “will get back to you“. What are you doing wrong?

If you read the successful dental assisting manual but still are not having any luck, there is something that might make you the next “must have employee”…

Dental offices are looking for neat, professional dental assistants. We all want “a team player”, and we all want experience. What if you have no experience? HOW do you get your foot into the door? How do you get to work for the dentist and prove that you can do the job?

Well, here is a little secret. Most dentists are not very good with social networking, but you are!

Facebook, Twitter, and all the new social networking sites that are emerging daily are the next frontier. We, as dentists, know we need to be in them, market ourselves in them, but we do not know how. Until we met YOU. Yes, you are a dental assistant, but what if one of your passions and expertize is social networking? What if you can create and manage a facebook fan page? That would make you an incredible asset!

So, brush up on your social networking skills. Make this “passion” of yours stand out on your resume. Make sure you mention it in your interview, and explain to the dentist how you would love to manage the social networking aspect of the practice while being an assistant. Let’s see if this gets you the job!

All the best and good luck

A new year, a new beginning. Do you hate your job? Don’t like your boss? Can’t stand your co-workers? Well, there is no better time than now to make a change.

Here is a checklist for your job hunt:

1. Get a good, professional picture taken. Smile.
2. Brush up your resume. Check this article so you know how to make a “good” one: RESUME
3. Identify what you are looking for in your perfect office. Is it work hours? Salary? Nice staff? All of the above? Do not settle.
4. Draw a radius on a map of how far you are willing to drive for this office.
5. Now begin the hunt!

Finding an office in your radius is not easy. More on this shortly. But, to get you started, look at AACD accredited dentists, they hold themselves and their staff to a higher standard. This usually results in a better work environment, higher pay and higher job satisfaction!

Keep Smiling,

Christian

I have talked about how critical it is that you have a “unique” and “different” resumes many times. Well, you need to be noticed. Dental assistant resumes usually are so boring and “clinical”. We, as dentists, like to see creativity as well and are always looking for someone to add a little “flare” to our practice.

Here is a link to an article written by my “product designer” from Hahn Unlimited, one of my other companies.

Enjoy!

RESUMES THAT GET YOUR ATTENTION

Every dentist has his pet peeves.  Here are a few of mine:

1. Facebook: Yes, I have a facebook account, but you do not need to check your status every hour. How much time is wasted on facebook each day? Also, don’t post things about your practice online…you never know who your friends are connected to, and it does not look good if you complain about your hard day.

2. Dirt:I know it is my office, not yours, but I see the dirt just as much as you do, and if I need to pick up that hair on the floor or clean the dirty mirror then it makes you, the assistant look bad. Too many of these incidents and asta la vista assistant.

3. Priorities:Life is full of decisions. You need to now what is important and what is urgent. Don’t have the new patient wait in the reception room while you load all the old instruments into the sterilizer. That can wait. We have plenty of instruments and a statim. The new patient experience is critical!  Get your priorities straight.

Happy assisting!

We are heading for a new horizon…

The dental assisting forum is now open! Just click the “forum” link in the top navigation menu to find it.

Don’t be shy, express your opinion freely. This is your forum to ask questions, post comments and find other dental assistants like yourself!

A good dental assistant follows all the rules and lives up to the dentists expectations. A great dental assistant exceeds them!
Today I want to mention a few essentials that dental assistants must do consistently to catch the attention of the dentists, and the patients:

• Keep a Sterile Field: This is critical. If you need to open a drawer, move the mouse on the computer, or pick something up, then take off your gloves! There is nothing worse than watching your patient watch the assistant open a drawer to get something out with her dirty gloves. This is not the way towards getting a raise!
• Keep Learning: You need to continue to improve while assisting. Don’t just sit there and dream. Move! Clean the area, whip the patients face, hand instruments even if they are wrong, clean the instruments before handing them, communicate with the patient. Energy! You need to radiate positive energy. You are an “assistant” not a suction machine.
• Watch for Things to Clean: Here is a little trick I have used for a while during interviews for new assistants. My staff would drop a crumbled piece of paper on the floor where you cannot miss it in the hallway. Then I would walk down the hallway with the interviewing assistant, right past the obvious piece of paper. Few pick the piece of paper up, but those are the assistants that I move along in the interview process, the rest don’t get a call back. To work for an office like mine you need to be extraordinary! That is why offices like mine pay great and are top practices! So, even if you already have a job, pick up trash, clean the screen on the patient light, check the mirror for fingerprints before handing it to the patient. These little things make a huge difference!

Enjoy this great profession! Go the extra mile and you will be rewarded, I promise.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=G168yguA-Xc

Jobs for Dental Assistants are hard to find right now, just like in all other professions. You can’t just send in your resume and hope for a call-back, or show up unprepared for an interview. If you find a job opening then you must know what it takes to snag that job!

I was offering a dental assistant job myself last year and was surprised at how many resumes I received. A simple Craigs List advertisement resulted in dozens of dental assistants calling me, emailing me and sending me resumes. How did I decide which dental assistant to hire?

The vast majority of dental assistants that contacted my office obviously did not read the “highest paid dental assistant manual”. It was apparent within the first 20 seconds that these assistants would not fit into my practice. Here are just a few mistakes these assistants made with my dental office:

1. Resumes were photocopies without any personal touch

2. Some dental assistants showed up to interview for my cosmetic dental practice wearing animal print scrubs

3. Some dental assistants never stopped telling me during the interview “all about themselves”

4. Some dental assistants immediately talked about salary

5. Some dental assistants questioned their own experience in front of me

6. Some dental assistants did not smile or had horrible teeth! This is a “smile” profession, you must smile!

There are many more ways to blow a resume delivery or interview, and I saw them all! So many dental assistants looking for a job yet so few know how to actually get a job!

In this tough environment you can not risk mediocrity. You must stand out! That is why I started this blog in the first place. I hope this helps in your job or salary hunt!

Keep smiling,

Christian Hahn