You are actively seeking a new member to join your workgroup. You found a candidate who has “passed” an initial telephone screening and one-hour inperson interview. Their first impression seems solid, but you aren’t sure you have enough information to make a fully informed hire. You are feeling “pinched” to find the right match while enduring the stress and pressure of being short-staffed. With the information, you know… Is it time to extend a job offer? The answer: No. The next step is to offer a shadow experience. The shadow experience brings a thorough interview vetting process to the finish line. While enduring the pressure of being short-staffed, it is easy for dental office managers and leaders to lose sight of the big picture. The goal of an effective hiring process is not only to fill a position, but also to efficiently utilize each step of the process to gain the greatest knowledge of your candidate. This can either confirm or reveal a twist to what you understand their qualities, traits, values, personality, belief systems, and characteristics to be. Although no interview process is a failsafe, the shadow experience provides and reveals crucial information about your candidate to give you the assurance needed to make a well-informed decision. What is a shadow experience? A shadow experience is not a working interview. Apart from hygiene candidates, administrative and assistant-trainee finalists should not work without pay, nor should they work prior to proper orientation (even candidates with dental experience require training on your officespecific processes to not rock the boat). During a shadow experience, the candidate will report in the morning, attend your huddle, then spend either a half or full day shadowing a team member(s) in the role they are hoping to fill. The experience is intentionally informal and designed for candidates to “look under the hood” of their job’s roles and responsibilities, meet the team, and experience your office culture. The experience either increases the candidate’s confidence in their application (they leave WANTING that job offer!) or provides greater insight that may help them withdraw their application (likely to prevent you from receiving an abrupt resignation following a short bout of employment). When the shadow experience confirms what the candidate’s knowledge and expectations are about the role, they accept an offer of employment with greater confidence and assurance that their decision is best matched to their We’ve all been there. Include a SHADOW EXPERIENCE in Your Hiring Process! PAIGE HEALEY 48 | Nov 2024
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