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Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

Practice Matters DENTAL TRIBUNE | April 20116A candidate who has trouble asking for money — even if she does have a perfect smile and charming per- sonality. Most importantly: gut instincts are no match for good data. As the school of hard knocks has taught virtually every dentist I know, a seemingly rock-solid resume and practical skills offer no assurance that the person you hire will prove to be the excellent candidate you interview. The candidates may appear to have the right skill set, but if one has trouble making decisions or the other is overly controlling, today’s seemingly ideal hire can metamor- phose into tomorrow’s employment nightmare. Don’t gamble and don’t guess, instead, test the candidates. narrowing down the list of can- didates to those you are most interested in. From there, conduct phone interviews. Be sure that in the phone interviews you ask all of the applicants the same basic questions. Pay attention to tone of voice, word usage and grammar. You should now be able to pare the list down to only those you are most interested in interviewing face to face. Skills, personality and more While no applicant is perfect, it’s important to understand each job and what particular attributes a prospective employee needs to have. If your goal is a 98 percent collection rate, you don’t want a Testing tools available in the dental marketplace provide a statis- tically valid and scientifically based hiring assessment tool for dentists. The computerized assessment measures job applicants against a profile of the “ideal” dental practice employee for each position. The procedure is simple. Applicants answer a list of ques- tions online. Just minutes later, the dentist receives a statistically reli- able report enabling him or her to clearly determine if the candidate under consideration would be a good match for the position being filled. It’s straightforward and accu- rate. What’s more, this carefully test- ed and thoroughly researched hir- ing tool is fully compliant with the legal requirements associated with employee testing. Beyond “You’re hired!” Once the new hire is in the prac- tice, help him or her succeed. Sup- ply the necessary equipment, tools and training needed to perform the job well. Clearly explain what is expected of the employee and how his or her performance will be measured. Provide an office policy manual that explains policies and procedures, such as sick time, holi- days, vacation, disciplinary proce- dures, etc. In addition, provide routine, ongoing and direct feedback. This constructive direction helps the employee learn the ropes. Finally, schedule performance reviews to assess the new hire’s performance at least twice, and preferably three times, during the first 90 days. If you take specific steps before, during and after the hiring process, you are far more likely to ensure that quality hires make up your quality team. DT AD f DT page 5A About the author Sally McKenzie is CEO of McKenzie Management, which provides success-proven man- agement solutions to dental practitioners nationwide. She is also editor of The Dentist’s Network Newsletter at www.the dentistsnetwork.net; the e-Man- agement Newsletter from www. mckenziemgmt.com; and The NewDentist™ magazine,www.the newdentist.net.Shecanbereached at (877) 777-6151 or sallymck @mckenziemgmt.com. ‘Gut instincts are no match for good data. A computerized assessment can help you weed through applicants within minutes to find the best candidates for the position.’