LEADERSHIPGDA HIRE RIGHT: Play the Long-Game to WIN! If it has “been a minute” since last casting your net into the candidate pool for front office or assisting staff, the catch is likely to startle you. Dental offices are among the myriads of healthcare employers seeking quality candidates to fill jobs in the ever-expanding job market. Social and economic conditions over the last decade have radically changed the landscape of seeking and securing talented staff members. While hiring has never been an “easy” process, talented, quality staff members are less likely to be secured within a mere couple of weeks. Employers are tempted to play the short game, often hiring fast over the phone or after a quick first meeting to get a warm body to fill the vacancy. Employers choosing the longgame for hiring (a multi-step, thorough vetting process) will inevitably reach the end-game sooner. Solid jobs win. When comparing dental positions to other healthcare job posts, dental opportunities are “hot jobs!” We typically offer a 4 or 4 ½ day work week, no evenings, no weekends, engaging and challenging work, an emotionally rewarding mission, incomes that compete well within the healthcare market, and a small business culture that encourages employees to voice input and ideas that can positively impact change. Employers who are intentional about team building and leadership can more readily retain staff by building cultures that encourage meaningful relationships and provide professional growth. The challenge facing the HR manager/leader dentist in 2024 is the commitment to the “long-game” hiring process, which often requires sorting through hundreds of unqualified candidates to find those who meet or have the potential to quickly train to the standards required of your job post. Ultimately, the expenditure of time to hire right outweighs the total cost of a quick hire who is poorly matched to your team and ultimately lands you back on the gameboard at “GO,” and the search process starts again. Double down on your efforts, maintain your high standards, and trust the process to gain favorable results. Be thorough. Be fast. The adage, “Slow to hire, fast to fire” is still true, but “slow” is not at the pace of prior years. Simply stated, good people are hired fast, so you cannot afford lulls or downtime between your interview steps that leaves solid job seekers suspended. Neither can you afford to cut corners as you race around the interview track. The meaning behind the slow-to-hire rhyme is that time must be devoted to the multi-step interview process to determine if your candidate consistently exhibits the qualities you are seeking. Many great candidates are lost due to insufficient response time. June 2024 labor market conditions currently host 4.1% unemployment, which is up from 3.6% a year ago, but still well within historic lows. However, dentistry isn’t feeling any relief from this slight uptick, as the unemployment rate in the healthcare segment is 3.1%. What do these statistics mean for dental leaders? There are far more job postings than individuals to fill the positions. In the meantime, we can maintain an optimistic outlook that one day the USA will host a robust economy with an unemployment rate around 5.0% for healthcare. Until that chapter begins, the wise HR manager/dentist will adapt, overcome, and add an efficient response time to their hiring process. To be swift and thorough, follow this timeline: All candidates with qualifying resumes should receive a response from you by the next business day. Your email response should thank them for their interest in the position and ask them to complete application documents prior to scheduling their telephone interview (Documents allow the first level of factchecking prior to in-depth conversation and will often disqualify your candidate and prevent expending your time on a mismatch.) After returning your application documents, qualifying interviewees should be offered a telephone interview within 1 – 2 days. Candidates further qualifying after the telephone interview should be offered an in-person interview within 1 – 2 days. The “shadow experience” (to be further described by the author in an upcoming GDA publication!), which holds tremendous value for both the employee and employer, should follow the in-person interview within 1 – 2 business days, or as soon as the candidate’s schedule will permit. When a qualifying candidate successfully navigates each step of your interview process… an offer letter should be extended within 24 – 48 hours. Prove consistency by checking, checking, and… checking. A common error made by hiring managers is to see “dental experience” on a resume and lose sight of many “untrainable” qualities that define a successful hire. For example, consider these traits: attention to detail, job stability, and emotional regulation. Your first hint as to whether the candidate possesses attention to detail and stability is often the presentation of their resume and possibly an accompanying cover by CAROL PAIGE President PRN Dental Consulting, LLC. 16 | Sept 2024
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