Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring a Dental Hygienist
The hiring process can be daunting, even to someone with a lot of experience. Hiring and then sometimes firing is an expensive and time-consuming process. Everyone wants to believe they have the necessary intuition to hire the right person, every time but it’s just not always possible. Most people will claim they “go with their gut” in the hiring process and that can sometimes work. It never hurts to have some mistakes to avoid when hiring a dental hygienist that others have shared and learned from.
Rushed training
Don’t assume this new hire is aware of how you do things in your office or even how it might be done in a real practice. They may have graduated dental school several years ago but if they were never given similar responsibilities in a previous practice, they won’t be familiar with certain procedures. Train thoroughly.
Give them the keys to the kingdom
In other words, don’t give too much responsibility until you’re sure they will work out. It can be smart for both parties to do a trial period where you see if they are a good fit for you, your team and your patients. It is not just to “test” them on their skills but make sure they are also evaluating your practice as well.
Quick interview
This person will need to fit in with your team. Consider a lunch with your current team or at least with the office manager to see how they feel about the potential candidate. Your staff will usually be able to tell, fairly quickly, if someone will be a good addition or just be a source of negativity. When you hurry through the interview process, you can overlook some important red flags.
Taking too long
While you don’t want to rush, you also can’t drag out the process. You could miss out on a great candidate due to feet dragging or uncertainty. Give yourself a deadline for hiring and let that person know that timeline so they are free to move on or wait. Being fair to candidates will only bring you positive results in the future.
A dental hygienist is a vital part of your practice. It’s never fun to fire someone so remember you can always ask for help from the professionals at WSi Healthcare. We can provide you with quality candidates and give you the chance to decide based on a high caliber of applicants. Streamline the hiring process by contacting our professional agency today!