Dental Job “Red Flags” That Aren’t Actually Red Flags

by | Feb 26, 2024 | Dental Assistant, Dental Hygienists, Dental Job, Dental Professionals, Fun! | 0 comments

While looking through the Dental Groups on Facebook, I stumbled across a post that seemed to be a long rant about dental practices you should be aware of.  It sparked a massive conversation among the hygienists that were in that group about all the “red flags” they see in job posts or during their interviews.  

It prompted me to write this post for my dental offices, so they could avoid sending out these red flags.  But it also occurred to me that my dental assistants, hygienist and front office dental personnel could be missing out on an awesome job because an office accidentally sent out one of these “red flags”.  Here are some red flags that aren’t actually red flags. 

And I know I said “red flags” way too much. Sorry. 

#1 The job posting says “Rockstar” 

There have been several viral posts about this. It is implied that if an office uses the term “rockstar” in their post that they are going to overwork you.  And I’m sorry but that is silly.  Most dentists or office managers feel like saying “Rockstar” might make their office seem cool.  That is it.

When you see a dental job posting that says they are looking for a rockstar, and you are a rockstar, then apply.  You can see during the working interview if they are going to overwork you or if that simply means they want someone fun to join their team.  It is most likely the latter. 

#2 The job posting is confidential

I do hate confidential jobs and I always strongly urge my offices to only post confidential if absolutely necessary.  

The red flag in this, is believed to be that the office is marking themselves confidential because they are trying to replace an employee without the employee knowing.  

Which is probably the case.  However, we don’t know the circumstances.  Maybe that employee is causing a lot of drama in the office or is not providing the patient care that they should.  

So if an office is marked confidential but the position has great pay and benefits, apply.  Then you can find out who the office is and why they are hiring.  From there you can decide to proceed with the interview. 

#3 Pay and benefits are not listed

Again, I always tell my offices to list their pay and benefits, as it greatly increases the amount of applicants. 

The suggested red flag here is that, if pay and benefits aren’t listed then they probably aren’t very good.  

In actuality, it is probably a dentist or office manager who posted the job in a rush and didn’t take the time to list them out.  

So apply to the job.  When they call to schedule an interview, ask about pay and benefits right over the phone.  You might be pleasantly surprised. 

#4 You have seen the job posting multiple times

Listen, this is the hardest market to hire that many doctors  have ever seen in their entire career.  Dental Assistants and Hygienists have left the industry by the thousands, leaving many dental offices struggling to hire. 

So don’t hold it against the office if you have seen their posting for a few months.  They might just be waiting for you to apply!

#5 The office hires you the same day

This ties in with reason #4.  With the shortage of professionals in the field, many offices have had their favorite applicant hired out from underneath them because their hiring process was too long.  

Dental offices are now making offers the same day as the working interview.  And they should.  Or else they may never see you again.  

If you like the office and they make an offer, accept!  In this industry, you will always be able to find another job if the one you accepted doesn’t work out.   

#6 Patient says that whenever they come in there is a new dental assistant or hygienist

If this happens, and the practice makes an offer to you,  I would definitely ask them to explain why their patient said that. 

It could be because of the recent difficulty in hiring. 

It could be because the person comes every 6 months, and the hygienist that was with them for 5 years, was out on maternity leave, so they had a temp and then the RDH moved out of state and now they are hiring. 

It could be a bad run of luck with assistants going back to school (happens a lot).

Could be many things, so just ask and see if they have a good answer. 

Also, ask to interview a current employee.  You can get a lot of information out of that.  

#7 Married couple running the practice together

This one hurt my feelings.  I run DirectDental with my husband.  And some of my favorite clients are husband and wife teams and they have many long standing employees. 

Please don’t let the fact that a husband and wife work together deter you from interviewing with a practice.  

Ask how long their employees have been with them and ask to speak to their longest standing employee.  Ask if the fact that the office is run by a husband and wife team causes any drama or difficulties in the office.  If not, then take the job.  It might just be the best two bosses you could ever have. 

I hope this post helps you to not miss out on a potentially awesome job.  These “red flag” postings on social media are fun, but remember, there are always two sides to every story.  If you are even slightly interested in a potential position then apply.  When they call you to schedule an interview, take that moment to ask all the questions you have about their job.  

If they answer the questions well, schedule that interview.  

If they don’t.  Then politely decline the position.  Simple as that. 

Smiles, 

Holli Perez

DirectDental

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