Adam Neeves Recruitment Consultant
Having the right team in place is a vital element of reaching your full potential as a dental practice. Without competent clinicians who communicate well with patients, reaching any organisational goals will be challenging. While pay is an important element of the attraction process when recruiting and securing the best talent, there are several other important factors at play for candidates when they seek new employment.
When you are hiring, consider that in most locations in the UK there will be a wealth of options for good candidates, so there are a few things every dental practice can do to make themselves stand out as an employer.
Culture
One of the most important factors in attracting great team members to your practice is fostering a positive culture. As well as attracting talented professionals, the ethos of a practice is a vital factor for promoting wellbeing, and for retaining staff.
Not only do you have to work on how you communicate positive values internally and externally, but you also must make sure you convey them effectively to candidates. Your ethos should be clear when they visit, email or call. A good candidate may well ask front-line staff what the atmosphere is like at your practice, so ensuring every member of the team is treated with respect will go a long way to boost the reputation of your practice.
An authentic approach to patient care, that allows clinicians to practice according to meaningful principles will help foster a positive culture. It will also improve communications with patients, contributing to patient satisfaction. This will further attract passionate professionals, wherever your practice is located.
Opportunities for Growth
Offering clear pathways for professional growth and development is a crucial factor in attracting – and retaining – top-tier dental talent. While all clinicians value opportunities to expand their skills and responsibilities, this is especially compelling for young dentists and recent graduates seeking to establish themselves in the profession.
In private practice, appealing incentives might include the chance to build and grow a personal patient list. For mixed practices, having a clear strategy for converting NHS patients to private care can be a strong draw for ambitious, driven clinicians looking to grow their income and clinical autonomy.
The selection process
Before you’re even at the interview stage, the benefits of working with you should be clear through your recruitment advertising, branding, job descriptions, person specifications, and where you advertise. Are you appealing specifically to the candidates you’re after? Ensuring you have cast the net widely through the right channels is important for ensuring you open your opportunity up to the best talent.
An interview isn’t just an opportunity to assess whether a candidate is the right fit for your practice – it’s also your chance to showcase why your practice is the right fit for them. While evaluating their clinical skills and cultural alignment is essential, don’t underestimate the importance of presenting your own strengths.
Be prepared to clearly articulate what sets your practice apart: the opportunities you offer, the values you uphold, and the positive culture you’ve cultivated – or are actively working to develop. Demonstrating your commitment to creating a supportive, progressive environment for both patients and team members can leave a lasting impression and help secure the right candidate.
Have a clear introduction to your team, and an outline of your marketing strategy, plans for growth, culture and ethos, equipment and materials, career progression as well as benefits and the pay scale.
Once you have appointed your new team member, remember to take the time to induct them into your practice. This can help them feel welcome, and sharing key information from the outset ensures they are fully equipped and ready to hit the ground running.
When a team member moves on, it is important to be mindful of reputation as you part ways. Seeking honest feedback and applying lessons learned in interactions with the team will also help to enhance your reputation.
Enlisting support
As well as being well-known for offering specialist services for dental practice sales, Dental Elite is a well-established dental recruitment agency. Offering services for both permanent and locum hires, Dental Elite develops a tailored approach to suit each practice. Dedicated teams are ready to unite you with excellent candidates, covering roles for dental nurses, dental hygienists, associate dentists, locum dentists and more.
In this competitive market, attracting candidates that meet the needs of your vacancies is essential to enable you to achieve your overall goals. To offer the right level of care for patients, to meet your NHS contract or to fulfil your key business performance indicators, and to build goodwill to optimise your practice’s value, having the right approach to recruitment is vital.
For more information on Dental Elite visit www.dentalelite.co.uk, email info@dentalelite.co.uk or call 01788 545 900
