Common hiring mistakes may lead to decreased profits, inefficient workflows, and upset patients. By knowing bad hiring decisions to avoid for important positions, such as office managers or receptionists, you can set your practice up for success.

5 Common Hiring Mistakes to Avoid

Hiring the appropriate person to fill an open position at your dental practice may seem daunting. It can take a lot of time to fully assess a potential employee, but failure to do so could lead to expensive consequences and an average of 21 weeks of wasted time before you correct the mistakes¹. 

Avoiding these common hiring mistakes can help you ensure your employees are fit for their jobs and join your team successfully.

1. A Weak Job Description

Make sure the job descriptions you post for open positions at your dental practice are as detailed as possible. You could lose out on great talent by failing to include relevant information in your job descriptions. Include information such as the:

• Expected daily tasks
• Experience an applicant should have
• Expected work schedule
• Your practice’s general location
• The position’s salary

Including the salary is crucial, as some applicants may avoid applying to positions that don’t show them how much money they could be making.

2. Rushed Applicant Reviews

Once you stop accepting applications for an open position, you should thoroughly review the applications that have come in. Looking at an applicant’s background too quickly could result in a hire that does not fit your needs.

Review certain parts of a resume in detail, such as their employment history, education, and skills. A resume with a large employment history gap or little detail could indicate that an applicant is not reliable. 

Reviewing the applicant’s history in depth will help you ensure they have the appropriate education and experience to execute the duties of your open position.

3. Poor-Quality Interviews

Quick interviews are one of the most common hiring mistakes. The interview process gives you the opportunity to meet potential applicants and see how they behave. 

Speaking to applicants on phone calls prior to in-person interviews is highly recommended. In the interview, ask the most relevant questions to applicants, such as their salary expectations and why they feel they are the best fit for the role. Through conversation, you may learn that the applicant is not willing or is incapable of meeting your needs.

4. Poorly Delegating Work to New Employees

There is a fine line between giving a new employee too much work and too little work. Assigning too much to them before they have a complete understanding of the company’s processes could lead to bad work. However, giving them too little work or too little oversight could give them the expectation that the job is easier than it is.

It could be beneficial to speak with other team members in similar roles about what went right and what went wrong when they were first hired. Then, you can apply that information to the new hire’s workload.

5. Biased Hiring Practices

It is important to hire new staff members based on their work experience and ability to do the job. Choosing not to offer someone a position based on an unconscious bias could be a loss for your dental practice at large.

Give New Hires a Good Start

Once you have gone through the hiring process and chosen a quality employee to add to your team, it is important to make sure they begin the new position with the best possible chance for success.

Making sure your new hire feels like a part of the team can help them succeed, so introduce them to the people they’ll be working with. This also benefits your established team members, as it gives them an idea of the new hire’s experience and how that person will impact the overall work environment.

Dental Intelligence Can Help

At Dental Intelligence, we understand the importance of setting up your new hires for success. Our state-of-the-art communication solutions can help you avoid common hiring mistakes and welcome new team members in a way that benefits them as well as your current employees. Schedule a demo to learn more.

Resources

¹ PR Newswire