Rick Workman, DMD
Recruiting, onboarding, and training are costly endeavors that are essential to running a successful business and building a winning team. Choosing the right hires for your office-whether you're a recent startup or an established practice-is crucial to building a prolific team. Employees are the backbone of any successful company, including dental offices.
There are few things more time consuming and costly than going through the lengthy process of hiring a new employee, only to find out that you've made the wrong decision when the individual neglects to meet expectations, fails to perform, or quits shortly after onboarding. We've all been there at one time or another. So how do we avoid this costly mistake in the future? Here are a few tips on how to make smarter hiring decisions that will ensure you hire the right team members.
Back to the basics: Applications and résumés
Applications and résumés sound like something right out of the Stone Age. With all of the recent technological advances, why would we rely on this age-old staple? The answer is simple good old-fashioned applications and résumés are still among the most valuable hiring tools at our disposal. And while these tools may not be the be-all and end-all when it comes to making decisions, they can provide valuable insights into a candidate's experience and qualifications. Carefully sifting through applications will not only ensure that you're spending your time and resources on the best and brightest applicants, but it can also save you valuable time otherwise wasted on interviewing unqualified employees.
Get social
We have transitioned to a market where social media rules the roost, and it's time to start using that your advantage. According to a recent article in Entrepreneur citing that over 90% of companies use platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook for recruitment, social media for recruiting is more popular than ever.1 Additionally, 45% of Fortune 500 firms include links to social media on their career page sections.2 You now have the world at your fingertips, which provides the opportunity to find the exact applicant you are searching for.
Get LinkedIn
From small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, LinkedIn has become a reliable recruiting tool for organizations of all shapes and sizes. You can learn a great deal about a person from their social media profile. These public profiles provide an excellent opportunity to find out more about the candidate's interests, which can help you consider how they'll fit within your organization.
Recruiting and developing talent enhances your office's productivity and growth. Without talent, you can't transform. Without transformation, you can't grow. Remember to look beyond the scope of traditional work qualifications (i.e., experience and education). Think about the bigger picture. Would this candidate fit the vibe of your team and current environment? Will they continue to work with your office for an extended period of time? Will they enhance your team's productivity, helping the group meet operational challenges and expectations?
Hiring the right people from the start will drive your office to a new level of success, investing in your team's future-tomorrow and years down the road.
Author's note: You can visit Dr. Workman's blog at dentistryleaders.com.
References
1. 2013 Social Recruiting Survey Results. Jobvite website. http://web.jobvite.com/rs/jobvite/images/Jobvite_2013_SocialRecruitingSurveyResults.pdf. Accessed September 20, 2016.
2. 92% Of Companies Use Social Media For Recruitment. SocialTimes website. http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/social-media-recruiting/492059. Published October 16, 2013. Accessed September 20, 2016.
Rick Workman, DMD, is the founder of Heartland Dental. After practicing full time, Dr. Workman created Heartland Dental, a world-class dental support organization, offering nonclinical, administrative services to supported dentists. Heartland Dental has more than 750 supported dental offices in 33 states. Dr. Workman may be reached at [email protected].
