You are actively looking for work. You spend your evenings and weekends scouring the job boards looking for the Dental Assistant Job or Dental Hygienist job that works with your location, schedule and offers the pay and benefits you need to live your best life.
But even though you are actively applying, nobody is calling you! What is going on?
In this post we are going to give you some reasons as to why you aren’t getting the calls you are so eagerly waiting for.
#1 Your resume has a weird format or spelling errors
I talk about this all the time in my posts. Your resume is your first impression and if you didn’t take the time to make sure it is in tip top shape; you are going to get passed up for the resumes that are great.
We offer this post with tips on how to make a perfect resume with a free template.
But you can also use free services like Canva.com to make some really cool resumes.
But the basic gist –
Make sure it is free of spelling errors.
It is easy to read and follow.
Your “Work Experience” should list newest job up top and you must include the month and year in the start and end date.
#2 They can’t reach you
This goes back to making sure your resume is perfect. I don’t want to even tell you the amount of time I call a number on a resume just to be told that the number is incorrect. If you cant even make sure your number is correct on your resume that tells potential employers right there how much you give attention to detail.
OR
Your voicemail box is full. I can’t judge on this one. It happens to me too, but if a potential dental practice can’t leave you a voicemail you aren’t going to get the interview. Be constantly deleting your voicemails to make sure there is plenty of space for us to leave you a message.
#3 You aren’t qualified enough for the position you are applying for
I know, shoot for the moon and you will land on a star and all that jazz. But in the dental field you have to earn your stripes before you get the big job. Make sure you are being realistic with the jobs you are applying for. If you are a Registered Dental Assistant, you are not going to get the job as an Office Manager for $40/hr. Or if you are a Dental Hygienist that just graduated, the high end dental practice offering $60/hr is not going to even glance at your resume. Apply to the jobs that match your experience, do good work while you are there and in a few short years you are going to have the experience needed to land those great jobs!
#4 Your social media/Online presence is just… bad
Sometimes dentists or office managers will do a quick google search on your name before calling on your resume. If they don’t like what they see, they will toss your resume in the trash. This can also happen after your interview, even if you nailed your interview, if they don’t like what they see with your online presence they wont hire you.
Here are some items that they don’t want to see:
- Strong Political views and arguments
- Inappropriate Pictures
- Profanity
- Constant complaining about your life circumstances
- Too many pictures that look like you party a lot
Now this doesn’t mean you have to go and clean up or delete your social media accounts. If your social media has any of the items listed above just make sure it is hard to find. Your Facebook and Instagram account shouldn’t have your last name or the email on your resume. Make sure none of your accounts are public. This ensures that when searched people cannot find your personal accounts.
If your social media is nice and clean then let those offices find it!
#5 Your reputation is tainted
I hate this one, but the dental community is small and dentist and office managers talk. If you have no showed several interviews, or got caught up in gossip during a working interview, word is going to spread. This is probably THE most challenging obstacle to overcome for Dental Hygienists and Dental Assistants.
So don’t let it happen in the first place.
If you can’t make an interview, be courteous and call the office to let them know. If you are on a working interview and the other staff members start to gossip or complain, excuse yourself and go sterilize.
Remember “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” – Benjamin Franklin.
Do everything you can to keep your reputation clean so offices are excited to interview you.
If you feel your reputation might be tainted for a small mistake, include a reference quote in your resume. Having some good feedback from a previous employer or co-worker in their face might get them to ignore the negative feedback they heard.
#6 You are limiting your job finding resources
If you are only using one job board to find work you are definitely limiting your options for finding your dream job. Use multiple job boards, including a specialized Dental Staffing Job Board like DirectDental. Using a specialized job board gives you options to highlight all the Dental skills that you can’t show in a general job board. It allows potential employers to decide instantly if they want to interview you without them even having to view your resume. Plus they can search for you and reach out to your directly, rather then you reaching out to them. It is the perfect job searching tool for Dental Assistant, Dental Hygienists and Front Office Dental Staff!
So there you have it. If you feel your resume is not getting the call backs that you need, take this checklist and run through it. Guaranteed it will improve your application call backs.
Smiles,
Holli Perez
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