The right recruitment solution for your practice - Luke Moore

Whether you are looking to expand or replace a member in your dental team, is essential to make sure you hire the ideal person. Here are some tips to consider along the recruitment process.

Interviewing applicants

Firstly, check that the candidate has all the necessary technical or clinical qualifications and skills required to carry out the job, such as licences, professional certificates and training. First impressions are of course important as well as the applicant’s interpersonal skills and devotion to the profession. Furthermore, dentistry requires everyone to work in very close proximity and so it is vital to ensure that candidates have right attributes to work as part of a team and to make patients feel comfortable.

Checking references

It may be obvious for some but it is important to follow up on all references. Some references provide an excellent insight but others may be guarded and simply confirm dates of employment and ending salary. In this case, a good strategy is to follow up the reference with a telephone call after interviewing a candidate.

Making a start

When you have made your decision and offer an individual a position in writing, you should implement a probationary period. During this time, the new employee’s progress should be regularly reviewed at weekly or monthly one-to-one sessions.

A written appraisal system that is adhered to throughout employment, gives team members a sense of value as well as direction. It can be also be a great way to learn from team members, listen to their ideas and maybe bring to action any strategies that could improve or streamline the workflow of the practice.

Contracts

When you provide a new employee a permanent contract of employment, it is absolutely imperative that it is concisely worded to include detailed information on every aspect of the job and the practice. For example it should state the hours of work, annual leave entitlement, duties: including written protocols for HTM-01-05 and CQC compliance, protocols for sickness or long-term illness, disciplinary procedure, rules of confidentiality, details covering policies such as adverse weather conditions and the provision of uniform.

Special attention to detail

When employing practice managers or associates it is important to consider the inclusion of restrictive covenants to protect the business. These are typically clauses in a contract that prohibit an individual from poaching other members of staff, contacting patients or competing with an ex-employer for a certain period after they have left the practice.

Help is at hand

If you need help recruiting staff or advice on contracts of employment or contracts for services (for self employed staff) it is prudent to seek expert advice. The team at Dental Elite are experienced dental recruiters who work solely with the dental profession to help practices find suitable individuals to engage in locum or permanent positions. With the aim to provide all clients with such an efficient and effective service Dental Elite hopes to become the natural ‘first port of call’ for any recruitment needs. 

For more information and to find out how Dental Elite can help to recruit the most suitable members of your dental team visit www.dentalelite.co.uk, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or call 01788 545 900