5 Ways to Make Hiring (Almost) Painless
Firing and hiring is probably the least favorite part of the job for most dentists and office managers. In fact, some dentists dread this process so much they hold onto employees too long to avoid firing someone. Not only is it unpleasant to have to fire an employee, it also triggers the dreaded hiring process.
As difficult and daunting as hiring may seem, it is better to replace an employee who is not working out with a new (and hopefully better) employee than to continue struggling with an employee who is holding back your office and the team’s potential.
Hiring does not have to be tough or scary, if you know what you are doing. Prepare yourself for the process ahead and start it the right way to set yourself up for success.
Do these 5 things to find and hire your next employee.
1) Get in the right mindset.
This might sound cliché, but if you decide that the hiring process will suck, then guess what—it will suck. If you tell yourself there are no good candidates available, you won’t find a good candidate.
Often, our attitude causes the outcome we are expecting – the phenomenon of self-fulfilling prophecy, so have a positive attitude. Decide that you are going to find a great candidate and you will.
Think about one of your best employees on your team right now—aren’t you glad you found and hired them? If the process worked well for hiring that employee, then it can work well again. Know that your next amazing employee is out there and you just have to find them!
2) Identify what you need and want.
Look at your current team from a high level. What amazing skills do they have? What skills or personality traits do they lack? What specific things would you like to add to your team?
Maybe your staff is great overall, but there is not one person who is good at talking about money. Or, you have a lot of introverts and could use someone who is outgoing and bubbly.
Take some time to determine what you would like to add to your team and how to help your office and team become more well-rounded.
Many dentist hire based on the number of years of experience in dental, but specific dental experience does not matter as much as other qualities. With the right personality and work ethic, you can teach them the rest.
3) Create a hiring checklist.
Now that you have identified the traits, skills, and personality type you would like to have join your team, write it down. Keep that list handy while you are interviewing candidates and refer to it regularly.
We tend to forget what we started out looking for and when we meet a candidate, we begin thinking “she or he is good enough” or “they are close to what I think I want.” When you have a list to refer to, you can remind yourself of the qualities you are looking for and determine how well this candidate meets those requirements.
4) Don’t wait until you are in pain.
You know you need to hire someone soon, but things happen, you get busy, your office starts to cope without a new hire. The next thing you know, you are in desperate need of help and time is of the essence. Suddenly, you are hiring in urgency mode and you can’t afford to be picky or wait for the right candidate.
If you hire merely out of reaction to urgency, you end up hiring a round peg to go into a square hole, which results in turnover. Planning to hire before you get desperate will not only let you take the time to find the right candidate, it will also lower the turnover rate in your office.
5) Write an interesting and intriguing advertisement.
When you are ready to advertise, make sure it is an ad that people want to respond to and submit their resume.
If you write a boring ad with too many requirements, guess who applies? You will limit the number of candidates by making the requirements too strict. You will attract boring candidates who aren’t excited about working in YOUR office – they are submitting a resume because they are looking for any opening and do not have a better opportunity.
Write an ad that will attract great people who are excited when they read about the opportunity.
Publish an ad that attracts people who are already employed because your job sounds significantly better than the job that they are doing now. Don’t attract unemployed people who will take anything that comes along.
It’s simple – don’t fear hiring.
You will find your next great employee, but it may take a little work and some patience. If you have been unsuccessful in the past, do something different to see different results and reap the rewards of a well-planned hiring process. It will be worth it.
